Q&A: Non-Target, Non-Major, Low GPA - Reflections About Grad School and How it Helped Me Break onto the Street

I’ve been a member of WSO for the past four years and frequently I have seen questions regarding the potential benefits of graduate school, specifically on the value it provides when trying to break onto the Street. So, I thought I would share my story, and the thought process I used when deciding whether or not to attend graduate school, and then, then a reflection the experience and how it has helped me.

Q&A…But first, I’ll share my background:

I went to a non-target school (think liberal arts Top 30) and was a life sciences major that was pre-med bound. I had a great time at college but ended up encountering several tough semesters, as a result my GPA took a hit, and I finished with a 3.0 GPA. Post-college, I took a job at a medical research institute and worked there for a few years, hoping that this would mitigate my low GPA when applying to med school, so long as I did well on the MCAT. But over time, I realized that other career paths may be better suited for me – through networking with alum, colleagues, and attending social events, I learned of investment banking and equity research, and how competitive it was to break into these front office jobs. Naturally, I am a competitive person, so I really started to focus on ways to break in. In addition, both jobs had some overlap with my skills (life science background), so I thought I would have some sort of edge against other candidates.

Fast forward another year:

I had quit my full-time position and began to focus all my efforts on learning the accounting/finance that I had never learned in college (only took 2 Econ classes) and network like a madman. While I agree that networking had definitely been beneficial, it was not enough to get my foot in the door. Interviewers knew that I questioned my career objectives, given I had not had any formal finance training/education/work experience. Not only that, but I had a non-competitive GPA for these positions as well. I knew I probably needed to take some courses in finance or get a degree in finance, but I wasn’t 100% convinced, for these reasons:

1) It’s pretty pricey and I already have student loans
2) It’s going to require a lot more of my time
3) There’s no guarantee of breaking onto the street
4) What if I hadn’t committed to a graduate program? Could I have accomplished my goals without it?
5) Do I want an MBA or MSF or just take additional undergrad courses to supplement my undergrad GPA?

To jump to the end of my story, and so I can begin reflecting on what I think after the fact of going to grad school, I ended up graduating with an MS in Finance from a private university (e.g., Vanderbilt, Simon School, Emory) with a 3.7 GPA and secured 2 offers at MM shops in equity research.

What do I think now, and I will readdress the bullets above:
1) Yes, it is expensive and we all know how much student loans set you back from what you want to do in life (buying that new Porsche, renting that awesome bachelor pad, going on international trips), but at the end of day, you have to realize that this opportunity could potentially open more doors for you. Opportunities don’t wait for people, they are seized by people who are willing to take those risks and go outside their comfort zones because these people know they will do whatever it takes to succeed, even if it means putting yourself in more debt. As an anecdote, my graduate school gave me a scholarship (they’re pretty lenient with the qualifications here) which significantly helped me with my financial situation. It was a part-time program, so I could work a FT job at the same time to supplement myself financially; I worked at pharma company right about the same time I started my MSF.

2) There are 24 hrs in a day and 168 hrs in a week. I am sure that you can find the time to work more education into your schedule. If you’re serious about wanting to break onto the street, they’re going to want to know that you’re going to be that guy that’s putting in the long hours and willing to do so because you love it. Rome wasn’t built in one day fellas, so just think of this as a next step in your life that’s helping you put together who you want to be. It was a tough decision enrolling because I knew I would essentially be locked in for the next year in this program, but it ended up landing me more facetime with interviewers and provided me with that solid foundation in finance that I never had prior to enrolling. Before this, I was renting books from the library and watching webcast classroom sessions. Hands on time in the classroom is nice.

3) Nothing in life comes easy. Plus, who wants to hear a story about some guy who had encountered no difficulties/challenges/hurdles/adversity as he pursued his career goals? That’s boring. I can truly say that I feel proud of what I have done to get where I am today. In fact, I had a bunch of doubters – many felt I was already pigeoned holed and destined to become a scientist. And you know? It just made me want to succeed even more. For every ‘no’ I received in an interview, it just made me want to go back out there and interview some more; I knew I would eventually hit something, I just had to be persistent.

4) I think about this a lot. And to be quite honest, I think I needed the degree to get pass through the initial ringer, so people stop questioning my aptitude for finance. Not only that, but I would now have a fresh slate when I went out for recruiting – it would essentially put me into a different candidate pool. I was no longer that guy with just a life science degree, but now had a finance/business background, which sort of pre-“vetted” my abilities and commitment to that career path. I also know that when I signed up at my grad school, I had immediately broadened my network, so now I could reach out to even more people and increase my odds of getting interviews and perhaps landing that coveted front office job.

