Trending Content - Job Search Advice Forum
Career Resources
WSO Free Modeling Series - Now Open Through
June 30, 2026
9 Free Financial Modeling Lessons
Get instant access to lessons taught by experienced private equity pros and bulge bracket investment bankers including financial statement modeling, DCF, M&A, LBO, Comps and Excel Modeling.
+Bonus: Get 27 financial modeling templates in swipe file
+Bonus: Get 27 financial modeling templates in swipe file
High Finance Applications
Guaranteed
Get at least one offer GUARANTEED
- 1:1 support
- 92% success rate
- 2,000+ mentor network
- Unlimited Live bootcamps
- AI for resume + LinkedIn
- Networking automation tools
- HireVue simulation tool
- Full course library
- Private Slack community
- 20hrs of mocks
- + much more...
Are you socially awkward?
My gf was in basically the exact same situation as you. top tier non-ivy school, 3.2 gpa, decent experience but no luck despite hundreds of applications. Always suspected that she must be doing something wrong (she won't let me help with her apps).
I would always try to reach out to a recruiter/alumnus or anyone else whenever I applied to an internship. I always sensed that nobody was really reading my resume when I would submit online applications. I found this to be pretty effective. Do you have nothing on your plate for your sophomore summer?
This is likely quite a wise decision. I tried teaching my wife (then girlfriend) to drive shift and it led to much frustration, yelling and tears.
Overlaying a teacher-student or professional counselor-advice receiver relationship on a boyfriend-girlfriend or girlfriend-boyfriend* relationship usually ends in disaster. Irrational in many ways, but there it is.
Probably good advice. It is just hard to watch her get so frustrated and then, get jealous of me for my susccess.
I taught my wife how to drive stick (back when she was my gf) and had absolutely no issues.
I applied to over 100 places since December, got around 12 interviews and only landed one offer. I have a similar GPA to you, I go to non-ivy top tier target, and have slightly more relevant experiences.
It boils down to interviewing skills, competition, fit, and connections. When you don't have connections, you have to hustle even harder to get that position b/c you're already at a disadvantage if someone else you're competing with knows somebody. You'll never really know why, but those are likely the main factors and I can relate as I have a similar background to you.
you hit the nail on the head, lack of networking is probably moreso than the other. let me ask you this, did you just blindly apply or did you actually follow up with someone whom you'd already talked to once, emailed, or had an informational interview with?
It is tough for sophomores to get internships, so you will have to network more and apply to more positions. It sounds like you have solid experience as a sophomore, but I would check out:
Resume formatting and content - You would be surprised at the difference in response rate when comparing a poorly formatted resume vs. well formatted resume. I redid my resume with the same experience and got a huge boost in responses.
Scope of firms considered - There are many amazing firms that do not post on your school's job board that you should consider. I would check out job search engines and go directly to websites of firms that interest you.
Lack of networking - Even cold e-mailing alums at firms with open internships can get you a strong referral. Many alums have pushed my resume, even if the chat was informational.
Your "tell me about yourself" story - Though you have strong experiences, are you presenting them in a coherent and compelling story that would make prospective employers interested in hiring you? Presentation can make all the difference.
Thanks for the feedback everyone. I have to believe the lack of connections is what is hurting me the most right now. I sent out several informational-interview requests last week to alumni in ER but have not heard anything back. I will keep trying.
Based on your hit ratio, your resume does a bad job. Also, I suspect you suck at interviewing; how frequently do you go to Career Services and do mock interviews? I can't stress enough that practice makes perfect and interviewing is an art form.
@IvyLeagueVet I am constantly editing my resume and getting it checked over by friends/family and even on here, so I I would find it hard to believe the resume itself is getting me dinged. I purchased prep guides/videos to prepare for interviews and went through them pretty thoroughly. Most of the questions I have received at interviews (not surprisingly as a sophomore) have been fit based. I went to my school's career services and was actually disappointing at what little feedback they gave me.
With that said, I acknowledge I have had my fair share of good and bad interviews. Maybe I am practicing interviews with the wrong people? I find it strange that my interview skills can be that bad and yet I have managed to progress through four first-round phone interviews with different places before not getting an offer after on-site interviews.
GPA matters A LOT for undergrad recruiting. People over emphasize networking and under-emphasize GPA on this message board and elsewhere. At the end of the day, GPA is extremely highly correlated with success in recruiting. I went to Stern, and 3.9's went to the Blackstones of the world, 3.7-3.9's's all got BB's in nice groups, 3.5-3.7's got into lower tier BB's. Sub 3.5's very rarely got in (I graduated during financial crisis, so the GPA range would obviously be different now, but point remains). Some of the people who got into top groups had horrible social skills and social anxiety, so I very much doubt they interviewed well or networked successfully.
Networking, reformatting resumes, practice interviewing...at the end of the day, it's just putting lipstick on a pig for a lot of people. Some people with poor GPA's certainly get in, but the odds are stacked against you.
@OpsDude Thanks, that's helpful (especially since I am at stern myself). Honestly I would bet that's the number one reason my resume got immediately dinged from so many places (given on my resume I would probably have dinged myself if I were HR). Here's hoping I can pull off a miracle and have a 3.5 to list after fall semester for SA recursing.
In hindsight I probably should have just left my GPA off when I was applying for places. I probably would have achieved a higher hit ratio even though most places would have passed over me for not listing one.
Magni ex perferendis assumenda cumque maiores reprehenderit possimus. Error odio magnam id at. Culpa non tempore sapiente nam. Alias consequatur consequatur ut dolore consequuntur tempore recusandae.
Tempora nobis assumenda aut nisi. Commodi voluptas quia odio ut unde ea illo soluta. Recusandae enim illo voluptatem accusamus nobis asperiores quis.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...