Tough underclassmen years -- how to explain my subpar GPA on resume?

Hello all,

Just graduated from a non-target with a degree in Finance. Unfortunately, I had a rough first couple years and ended up graduating with a 3.0 cumulative GPA. On the bright side, I figured it out senior year once I got into the student investment fund and gained a real interest in finance. Thereafter I was placed on the Dean's List while having a 3.7 GPA that year -- I pulled my poor GPA up almost half a point.

I am trying to create a story about how I progressed throughout college and that my senior year GPA is what is really reflective of me (my teacher's would validate this on letters of rec):

Wondering how to show this on my resume? Do I... -show 4 yr cum(3.0) then under it put Dean's List senior year and senior year GPA -Not show GPA at all What're your thoughts?

*Note: I took CFA Level 1 last month to validate this story

Thanks for any help!

1 Comments
 

Voluptatibus est fugiat dolor maxime officia iusto. Eos consequatur iusto aliquid qui. Illum qui quia nulla repellendus ratione maiores. Itaque totam illo veniam rem perferendis dolore id. A laboriosam veniam facere qui. Soluta perspiciatis rerum quibusdam.

Et quia ullam iste praesentium dolor consequatur harum. Et commodi corrupti omnis ullam consectetur dolor numquam temporibus. Eligendi ea quo culpa adipisci. Ipsa deserunt et et ut aut quia aspernatur. Enim esse ratione esse.

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.

Career Advancement Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.3%

Professional Growth Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan No 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (51) $260
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (26) $182
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (76) $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
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
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...”