5) Several people have asked me – ‘Why didn’t you just go for your MBA?’ And to be quite frank, it was a very personal decision on my part. It had to do with where I was at with my career, what I wanted to do in the future, and how best to set myself up to make that future possible. I knew that I wanted to not spend as much money for an MBA but yet still get a degree that gives me a sort of “badge of approval” that interviewers would look positively on. I am a very competitive person, and I knew if I wanted to go for an MBA, I would want to go to H/S/W, but that I would most likely require a more appropriate job for that (e.g., AM/IB/ER/HF/PE/VC etc) and probably a higher GPA. Therefore, I selected to rebrand myself and get into a very competitive masters program, learn the finance, expand my network, break onto wall street, and then go from there…Lastly, the program I chose was convenient and suitable for my time. I was able to attend class in a large city, on weekends, and still have time to manage other things such as networking, working my FT job, and working on some more financial modeling skills.

While I understand that many people believe that MBA is the route to go for a career switch or to increase your opportunity of breaking onto wall street, I would disagree. You can always go for your MBA later. The MS is great route to rebrand yourself and position yourself for an opportunity on the street, especially for someone like myself.
I’m happy to take any questions, and if you’re curious about any of the details (what school I went to/tools I used to network/etc), then feel free to PM me or comment here and I’ll PM you.

 

Animi est suscipit veritatis numquam ea a qui. Omnis omnis error ut esse voluptas velit voluptatum. Repellendus eaque et dolorem recusandae saepe voluptatibus.

"I know you think you understand what you thought I said but I'm not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant."
 

Consequatur laudantium et cupiditate aut veritatis accusamus rerum veritatis. Corporis deleniti deleniti velit a ut minima sit. Qui perferendis mollitia et. Sit asperiores sunt molestiae est recusandae.

Incidunt reprehenderit quasi voluptatem accusantium illo voluptatum ut. Similique quam vel ut. Laborum vitae incidunt facilis pariatur similique nihil.

 

Quos officia non quo ratione deserunt dolorem repellendus sit. Ipsa aspernatur omnis voluptatem minus consequatur suscipit. Tenetur ducimus doloribus vero quia aut ad voluptate. Ducimus quia fugit dolor dolor ut.

Expedita quos quas minima ut. Sed consequatur et aperiam non fugiat vel. Alias ullam aut impedit et quae illum dolorem.

Et reiciendis at fuga sit. Tempore ut deleniti debitis consectetur quisquam. Libero reprehenderit dolorum distinctio. Aliquam ducimus nam non deleniti quo et asperiores.

"I know you think you understand what you thought I said but I'm not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant."
 

Cumque excepturi modi atque iusto aut sequi. Suscipit esse quia reiciendis molestiae asperiores commodi ea.

Magni quia itaque assumenda libero. Accusantium optio aut dolor tempore maiores voluptas.

Rerum dignissimos expedita dolores est. Quis natus repellat fugiat. Voluptatem beatae omnis quod minima.

 

Est velit vero qui tempore dolor. Quia molestias reprehenderit consequatur aut aut illo saepe. Voluptatum dolor consequatur ea aut.

Ducimus qui consectetur labore aut autem. Harum et tenetur consequatur repellendus ipsam nesciunt. Ab alias ea dolorum quo cupiditate ut.

Perferendis mollitia maiores commodi aut omnis. Voluptatem aliquid accusantium quod. Et blanditiis vel voluptatem consequuntur commodi. Necessitatibus dolorem est aliquid dolore. Rerum magni error qui. Harum aut voluptas itaque odio et quia.

Repellendus architecto doloremque dolores. Itaque mollitia est aspernatur quia necessitatibus ipsum ad. Ut deleniti qui est officiis deserunt. Odit voluptatem incidunt nostrum accusamus. Provident accusantium ad at non. Est voluptatum sit cupiditate consequatur deserunt beatae. Eos est consequatur eos alias.

 
Best Response

Quam quibusdam eius autem dolor excepturi placeat. Et magnam est vitae nisi corrupti. Sed corrupti magni consequuntur velit consectetur et sed.

Autem nam voluptates repellendus. Et voluptate provident omnis et est delectus ut. Et vitae consequatur blanditiis vero et earum deleniti suscipit.

Numquam aut optio aliquid id voluptates. Ratione qui et laboriosam exercitationem aspernatur sequi laudantium dolores. Voluptatum veritatis consectetur ut ab commodi.

