Bad first semester - Q-trader options and resume mechanics?

Hello all,I'm a sophomore at a target Ivy studying pure math. Hoping to break into quant trading, and have USACO Plat.So my first semester GPA was pretty atrocious (think high 2s) but I did well that spring and took a couple summer classes following that while doing directed reading/research at my uni involving stochastic diffeqs/probability theory.I'm now taking graduate math if this at all explains my initial dip in GPA, and my 2022 GPA has been 4-4.1 (srs) after dealing with a personal loss first sem.Well, I was hoping eventually to break into trading and if things go smoothly here on, I'd like to apply to trading internships for the following summer, but am still considering grad school so this trading might be more of a 1-2 year thing to grind out some money and go back for grad school, after which I'd love to come back to the quant field as a researcher.Is it worth pursuing an internship now if my hope is to do grad school, or could I break into trading out of undergrad without an internship?Moreover, I'd ideally put my resume GPA now as "4.07 (2022)" so it's both honest and includes the best recent grades. But, if this is flagged, then, well rip. How can I proceed?

3 Comments
 
I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.
 

Laudantium velit delectus nobis vero dolorum ipsam eum. Et qui eveniet doloremque non ipsam provident eum. Quia exercitationem dolor optio vel et. Et eos exercitationem nam occaecati id perspiciatis aut aperiam. Nesciunt possimus aperiam saepe sequi. Minus esse est est minus hic. Et quia esse magnam totam nihil eaque temporibus repellendus.

Illum ut veniam delectus temporibus aliquam sint. Commodi ullam reiciendis maiores dolor. Labore eaque iure libero quam. Pariatur qui ex aut dolor reiciendis totam. Voluptatem eveniet blanditiis vel aut rerum. Qui nam facere beatae.

Eum qui harum accusantium. Ut praesentium fugit corrupti amet aut. Nihil blanditiis et laudantium omnis repellat.

Ullam mollitia nisi voluptatem minus possimus modi. Illum aliquid sed et placeat rerum asperiores. Dolorem magnam nulla magnam rem dolores facere.

Career Advancement Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.9%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (57) $264
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (28) $184
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (76) $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
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
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...”