RE recruiting - wtf do i do?

Junior w horrible GPA (2.9) at non target (not even sure if targets exists for RE idk), interned at small MF shop this summer ~1B AUM on acq. and capital markets team. 

I already know my GPA is gonna f*ck me for 2025 SA roles, I can prob bring GPA to 3.3 - 3.4 by start of senior year. It's low due to of a very very very messy 1st semester, not gonna try to explain cuz it doesn't matter. 

Would also appreciate any info on recruiting timeline for RE specific roles, Ik it's not as structured as traditional IB recruiting and I can't seem to find much on career pages on alot of these firms. 

Anyways, any tips and suggestions for me? Are my chances at top REPE firms so small I shouldn't even bother?
 

19 Comments
 

You’ve put yourself in a challenging position with the GPA. That said, given you realize where you’re at would recommend spending as much time networking as you can. If there’s a story behind the low GPA or you’re able to build strong relationships with people in the industry who are able to help push your resume up the stack a bit it would arguably help your recruiting process moving forward.

 

Which MF if you dont mind? You can also give 2-3 examples for privacy. Am very curious as im also looking to recruit for RE.

 

So your 2.9 GPA didn’t interfere with you getting a MF internship, but you’re worried a projected 3.3 GPA will interfere with you getting a full time offer? 
 

Why don’t you just…do the same thing you did to overcome the GPA in internship recruiting? You’re clearly smart, a great interviewer, charismatic, the son of someone important, or something. Do that again. 

Commercial Real Estate Developer
 
Most Helpful

You’re not screwed - you’re going to network. Life happens we just need to figure out how to deal with it. Grades are not the be all end all. You’ll just need to approach recruiting via networking instead of applying and getting selected. 
 

Real estate recruiting generally is April/May/June. Moreso bc the firms are smaller. Large companies with real estate programs will be end of summer / early fall. 
 

You’re going to cold email people you want to speak with. See who answers you. And then begin creating and farming that network for opportunities. You’ll stay in touch with these people every 6 months telling them what you’re up to. They will hopefully help you for the next round of internships. All the while you’re still talking to people and adding to your network. For senior year you’ll use the same network to help find a job (assuming you still want to be in real estate). You’ll be fine. Life is life. Just gotta adjust and move forward, not back. 

 

List your major or “college of business” GPA and hopefully no one asks for your cumulative. That’s what I did and was fine. Had like a 2.9 cumulative and a 3.4 for my business school classes.
 

When anyone brought it up I would just be like “yeah I bombed anthropology when I was a freshman but got As and Bs in my upper level finance and Econ classes” and that usually did the trick  

If you’re bombing your finance classes then that’s not good

 

Your chances at REPE firms that care about GPA a lot aren’t good. 
 

Luckily that’s something that very few real estate companies care about and is completely irrelevant after two years. 
 

No, you probably won’t get Blackstone after graduation, but most people with 4.0’s won’t either. Focus on what you can still get - which are the majority of jobs out there. 

...but is it REPE?
 

Aut est hic molestias saepe modi. Voluptatem aliquam voluptas asperiores eum. Id explicabo et occaecati earum voluptatem qui nam voluptas. Aut placeat sed alias eaque. Deserunt a eum quos qui est atque accusamus eveniet. Atque aut aut minus qui ut quam rem.

Quia pariatur et libero quia quibusdam quaerat nam. Omnis ipsam similique numquam assumenda mollitia. Qui soluta distinctio fugiat consequatur corporis culpa.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (75) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (65) $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
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
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...”