GPA or internship experience?
I will be interning this summer and the next at one of the bulge bracket companies in an analyst program. Is this more valuable for when I'm applying for jobs on Wall Street post-graduation than having a strong GPA?
PS. This is merely for the sake of my curiosity, as my GPA is fairly strong with a 3.7
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2 summers of solid BB work experiences > 4.0 GPA in my opinion
If you have a 3.7 and will be interning at a BB for two summers, why do you care? You're going to get a full-time offer unless you just really fuck up. If you're just gloating do it somewhere else. 90% or more of the people on this website either are Ibankers or have offers...and we aren't impressed by your credentials. However, if you are just genuinely curious, I apologize.
The reason I ask is because I don't go to an Ivy league university, and I heard it's nearly impossible to get jobs with the most prestigious firms(Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, JPMorganChase, etc.) if you're not from one of these schools.
I'm not sure how I came off as someone trying to boast my credentials though. Rather, my intuition tells me I'm underqualified, as I do not attend a "well-known" university.
Well as I said, I apologize. If you were able to obtain an internship at a BB as a sophomore you're definitely on the right track. Don't worry about not attending an Ivy. That requirement is a thing of the past. If you have any other questions feel free to send me a private message. I attended a tier III school and got a full-time offer so I feel qualified to speak on the subject. Best of luck and sorry for coming off harsh (the boasting gets old around here).
I speak from experience that it is absolutely possible to get a full-time job on Wall Street without ANY internship experience. Granted, it took me an extra year working at the firm before I joined the analyst program, but I went to a liberal arts women's college and had never taken a finance class in my life. However, my GPA/ test scores got me noticed, and I made an impression in the interviews to get the job. All these factors are important, but it is totally up in the air about which is MOST important. In the end, everyone who applies for these jobs is highly ambitious, qualified, and smart, so I think what set me apart was that I didn't take the traditional path into the analyst program. With that said, you sound like you are in a great position- best of luck to you!
To answer the question directly, if you are not from a target school or a Tier 1/2 college then GPA doesn't matter much at all. Even if you have a 4.0 and are valedictorian, it still will be extremely difficult to get your foot in the door. With that said, if you had a fairly relatively low GPA ~3.5 from a lower tier but had BB experience, then it is much easier. Heck, what the hell am I saying. Since any internship at a BB pretty much guarantees you an summer offer, work experience is always more important than GPA (as long as it is no lower than like 3.3).
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