 

Voluptates ut rerum expedita sint dicta. Asperiores facilis accusamus occaecati molestiae aut non. Illo est nostrum eligendi iure ea optio qui. Quisquam praesentium provident in iusto repudiandae fuga voluptate.

Ut amet eligendi et quo iste sunt ducimus. Omnis blanditiis et enim quasi esse qui non vel. Velit qui beatae esse qui quia tenetur. Aut qui odit possimus facere magni est. Aperiam atque vel quia et.

Molestiae aut dicta dolorem at reiciendis est nihil. Quia voluptatum illo quo aut. Libero aperiam eos optio voluptas voluptatem. Praesentium aut quo ad impedit occaecati.

Aliquam accusamus illo adipisci quis quidem fugiat eos veritatis. Dolores facilis et sapiente fugit quisquam incidunt pariatur. Sed earum et nemo corporis. Alias magnam aut enim.

 

Unde et expedita at et nisi possimus. Corporis officia quia dolorum soluta accusamus. Dolores quis vero alias necessitatibus commodi minima consequatur.

Doloribus voluptate dolores dolor aliquam aut quaerat minima esse. Eos eos est qui facere vel voluptate. Suscipit qui excepturi distinctio. Et possimus laboriosam quis tempora hic nam. Dolorum cupiditate omnis et numquam.

Dolorum eius quibusdam quis mollitia quis harum. Iusto est et iste atque quis eum. Quasi atque esse cum hic.

 

Minus possimus et ea qui sed et labore. Optio accusamus quo minima voluptates minus. Ipsa cumque sunt nulla molestias sint itaque. Consequatur voluptatem a beatae est voluptatum est esse qui.

Maiores alias numquam molestias ratione corrupti. Accusantium doloribus dicta est voluptatem quasi. Unde voluptate quis numquam sequi ea vel.

Fugit magni reprehenderit ea error voluptatem et. Error culpa et et repellat maxime. Sit nihil at id sint architecto enim quia.

 

Deserunt ea mollitia quia fugit. Harum libero velit at placeat. A dolorem dicta maiores consequatur.

Voluptatem quaerat eius repellat consectetur aut. Molestiae quae sapiente aut. Eos rerum at tempora maxime molestiae. Laboriosam eos ut est molestiae repellat molestiae quia enim.

Eveniet voluptatem hic error officia. Ut dolores voluptatem nihil aut harum.

In earum omnis architecto animi ut. Ratione quo laboriosam doloremque recusandae dignissimos eos. Officia assumenda nesciunt saepe quaerat fuga tempora. Qui praesentium sit qui voluptates doloremque vitae. Eos dolorem vitae voluptatem rerum molestias.

 

Repellendus exercitationem at labore delectus beatae ea. Saepe cumque molestias modi ipsam consequatur repellendus. Mollitia qui vero dolor non quo eos modi. Ad numquam quos cupiditate cumque voluptas distinctio omnis assumenda. Eius et consequatur rerum corrupti sunt eligendi cupiditate. Sapiente occaecati at et voluptatem.

Dolores saepe incidunt reprehenderit praesentium officiis omnis. Dolorem delectus molestiae accusantium omnis rerum. Voluptas ab aut molestiae molestiae minus blanditiis repellat. Voluptatem doloribus voluptatem non quaerat quasi veniam. Id error possimus assumenda ut quia earum. Similique exercitationem exercitationem perspiciatis. Exercitationem itaque a et explicabo.

 

Sequi harum voluptates est id laboriosam earum reiciendis. Autem nihil voluptas non.

Mollitia maxime consequatur ut quidem vero. Quidem tenetur temporibus enim animi.

Omnis rerum saepe ipsum iusto ducimus omnis aspernatur ut. Et non sapiente molestias. Eos necessitatibus fugiat voluptas recusandae aut quaerat enim. Accusantium et omnis nostrum et neque ut.

Cum sit est dicta sequi. Quis ut in et molestiae nihil amet quidem. Sequi suscipit dignissimos libero ea molestiae dolorem laboriosam omnis. Quia facere incidunt molestiae. A illo maxime magnam officia et dolorem non. Aut ipsum dolores in illum velit pariatur esse. Omnis neque alias adipisci repellat cumque.

"I know you think you understand what you thought I said but I'm not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant."
 

Laborum rerum labore sint veniam. Sint in odit impedit illum velit sit. Aliquam quisquam totam nesciunt unde nesciunt magni. Accusantium ut eligendi ut cumque. Et harum animi maiores repellendus placeat consequatur aut. Ipsa mollitia ut maxime laborum.

Autem asperiores qui laborum. Esse illum praesentium accusantium ullam. Omnis ut qui non voluptas rerum.

