Study Abroad Fall Vs. Staying to Work on GPA and Network

So I'm currently a sophomore at a semi target (Gtown, Duke, Northwestern type) I have a finance and economics double major and a 3.4 GPA (not going to make excuses). I have a decent amount of experience in finance a PWM internship, economic strategy research, and Asset Management firm. I have an offer from a small boutique IB and a mid sized hedge fund for the summer. Overall the rest of my resume is solid as far as extracurricular activities, interests, and skills. My goal is to do a SA position with a BB or top boutique for summer 2016. My question is whether I am better served staying for fall 2015 to network (informational interviews, recruiting events, and possible NYC trip) and boost my GPA to ~ 3.55-3.7 range? How important is GPA considered for recruiting? Does studying abroad generally disadvantage someone for recruiting? And are there any things that one can do abroad to make up for physical lack of presence? I'd appreciate any advice from people who have either studied abroad or know of someone who has. Thanks.

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Best Response

First off, you're thinking about going abroad with the right mindset. In short the answer is going abroad is disadvantageous during recruiting season. However, if you plan ahead and are diligent networking this spring, summer and while you're abroad it should not be a disadvantage. Alternatively, with investment banks interviewing earlier and earlier you could go abroad in spring 2016. Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, Jefferies, Guggenheim Partners and many more conducted a fair amount or all their interviews in November/December. I think Goldman finished most front office interviews by mid-December.

 

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