I have a bit of a dilemma here. I'm currently undecided on whether or not to apply right now, before summer or during/after summer for 2019 SAs.
Right now, I have a 3.5 and a freshman summer ib internship. The GPA isn't great, but I think that my freshman ib experience is relatively very strong compared with the rest of applicants. However, I think that by the end of the semester, I can work hard enough to bring my GPA up to a 3.7, or failing that, at the very least a 3.6. I have also just started(like 2 days ago) an internship at a search fund, where I don't think I will be doing bs work since the partners like me a lot and have already given me fairly cool work to complete. I also just landed a small AM($1B AUM) equity research internship for the summer, and I think that's also pretty good work experience.
So I think there's realistically 2 windows of when I can apply:
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Now, when close to nobody else has IB experience, but with a fairly low GPA that basically just meets the cutoff.
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In the summer, when other applicants will start getting good work experience, either at boutique IB's or PE firms or whatever as well. However, by then, I will also have pretty competitive work experience, although probably not the blowout that freshman IB is, and will finally have a fairly competitive GPA.
What should I do? Experienced bankers, who would you rather hire, given the changes in my work experience and GPA, versus the rest of the applicant pool?
I'd say apply now (given that you're ready to interview, or even better if you're diversity), but network to offset the low-ish GPA.
There are two main ways to get an interview: a) Have a high GPA and great resume, so they can't reject you b) Networking, so they know you and give you an intevriew bc of familiarity
As for the experience, you already have an ib internship, so just put the search fund on resume, and say things in present tense (currently --ing this, ---ing that, etc.), and keep it short -- by the time you're interviewing, you will have some experience to talk about, or you will have done the sufficient research.
If you're not ready to interview, however, don't apply and learn as much as you can, a month shouldn't make a big difference, but two months might.
Just my opinion.
(Also 3.5 is not bad, depending on where you're applying)
Sadly I am not diversity.
What would you think of my resume if I got that 3.7 and the internships I've listed?
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