I'm beginning my sophomore year at an Ivy, majoring in math. I have a 3.2 GPA, which I know is not good (however, I had a 2.65 in my first semester caused in part by getting surgery for appendicitis six days before exams). I have a bit of a dilemma regarding what I should do in the upcoming year. I'm a sports reporter for the newspaper, and am in good position to run for an editor's position. But it's a very serious commitment: 40+ hours a week. I don't think I could pull a stellar GPA doing that; maybe I can get up to a 3.3 but I feel like it would stagnate or even drop. If I don't become an editor, I can probably pull myself up to a 3.4 by the end of this coming semester.
So basically, my question is whether or not I should run for editor. Is that a good enough EC to rescue a mediocre (3.2, 3.3) GPA and snag an interview, or should I forgo it and just focus on getting my GPA up to a less mediocre 3.4?
lol....you could just lie about your ec's...say how you're the president of some organization outside of school....make sure you have the appropriate details if asked any questions/grilled about it .....
in all seriousness....im a junior in college, and i think a high GPA at a target school is more important, given that there are many good ec's that you could do that take up significantly less time than what you described (40+ hours a week)....why not do an ec in finance, it would tie in better to your overall story of why ibanking is for you.....but what do I know, i go to a non target
To answer the question why I don't do another EC, it's because I don't want to join some silly Monopoly-money finance club and play BSD.
My first love is writing, but there's no way I can live on the ~$30k starting salary, so the next thing I'm interested in is finance.
Stop thinking of excuses, and develop some solutions. Think of it as good training ground. If you can't do 40+ hours and attain the highest GPA possible, how will you work 70+ hour weeks? A bit of an oxymoron don't you think? Make some sacrifices and work smarter, not harder.
And what the fuck does that mean?
I could develop all the "solutions" I want, but the point is to polish my resume enough to get an interview. Asking me to pull a 3.7+ while working 40-50 hours a week on the newspaper is a pipe dream. It's really easy to say "work smarter, not harder," but I don't think you really know what you're talking about.
You want to be where I was. I did my time and got great exit opps. Do not forget that. I may not have all the answers to your questions, but I think my experience warrants some tasteful insight.
Spare me the juvenile paroxysms and paralyze your trite rebuttals momentarily. When I WAS in your shoes, a recruiter once told me, "show me a candidate with a 3.7 GPA, and I'll show you a guy with a 3.8." She went on to say, "At this level, everyone has fundamental intelligence. What seperates you is what you forge outside of what we expect." Great words to remember...
Although editors with a great GPA may be rare, they are out there. It may be difficult, but it's not impossible. That's what "work smarter, not harder" means. Level with professors, network with students, get tutors, etc. Be conceptually exhaustive...
You go to an IVY league, so you will get interviews. If you can't be editor, be assistant editor and work less hours. Lastly, if I offended you, "sack up". Good Luck.
I agree with vadremc. If you can't do both stick with your 30K a year writing job. A GPA above 3.5 is pretty much expected of you when you go into I-banking. What they look for is what sets you apart. So if you can't set yourself apart and have a high GPA at the same time good luck...
I want to work now! No, really. I want those 100+ hours/week.
So explain how none of the editors I know at my Ivy League school (these aren't Big Ten slackers) have 3.6+ GPAs? And I'm talking about history, urban studies, and poli sci majors...the newspaper is a major time committment. Am I crazy, or is 40+ hours a week of non-schoolwork (on one EC) A LOT? With class and homework, those are 70-80+ hour weeks, and I'm not exactly failing any classes.
Does anyone want to actually give advice? As in, what I should do and why? Because like I said, it's really not realistic to be an editor and have a 3.8 GPA. Of course I will try, but it's very, very difficult.
The answer is make a decision.
You say you can't be both an editor and get high grades.
So choose. And live with the consequences.
What further insight do you require?
I don't know what these people are talking about in terms of GPAs. I went to a target and there were absolutely people with below 3.5 GPAs getting into i-banking. Most of them made up for their grades with heavy ECs like sports or president of a legitimate club.
You only get one college experience, I think you should go for it.
What decision would be more helpful in getting an interview...getting my grades up to a somewhat acceptable point but having no big EC (reporter is about 20 hrs. a week) to fall back on, or staying at the real borderline minimum but having a good EC.
The reason I am posting here is that -- believe it or not -- some posters here are actually bankers and can offer some real insight into what might make the difference between a resume ending up in the garbage or the call-back pile.
you go to an ivy (hopefully a target), you should hope that you know so alums who can vouch for you (previous editors you've worked with, if you're in a frat, etc.). I've had plenty of friends who had 3.2/3.3, didn't do as much extracurricular activities, and still are at BB's. Once you get that interview, as long as you nail it, you'll be fine.
Then again, I realize that the paper is an extremely time consuming thing, but again as another poster stated, a lot of those editors/writers/layout ppl have fantastic gpa's in pretty tough areas. I was a math major also (Ivy, target) and did a slew of EC's which probably occupied at least 20-30 hrs/week. And I definitely felt like I was on the lower spectrum of things (my gpa wasn't some insane 3.8 or something).
In any case, hope that your resume catches the eye of some alum.
Dude, I have a workstudy (10+ hr's a week), internship (15+ a week), take 5 courses, and am involved in several extracurriculars. Not to mention club sports and plenty of partying. While I don't go to an Ivy, I have been able to keep up a 3.9 GPA at a solid school.
IMHO you should take the editorial job and just work your a$$ off. If you only keep a 3.3 GPA, going to an Ivy you should still get a few interviews. In there you can explain how demanding your EC was and the kind of responsibilities you handled while taking a difficult courseload. From what I've gathered, IBD loves guys who played varsity sports, ran relevant clubs, and/or took on leadership positions early in their caeers.
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