2.9 GPA -> NYC EB -> UMM PE
Been meaning to get this off my chest for a while bc no one in my life really knows this or assumes this about me.
But GPA does not matter as much as people make it out to seem.
graduated in 2025 with a sub 3.0 gpa from a target with no connects in the industry. Went thru background check with the UMM PE fund I recently signed, and also remember during my EB background check as well, that not once has my transcript officially been asked for. Could just be my experience and been lucky so far...
Just want to share and give hope to everyone on their journey. I remember being very fearful that my gpa would close doors for me, but instead I feel I worked harder in spite of it to get this far. Hope this helps younger monkeys on the site
Agreed it doesn't mean much. But why does the background check matter? Is it not on your resume?
yes, not on resume. Always been worried about a cut off...
Wait, so you did not put your GPA on your resume and no one ever asked you what your GPA was during the interview process?
My guy… you went to an Ivy / Stanford / UChicago / another T10. Of course you're fine. A sub-3.0 from a T10 clears a 3.8 from a state school nine times out of ten. You're not proving GPA doesn't matter. You're proving the school name on the resume is the real safety net.
Congrats on the fund, but spare us the "hope for everyone" speech. This is like a nepo baby saying "hard work pays off."
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Can you post og comment that was scrubbed?
just got into a MF (non-acquisitions tho) and I had a sub-3.0 GPA from a non-target. it’s uncommon but possible depending on how intentional you are with your work exp/breaking into certain roles and learning key skills. after a certain point, GPA truly doesn’t matter at all and you exp should speak for itself.
What does non acquisitions mean? Like you’re not an IP?
3.3 from a tier 1 state school. IB and PE. I would say that’s relevant vs. an ivy 3.0
I’m at a similar situation. Graduated from an Ivy with 3.1. Banks don’t seem to care (my offer did say that I had to say above 3.0) but went through oncycle recruiting and got to the very end of a MF process. For the rest of the week the headhunter kept pressing abt my GPA, even asking for my major GPA to see if that would help me but ultimately got rejected from the role.
Now a lot of headhunters have been asking abt my GPA weirdly and I can tell they definitely don’t like it. Clearly been seeing less inbound in terms of opportunities, even after doing well on this one MF process with interviews/model test and all. So I wouldn’t say it doesn’t matter. I guess it’s just a matter of who is looking at it. My sense is that for headhunters and HR it’s a big deal but maybe people who actually work at the funds less so
It is true no one checks transcripts or cares what classes you took, so you should just do everything in your power to inflate your GPA / Major GPA as much as humanely possible. Take the easiest possible courses and professors, nothing you learn in school is relevant to the working world anyway.
After PE recruiting (ie: once you’re 25-26) no one cares what your GPA was and you can leave it off your resume entirely. By that point work experience is also the only thing that matters and people really don’t care that much where you went to undergrad (it might be an exciting cherry on top but no one is hiring you purely because you went to Harvard like you might have experienced with IB / PE).
All this does is verify that the only important thing at the end of the day is the school. Grind your dicks off, kids.
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Congrats! Truly awesome.
Currently at a 3.4, how high should I get it before adding to resume?
3.5+ is generally fine, but list your major gpa first and do everything possible to inflate it.
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