2:1 impact on buyside / overall career

Gonna graduate soon from a target in the UK with likely a 2:1 studying Econ, would need a miracle for a first. Wanted to know how this would impact my career long term particularly the jump to buyside. Will be going to a top team at a BB after graduating, and looking for PE / HF exits.

Got a good GRE score (170Q, 163V) and strong A levels. Not sure how much it mitigates

To those who got 2:1s, how’d you mitigate it? Did you feel like you were held back from certain opportunities? Did you exclude it from your CV entirely?

Thanks.

21 Comments
 

It's never really bothered me but I did have mitigating circumstances that 100% justified it. 

My other work experienced reinforced it as well. 

Depends how you spin it to point it to circumstances beyond your control and as another poster said, the university standard would probably be a factor. 

 

Speaking from my own experience, which has been 100% 10y+ in IB without aplying for PE, it has had literally no impact, and nobody cares about your grades after 2 - 3 years. I don't think you'll get much more than anecdotal comments on WSO, but for what it's worth my perspective is that I obsessed about this way more than I needed to at university.

 

I’d second what the commenter above said - when we recruit folks we need someone with layers and character not just great at studies. On the face of it I wouldn’t prefer someone with a 2:1 vs a first, by itself, but a socially awkward person with a first vs someone more outgoing with a 2:1 would be my preference. Good grades aren’t necessarily a harbinger of a great career in IB. If you’re a math phd doing a quant role then of course it’s a totally different ballgame. 

 

Similar situation but going to Oxford to do the MFE anyway so I hope that negates it on my end 

 

At a non Oxbridge target and had a first class in my first and second years but slouched a bit this year (it wasn’t on my transcript so that wasn’t assessed). I also had a ~725 GMAT FE so that helped.

 

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