Undergad GPA and Jobs
I just finished my freshman year at NYU Stern and I was wondering how much freshman year grades could affect job opportunities.
I know that grades in the following years hold more importance, but I did not do well in two key intro business courses this semester (Micro & Stats) and this has lowered my GPA significantly. If I do well in higher level topics of these courses would recruiters ever fault me for my low intro-class grades?
I know there is much more to getting jobs outside of GPA, but it concerns me when I hear about the GPA cutoffs and floors in really competitive industries like investment banking and trading. If anyone could offer any advice/guidance, I'd really appreciate it.
Grades matter equally, because you will present them in one cumulative number to employers.
So will employers look at individual grades for business courses or your cumulative GPA? My concern is that lower grades in two intro courses like Micro and Stats might reflect poorly, but if I maintain high grades in sophomore and junior year can this offset that?
Don't sweat it. You are going to take MANY more courses in the next few years that will allow you to boost that GPA. I started out with a 2 point something GPA in my first year of college. I'm now graduating with a 3.7+. It's all about getting focused and finding inspiration. If you haven't seen the Boiler Room, watch it. Get inspired.
At least in Germany they look at the particular grades and not just the GPA. I remember one interview after graduating where I was even asked about my high school grades, and why I sucked so much in religion, chemistry and history. As regards undergrad, I pretty much didn't care about school the first semesters, which is heavily reflected in my GPA. However, so far that hasn't turned out a problem, as my grades subsequently increased, reflecting my increased (respectively discovered) motivation. Always looks good to get better over time... at least from my experience and if you can get recruiters or whoever to actually look at your transcript.
I agree with this and wish more employers would use this method. I have approx 3.5 but that is a huge increase from my first year and I could actually have a 3.8 subtracting my first year marks. Then there are kids who have 3.7's in my class but are so stupid that they've withdrawn from classes I've gotten A's in because they can't pass it (and therefore maintaining their better GPA than mine). This seems like an unfair method to me and W's should be more highly scrutinized by employers I think.
Don't stress too much, but just remember your freshman year grades still affect overall GPA
3.2 + GPA (From a well represented school) and you can find your way onto wall street. Despite what guys here say about 3.5+ GPA, its not mandatory, landed a number of BB interviews without a 3.5 GPA. Network !!
Thanks for all the responses. How much truth is there to the whole GPA cutoffs for jobs? I've heard you need a 3.5 for certain jobs or a 3.7 for investment banking and trading? I know networking can play a big role, but I'm curious.
Also interested, as I've contemplated applying for jobs where the cut off is above my cumulative, but within my financial GPA average.
I showed a very reliable downward trend, starting with a 4.0 my first semester freshman year, ending with a 2.7 my last semester senior year, but thanks to front-end loading of good grades, my GPA was still respectable when it was time for recruiting (middle of junior year, start of senior year to a lesser extent). There is no GPA cutoff in the real world, but the bigger the firm the more likely they are to have one (read: BB's, elite boutiques that get tons of resumes have them)
I just got back grades and I got a C+ in one of my business classes which will probably drag my freshman gpa down to just under a 3.3. The issue is that this C+ was in an economics class which is important for finance majors. I got A's and B's in all my other classes but at Stern getting a C is pretty rare (I really messed up the final). I know some posters have said recruiters look at individual grades and the reason I'm so worried is that now, provided i get straight A's all through sophomore year I can only have a 3.7 at highest by junior year recruiting. Can I bounce back from this?
No one looked at my transcript until after I got the offer, all they wanted was GPA.
Never even got my transcripts looked at...ever. so honestly i don't think you have to worry about it at all, but honestly a freshman economics class will never keep you from a job.
Thanks for the responses, not to prolong this discussion, but I'm curious if I got my GPA back up to a 3.7 (by recruiting time) coming from Stern how much a shot would I have at IBanking and other competitive finance jobs? I know getting into ibanking has a lot to do with connections and other factors, but any ideas?
You have plenty of time to recover. Yes, lots of places have GPA cut-offs whether formal or informal. For people that have done any recruiting themselves, you realize how easy it is to look at something like GPA and be distracted.
Another thing to keep in mind is that some places will ask for major GPA. If you are bombing business classes and that is dragging down your GPA, maybe the Street isn't the place for you. I am not trying to discourage you, but you might be able to excel in something different and be just as successful.
Undergrad GPA relevant for Recruiting? (Originally Posted: 10/16/2012)
How much weight does your undergrad gpa carry for buy-side recruiting? I will be starting at one of the "elite boutiques" which places well into buyside jobs after I graduate and was wondering whether I have to put any effort into my grades this year.
To put it in perspective, I can graduate with a 3.7 or if I slack off a bit, a 3.5 cumulative. Do buy-side firms really consider your undergrad gpa when making interview/hiring decisions?
3.5 to 3.7 is no big difference really
just be careful if you put 3.7 as your expected grade or something on your cv/application
I know of three people who graduated cum laude (roughly a 3.5 and that's at the high end of cum laude). Two went to top target schools and one went to a top 25ish school. All worked in top groups. Two are at PE megafunds (Carlyle, BX, TPG) and one is at a top HF (York, Eton Park, Maverick).
Will a 3.7 vs. a 3.5 help you during recruiting? Possibly. But would I work significantly harder during senior year to get it knowing I was going to an elite boutique? Probably not haha.
Kind of in the same position here. Sealed up a job with a BB after my summer. Being back at school now, its tough to get motivated to push for a better GPA haha.
Interested to hear more thoughts.
Low GPA for undergrad (Originally Posted: 12/19/2014)
This question may have been asked many times over here, but I would like to know the current consensus on this topic. I'm an undergrad now, currently in my second year in business school, and my GPA is at a 3.08. This may not be considered disastrous, but I would still like to know what a "low" or "high" gpa would be for business schools. Do you leave out your gpa on your resume if it's not above a 3.4? Also, coming out of undergrad, how much does GPA matter in landing your first job? I was told that it only matters if you have nothing else to show for on your transcript, such as work experiences and internships, but i'm sure that bigger firms still look at your GPA, so what would the "cut-off" GPA be?
What kind of jobs are you gunning for? That is most important for determining whether your GPA is important. Some FLDP roles have a cutoff of 3.5 or 3.2, but most of these are soft in my experience, and if you are a star at networking, it won't matter.
Since you are just a sophomore, you still have time to raise it. I would try to get above a 3.5 if possible just to be safe.
GPA is one metric, but it's pretty darn important. Of course, it all depends on what you're interested in doing, and what experience you already have.
If you want IB/consulting, you absolutely have to bring it up... tons of target school kids enter their sophomore year with 3.7+, and even at Wharton, a 3.08 is too low. Aim for straight A's this year - then you'd have a 3.5+.
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