What are the typical GPA cutoffs for private equity/credit funds. Are those with 3.5 a lost cause? How does a 3.5 compare to a 3.6 or 3.7? Would love to hear all of your experiences recruiting!
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For context, had below a 3.5, going to [GSO/Ares/Oaktree/Apollo/TSSP] in a credit role
It's not the end of the world, but it obviously makes things harder. I ended up landing a spot at my top choice. Here are some steps I found helpful in mitigating the effect of my low GPA:
If you have your eye on a specific fund and you think your GPA is going to be a factor, make it extremely clear to your headhunter that that is your #1 choice. I can guarantee you I only got an interview at my firm because I told my headhunter flat out that I would take a job there over anywhere else. They wouldn't just throw me into a process at a random megafund where I had no interest, but because I had articulated why I desperately wanted to work for this firm, the headhunter went to bat for me.
Probably obvious, but be able to tell a story about why your GPA is low. Hopefully one that shows maturity and growth rather than "I drank 7 nights a week and never learned my lesson but daddy got me a job at Goldman." The key (or one of the keys) is to own up to it and not try to rationalize it away. Nobody wants to hear your sob story about your asshole professor.
If you have good extracurriculars or athletics, milk that shit.
It eliminates your margin of error, so you have to work that much harder to prep for your case study and come across that much nicer in the interview. If you have a 4.0 from Wharton and you make a small mistake on the case study, you'll probably get the benefit of the doubt. If you have a 3.3 from Flyover State, they'll think you actually don't know it.
After you land the interview, it doesn't really matter. Your case study and interview performance will be the biggest factor in going from first round to superday to offer, so smile and act like a real live human being.
Best of luck
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