17 Comments
 
Most Helpful

Should be fine (Ivy helps, athlete helps) but you need to network a TON. Especially with other athletes. 

Also just to be clear, you'll have to network this fall with your sub-3.5 GPA. Maybe you can sneak 1 more semester in by the time you're doing true interviews. If you network a lot, there are exceptions to the 3.5 bar. Especially at MM/BB - some of the EBs tend to be more GPA snobs

 

If it rounds to 3.5, that is fine to put. Just no money business with like 3.447 and rounding that to 3.5. 

Obviously try and raise your GPA this year - take easier classes, soph fall is a lot of work with networking - but I would not be too obsessed with the 3.5 "rule". It's very much a soft minimum. Plenty of people with 3.2-3.4 get hired because they network their butts off.

 

curiouslizard7736352

Thank you

As a point of reference, I graduated from a semi-target at the time (UIUC, which is now seemingly off the radar) in engineering and finance and played one year as a walk-on in football while starting a few games there. Prior to that I spent 3 years at the University of Colorado on scholarship as a cyclist. My benefit wasn't really through networking with athletes as much as it was having cool stories to tell. I raced downhill on the World Cup in mountain biking and started at safety in the Sugar Bowl. That is stuff people want to hear about, although you kind of have to back into it...my story specifically showed adaptability, hard work, and success, which people care about. 

 

As an athlete the network is most important. And yes it will make up for gpa. My father had a crappy gpa and got a job at BB from sports alumni through networking. Granted that was a while ago. And I know a couple complete bricks at another school who are at top BB in IB this past year. Ofc you’re not doing buy side where the person hiring you can lose money by bringing you to the team. When you can take money out of the guy hiring you’s pocket, they care less about network and more about your brain. To recap you should be fine. I know people who had sub 3 that went to BB. Many more of them sub 3.5. However that mainly happened back then when grade inflation was less, and you could give the students you wanted jobs without HR getting pissy and running interference. But it still happens

 

Talk to your coach about your interests and use them as a network. Of course network as hard as possible, but I’ve heard stories of ivy coaches being very helpful

 

Et non aut consequuntur ut qui. Vel omnis optio hic. Rerum nihil ducimus sed. Dignissimos non sed rerum ab voluptas non reprehenderit.

Aut ut odit et odit ad et. Quae id non sint laborum sequi ut sit. Est odio architecto deleniti est.

Autem rem qui aperiam. Magni unde ut sunt sequi ullam quis libero.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 08 97.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.2%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.2%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.2%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (47) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (24) $180
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (82) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $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
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
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...”