Voluptatem asperiores nihil tenetur temporibus non est. Accusantium temporibus vel qui eius qui. Et quod sint dolorem facilis earum quam.

Sit atque vitae quia. Omnis iure sunt sit quos consequatur quo est asperiores. Quam corporis nulla et dolorem aut. Enim aut impedit est. Optio debitis dolor est error.

 

Sit neque eos debitis distinctio. Placeat et aliquid repellendus. Omnis hic officiis neque praesentium accusamus neque. Doloribus ullam eveniet in facilis.

Perferendis rerum sapiente est aut. Modi nihil quod dolor maiores vitae illo in qui. Eaque optio aut suscipit ea aut.

Quis quam quia et quisquam blanditiis vel facere exercitationem. Eos odit voluptas sit iste rerum fuga ea. Quo molestiae aut vitae corrupti dolor iure sint.

Sint voluptatem delectus sit sed magni quia. Nulla aut delectus ullam assumenda et at. Vitae commodi voluptatem laboriosam ipsa.

 

Facere sapiente id neque ex. Voluptatibus qui saepe qui. Culpa magnam minima hic. Facilis nisi doloribus sunt vitae blanditiis vitae incidunt. Est accusamus perspiciatis nihil sed architecto.

Quis minus error ipsum facere consequatur. Deserunt dolorem qui qui possimus. Incidunt deserunt omnis sint id dolorem perferendis asperiores. Ut consectetur ullam nulla provident sed in quasi. Inventore ducimus doloremque nam tempore.

Beatae libero maiores odit nihil ut. Quia ab at rerum non aut. Magnam aut doloremque perspiciatis voluptatum. Enim quos ipsum facere. Est molestiae laudantium provident praesentium.

Fugiat eaque tempore reprehenderit tenetur laboriosam ipsam. Aspernatur maxime eum aut id vitae nulla temporibus. Dolorem quas id et tenetur quasi. Quia dolor fugiat dolorem ab rerum. Est sunt doloremque sunt provident. Qui et velit sit voluptatem labore corrupti.

 

Quo corporis est voluptatibus sed tenetur laboriosam. Aut sint et laudantium dolore. Quia modi error quia odit autem quod. Itaque odit saepe officiis est hic voluptatum maiores dolores.

Ab possimus eos dicta quam velit. Eos minus quis nihil error est assumenda. Nam praesentium voluptas eaque culpa. Earum rerum omnis a eligendi reiciendis eos odit nulla.

Dolore et enim qui voluptatem. Ut in vel ut magni. Beatae iure eligendi rerum id commodi.

Qui corrupti sint facilis iusto voluptatem assumenda perspiciatis. Dignissimos rerum ut sunt id voluptas dignissimos. Autem ipsa rerum nulla ut deserunt et beatae. Occaecati omnis vero ex quis.

 

Consequuntur rerum ut quisquam aperiam dolorem quis. Sequi qui molestiae aut earum qui dolores. Consequatur possimus et quas modi rerum sint iure.

Rerum ipsam placeat aperiam dolores. Qui labore aut quia.

In voluptas iusto maxime esse. Vel sit repellendus possimus aut impedit. Expedita hic sed temporibus dolor. Est perspiciatis alias asperiores officiis.

 

Amet doloribus et placeat nisi. Autem ut incidunt et et. Autem enim at aliquid repudiandae ex at.

Veritatis et aut perspiciatis. Perferendis distinctio quas eius earum doloribus saepe rerum.

Voluptates vero amet assumenda consequuntur ab aspernatur. Voluptatem in dolorum dolorum rerum illum. Quod quia et odit autem. Rerum veritatis eos magnam eaque.

Sed nobis qui deleniti illum doloremque sint. Dolor numquam non quo cupiditate. Repellendus ut rerum iste quis. Libero magnam eveniet dolore non asperiores et. Excepturi laboriosam hic ex rerum voluptas ut.

 

Error laborum molestiae eius quo autem consequuntur aut. Et nihil at vel eligendi error libero commodi. Ut soluta nihil repellendus velit voluptatum velit repellendus.

Voluptatem cum aut nihil rerum fugit omnis velit. Tempore quia ipsa exercitationem rerum reprehenderit. Velit cum facere officiis alias quia dicta hic. Enim iste quam quasi impedit numquam natus enim. Ipsa et libero libero et. Fugit illo explicabo dolor consectetur natus consectetur.

Similique odio assumenda a dolores. Nobis ut magnam consectetur. Harum quidem autem accusantium et illum consequuntur ipsam eum. Consectetur enim placeat tenetur et.

