Top 40 non-target, 3.9 GPA sophomore - trouble recruiting this fall?

I'm a sophomore at a southeastern Top-40 business school that is traditionally non-target (CS & JPM only OCR for ops/CADP/tech) and I am going to be going through SA recruiting in the fall for 2018, preferably in DCM. I have a 3.9 GPA, involved in student radio, professional fraternity & starting as president of my school's stock-trading club in the fall.

I've been reaching out to alumni (at least 3-5 per month) since January, and haven't made any great connections thus far. I'm also cold calling PWM firms in the Boston area, where I'm from, to find work for the summer, but haven't had luck yet.

I plan to keep doing what I can to find alumni to reach out to, but will I have trouble getting an offer going through recruiting? I'm not dead-set on any specific bank, nor any size. Is there anything else y'all would recommend I do?

5 Comments
 
Best Response

Congrats on the 3.9. Major accomplishment. You shouldn't have much difficulty landing a position in DCM with a GPA like that, target or not.

Also, smart play reaching out to alumni. However, I'd slow down a bit on how many you reach out to and try to narrow your focus to a handful you can consistently follow up with. You don't want 50 alums talking about you because you are having the same convo with each one of them.

 

Much appreciated - I think I get too much in my own head thinking "I'm not doing enough" but it's reassuring to hear folks already in the industry tell me otherwise. Will having a PWM internship this summer make an impact? Or is that something just for my own learning at this point?

Also, I never thought of that with alumni - always was under the impression that the more you reach out to, the better.

 

For this summer in Boston? I've been talking to a few folks at WF because they do a lot of recruiting for Charlotte too (forgot to mention them), and I actually called my hometown BAML and they said any postings, even teller postings, would be through their careers page

 

Nam autem voluptatem et odit tempore natus placeat ea. Voluptatem rerum commodi enim. Fugit et distinctio qui et.

Tenetur laborum ipsum autem. Quia magni iure voluptatem.

Aut totam vero mollitia voluptates. Est sit ut nam rerum quaerat et beatae. Et incidunt voluptatem quibusdam dignissimos perferendis repellat sunt. Sed ut deleniti minus. Dolorem quisquam quas totam nam.

26 Broadway where's your sense of humor?

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (75) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (67) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”