Non-Target Freshman, Low GPA...please tell me all hope is not lost
I am a freshman at a non-target majoring in finance. i had a 3.75 gpa my first semester of college but i had a very difficult time this semester after my cousin died. grades haven't come out yet but best case scenario is a 3.5 this semester, worst-case 3.1. I know recruiting is going to get 100x harder for me now but I was hoping to hear from someone who has possibly been in a similar situation: is it still possible for me to break into IB? What steps should I take moving forward?
TBH chances are pretty low, especially given the macroeconomic conditions. You still definitely have a chance though. Just network, grind your way up the internship ladder, and work on getting that GPA as high as you can asap.
Since you're going to only be a sophomore the weight of your semester grades is still high and so you still have time to recover. You have at least one semester to turn your grades around, and maybe even two semesters if you strike out with BB/EB/some MM and recruit over the summer/into your fall of junior year. I would look into pushing off certain harder classes, taking classes over summer/winter, and seeing if you can take a class at a local cc to transfer credit. For ex. I had a semester where I was overloaded with 2 jobs, full courseload, & recruiting so I opted to take managerial accounting elsewhere since it wasnt truly important (the general concepts are) and my school is known for accounting so it was fkin atrocious. Also, I would make sure to have experience on your resume that counterbalances a low gpa, I have ~3.5gpa but my resume is lowkey stacked for a junior.
you can always remove you frosh gpa on ur resume and say "Cumulative GPA excluding first semester: X.XX"
Haha, that would have helped me in recruiting for IB, assuming the firm looks at my resume. Didn't want to come off as deceitful though.
Also, most firms still have you fill-in an online application, which asks for your cumulative GPA as a screening process. As such, not sure whether that would help significantly.
Nonetheless OP, you can always clarify in an interview (only if they ask, don't bring it up yourself) with an honest and good reason. Most firms can look past a low semester GPA, if you have legitimate reasoning and can/have showed improvement.
Stacking your resume with tons of other useful/relevant experiences can also help account for a lower GPA. That certainly helped with me.
hope is not lost
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