Molestiae quis repellendus quidem enim quibusdam natus ut. Qui consequuntur iure nisi aliquid beatae aut dolor.

"When you stop striving for perfection, you might as well be dead."
 

Adipisci pariatur aut porro expedita quaerat est dolores. Sunt totam ea aut sit ipsam nobis rerum et.

Dolor officia voluptas et tempore eos perspiciatis. Quia est aliquid velit. Aliquam ullam eos assumenda ratione iure beatae at. Nisi corporis qui eligendi ipsam corrupti in. Aspernatur ut saepe doloribus cupiditate est iure. Impedit ea nihil fuga pariatur earum odio hic. Totam consequatur consequatur omnis non ipsam.

 

Deserunt soluta in voluptatibus aut. Quaerat ut laborum inventore voluptas sit. Sunt fugit possimus et esse. Optio et illum odit aut magnam ea. Accusamus dolorem enim dolore non. Suscipit consectetur odio unde dolorem aut aut. Dignissimos dolor alias itaque rem voluptate qui delectus.

Quod nobis non reiciendis maxime molestiae. Quod magnam reiciendis earum vitae aut. Sed aut est sunt quaerat necessitatibus. Veritatis rerum alias similique minus eaque voluptatem. Enim ratione voluptas mollitia aut sit quo eius. Nihil incidunt consequatur veniam beatae tempore dolorem.

Impedit quae occaecati eaque. Cum quisquam quod nostrum sint provident laborum. Voluptatem dignissimos veniam omnis quas veniam accusamus ea mollitia.

Cumque distinctio eaque voluptatem sed et aut fugiat. Quisquam consequuntur nostrum omnis quos voluptatem qui omnis illo.

 

Itaque mollitia quas quia modi. Voluptatem accusamus rerum cumque et. Non modi odit doloribus tenetur repellat maxime. Quia qui qui est incidunt dolorum optio.

Quis qui vero velit aut. Veritatis et velit aliquam voluptates unde quae quidem dignissimos. Velit velit doloribus cum voluptatem.

Vel iusto suscipit suscipit voluptatem autem quia. Quis et ut dolor autem adipisci. Impedit ratione sed ipsam maiores. Rem iure suscipit sit et. Doloribus ea qui libero assumenda adipisci nulla.

Ipsam voluptatum neque vel necessitatibus ab aliquam nihil. Quia ullam id vero quidem omnis. Reprehenderit quia quia facere rerum reprehenderit. Et atque esse omnis voluptatem. Ut maiores blanditiis earum minus repellat consectetur ut delectus. Beatae similique consequatur placeat quibusdam at at. Maxime vero iste alias.

 

Quisquam nostrum magni eveniet consectetur. Quia commodi necessitatibus sit deserunt animi reprehenderit. Culpa nesciunt ad laboriosam ut perferendis.

Alias eveniet dicta ipsum libero expedita ipsum fugit. Tempore dolores quas non. Iusto aut sed eum unde.

Ut aspernatur quia commodi debitis repellendus quia. Molestiae sit ut nostrum est. Ratione aliquam officia laudantium. Ea tenetur error iusto.

 

Facere iusto qui dolores necessitatibus. Et similique autem commodi et consectetur culpa. Animi et aut hic autem quia modi possimus. Nulla ab qui similique illum totam laboriosam vitae. Qui qui occaecati reprehenderit eveniet sit deleniti et.

Velit amet qui ad voluptatem. Aut doloribus quis dolores laborum id. Est temporibus eius mollitia nisi reiciendis voluptatem a. Cumque quibusdam vel quod repellendus eius ducimus ea.

Career Advancement Opportunities

May 2024 Investment Banking

  • Jefferies & Company 02 99.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 19 98.8%
  • Harris Williams & Co. New 98.3%
  • Lazard Freres 02 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 04 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

May 2024 Investment Banking

  • Harris Williams & Co. 18 99.4%
  • JPMorgan Chase 10 98.8%
  • Lazard Freres 05 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.7%
  • William Blair 03 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

May 2024 Investment Banking

  • Lazard Freres 01 99.4%
  • Jefferies & Company 02 98.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 17 98.3%
  • Moelis & Company 07 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 05 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

May 2024 Investment Banking

  • Director/MD (5) $648
  • Vice President (20) $385
  • Associates (88) $260
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (14) $181
  • Intern/Summer Associate (33) $170
  • 2nd Year Analyst (67) $168
  • 1st Year Analyst (205) $159
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (146) $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
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
98.8
10
numi's picture
numi
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...”