What path to take..?
I'm currently a junior at a non-target university (ranked somewhere between 75-100 for undergrad business degree) with a 3.2 GPA, I compete in one of our schools Div 1 athletic programs (not quite sure if this matters at all) and expect my GPA to be around 3.5 by the time I graduate. For lack of a better expression I'm here to see if I've already screwed myself over or not. I've always been interested in the field of finance, but never really understood just how difficult and competitive the field was. My first semester of college I didn't take much seriously besides athletics and partying (I know this was absolutely stupid) and my grades suffered. I've since learned to balance my life in a much more effective way and I'm getting much better grades because of it (3.7 last semester). So here are my questions. I'm used to long weeks with strenuous work and little rest (20+ hrs of training, 15 hrs of class time, 15+ hours of studying, as well as traveling, meetings, make-up exams, etc.) and believe I can handle the stress of investment banking. I do not currently have an internship lined up but am actively looking and plan to have one for this upcoming summer. For the reasons stated above it wont be with a big bank in NYC but I'm hoping to get some valuable work experience. With my current situation I'm just looking for some advice on which path I should take. Maybe something not in the investment banking division? I plan to get my MBA at a much more prestigious school than where I currently am. I have a connection at a top 15 school, so hopefully that could help me out. Thanks to anyone that has any guidance, it's greatly appreciated.
My advice... If you can't maintain above a 3.5 and play, drop the sport. Education is advanced vocational training, not fuck off and "find yourself." Everything is how you spin your story, so who knows. Just my thoughts though.
I don't know if what the above poster said is true or not (again, NOT saying he's wrong). I think there could definitely be value in playing a D1 sport and I think others could possibly speak to that. Having at least a 3.2-3.3 + Playing a D1 sport can be spun positively to some people. The time management skills are definitely there and that is huge. You also have time to raise that GPA even higher and will instantly have a connection with others within finance already who played a sport.
I'd start by reaching out to other athletes at smaller banks. They will be able to relate to your path and give you pertinent advice on how to move forward. You'll find a surprising number of people in finance positions played sports on a (somewhat) competitive level at a point in time.
FWIW, I was cruising LinkedIn the other day and came across an ex-Stanford football player working in IB in SF. He seemed to have a pretty sweet background. An interesting guy, I'm sure.
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