Straying off the beaten path

Hello all,

I missed the boat on IB somewhat, discovered what it was and became obsessed with it a little too late in college (semi-target). Even if I had managed to start on time, my GPA was abysmal. I was academically unprepared and did not value the opportunity I had. Right after my "aha" moment, there is a clear upward trend in gpa, with Dean's List. However, still graduated with a 3.15 in Economics.

Now I'm a couple of years post grad, and trying to find a path that would allow me to have my endgame be in an investor role. I have ~1 year M&A experience through internships, and I'm considering an MSF but after reading a few posts it seems that unless you were very close to getting an offer the first time around, an MSF will not be very helpful. There is also the hurdle of my undergraduate GPA.

Are there any roles that a motivated individual could pursue in order to get similar experience to IB, and develop skills that might help them transition to either a sell side or boutique PE seat? My GPA is my main concern, as I suspect I would get auto-dinged before I even get a chance to demonstrate my growth and competency.

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