Plotting a Future Career Path - Help Please

First off I hope this doesn't come across as an obnoxious/self-loathing post, but I am struggling to find a path forward and taking any advice I can get. Anyway, with the SA 2021 applications starting to come in full force I realized that I have a bit of a problem. That being my GPA (3.3/4.0) is pretty trash. This is a pretty big turnaround considering my Freshman year it was in the 2.8 range and I have managed a 4.0 ever since. I know that this is going to be a significant challenge in the recruiting process, especially since a go to a non-target. I have been leveraging my athlete network, something which has allowed me to get my resume in the door at most of the big names. Anyway, I am concerned that I will not be competitive enough to land an offer and I don't want to be without an internship my Junior summer. Are there any other areas in finance outside of IB that I could look into? Perhaps any industries that could help me lateral down the line? I want to be cautious here and not make any mistakes like I did when I committed to a university. I straight up had the opportunity, due to athletics, to go most of the targets/super targets. Instead, I picked a school that presented some better athletic opportunities. (Still in the top ~30 rankings) Thanks for the help!

Edit: I am interning at a boutique IB firm on two deals of smaller size.

3 Comments
 

Other careers in Finance that would interest you are consulting, F500 corp fin, and maybe real estate, as they take a lot of athletes I've heard.

Don't give up on your IB dream though. I'm not sure which school you're going to, but at least for the USnews Rankings Top 30, almost all schools on there are either targets or semi-targets. Even if you're at a low semi-target, you can still break in with that gpa just use your network and explain that you got straight 4.0s in your last few years during the interview if it comes up.

 

Delectus ut necessitatibus excepturi dolores commodi. Aliquid vel ad nemo occaecati atque et. Numquam sequi voluptatem ea itaque repellat at ullam.

Rerum harum omnis quisquam quasi. Ut voluptatibus architecto id id earum. Eos et nemo mollitia deleniti.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.3%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (44) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (79) $150
  • 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

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...”