Stern GPA

Some leadership skills/community service too...will I be able to get decent interviews?

not to sound dumb or anything...but the best answer is to believe in yourself..

self belief counts more than how low your gpa is..gl

Stern's a target. Make sure that it's 3.5 or above (not 3.49), and it won't matter. From that point on, it will be all about the rest of the stuff on your resume. Blackrock is good because it shows interest. Make sure your resume also includes significant leadership skills and you'll get yourself an interview. From the point that you get an interview, your resume barely matters.

wannabebanker, why does a a 3.49 instead of 3.5 matter, isn't it okay to round up?

Does it matter whether 3.5 is good enough or not? If I tell you you're fucked, is that going to change your mind about banking?

In any case...you're fucked, don't even try.

how is there deflation at stern?

Stern doesn't have deflation, everything is graded on a strict curve you idiot

since when is deflation not caused by a strict curve...

Deflation at Stern is caused by the infamous "Stern Curve" which keeps A's at a very low level. The situation is even worse with Stern finance, with the specially strict "stern finance curve", which restricts the maximum amount of A's at the top 15% of the class.

IMO, the only reason the Stern curve is infamous is because Stern often tries to compare itself with the higher ranked schools, particularly the Ivys. Most of the Ivys have a curve that is slightly above a natural bell (t-distribution). I'm not discussing the reason for that.

However, most of the average and lower schools have a grade distribution that is closer to the normal distribution. Stern's distribution being around the normal, combined with the perception of a "ivey league type" of school gives most people the notion that it is a very strict, and tough curve.

That's just my opinion, and theory as to the perception of a strict curve. It's open to the normal round of flaming that goes on around here.

The "Stern curve" theory is probably most likely perpetuated by disgruntled stern students who weren't the top five or six guys in class who got the coveted "A".

This anger is perpetuated by the fact that regular NYU gives out "A's" like candy.

The average GPA at some Ivy's is around 3.6. That's considerably more than "slightly above", its substantially more.

Right, but that implies the underlying assumption that Stern is comparable to Ivys.

" Stern is comparable to Ivys."

Ivy's tend to award bloated grades.

The overwhelming majority of Stern students have GPA's in the 2.7-to 3.3 range by the end of senior year, and the top bracket the rest.

Is top 15% total As or is it A, not including A-? Because a tough curve is 15- 20% As, 30-35% B, 40-45%% Cs and 5-10% D/F

It's 15% A's/A-'s if I remember correctly. The problem that most stern students had was that nearly the whole class was in the B+/B/B- range.

That's not called deflation, that's called not inflation. Wharton has exactly the same curve. So does every other school on a curve that isn't inflated.

USC Marshall had a similiar curve. The Average GPA for undergrad business was 2.85, B/B- Average. Only top 10-15% received A/A- while the majority of the students receive a B-/B/B+.
However, now it's getting a little better with the average grade now stands as a 3.0. Most students thought the curve was a little unfair, but I think it prepares you for the competitive atmosphere of the real world. What is stern's average?

does suck.. when A is given to top 5%, and A- for 10% after. so if there are 50 kids in class, 2-3 gets A, and 5 kids get A-.

i'd say avg gpa is around 3.0 to 3.2

does suck.. when A is given to top 5%, and A- for 10% after. so if there are 50 kids in class, 2-3 gets A, and 5 kids get A-.

i'd say avg gpa is around 3.0 to 3.2

i think it is the school's responsibility to give out A's with serious discretion. Think about it, if everyone gets A's then these kids are going to REALLY believe that they are great at something that they're not. Consequently, it is going to hurt them down the road when they face real challenges and unable to prevail. It's important for college students to test the limits and discover their strengths and weaknesses. Not everyone has the thought process for finance and investment banking. Some are pushed to do finance because their parents want them to become investment bankers.

i think it is the school's responsibility to give out A's with serious discretion. Think about it, if everyone gets A's then these kids are going to REALLY believe that they are great at something that they're not. Consequently, it is going to hurt them down the road when they face real challenges and unable to prevail. It's important for college students to test the limits and discover their strengths and weaknesses. Not everyone has the thought process for finance and investment banking. Some are pushed to do finance because their parents want them to become investment bankers.

You guys shouldn't complain that much about the curve. Just come to the top schools in China, say, Peking or UIBE, I would say, a 3.5 GPA in finance is pretty good enough on resume......

speaking of the curve, it's pretty similar in my school as well. 15% - As

How did this thread that ended 6 months ago pop back up last week? Whoever's looking at year-old posts please stop.

In any case, a school that curves its grades is stupid and not considering the welfare of its students. If school A gives mostly As to its kids while school B gives mostly Bs to its kids, who do you think the banks are going to hire 4.0 or 3.0. Nobody particularly cares if it's under false pretenses. Just because you can separate the kids within a school, the curved school is fucking their students for comparison across schools. Just look at the rampant inflation at Stanford and Harvard - you think that's hurting them?

Similarly, sure you can challenge your students, but if I break your chances early and don't even let you through the door, you're arguing that'll help the students later down the line? The analyst position doesn't require a 'finance' mindset - all you need to do is work hard. Doesn't require intelligence, and it's not particularly difficult. Last but not least, whose parents force them to do ib? Is that a joke?

Here's why the curve at places like Wharton and Stern don't make much sense. These schools know that their students will be competing with people at other targets (Harvard, Yale, Stanford, etc.) who receive A's like candy. On the other hand, the business school curve ensures that ~40% of students in every class will get a C or lower, which means it's quite possible that a good number of people have a sub-3.0 GPA. At the other targets, if you don't have at least a 3.0, you're an idiot, and a 3.5 is not tough to get. Mr. White's correct. Wharton and Stern are actually limiting their students' options by not recognizing the competitive environment. Their curves need to be amended.

Analyst 2008, your thought is wrong. Schools are in the business of creating successful alums who will help their brands and contribute donations. One way to ensure that your alums will be successful is to allow them to get high GPAs so that every potential professional option is available to them. That's exactly what some targets do.

"willing to do companies like BoA" - as if thats so bad.

Let's see: Stern, Male, 3.5 gpa, internship at Blackrock and enough info to recognize the division on paper

Well, you've given anyone at BoA enough info and motive to find ur resume and throw it in the trash.

Stern Curve sucks!! A GPA of 3 from Stern is equivalent to a GPA of 4.0 from other top university.