Is there any hope with a 3.0?

I've just finished my sophomore year at Cornell with a cumulative GPA of 3.0. I really slacked off the last couple of years and I know I can do a lot better than this. Is there any realistic chance of me getting a job on Wall Street at this point, or should I consider a change in choice of career?

 

Short answer: Yes, absolutely.

Longer answer: I am a rising senior who will be interning in a BB this Summer, and like you, I also did not have a "great" GPA. Are you an American citizen? If yes, then you are definitely fine. Why do I say that? Well, because of networking.

As a Cornell student, I am sure you will have access to a plethora of alumni in all possible banks -- From the BB's, to boutiques, to the less known shops. If your goal is to get an internship for next summer, then you HAVE to start networking NOW! At my bank, I've gotten an e-mail from my staffer already asking me if I "knew anyone" in my school who would be a good fit for the team, and I haven't even had my first day yet! Recruiting is getting crazy.

I asked you if you were a citizen because if you are, you can work for literally any bank in America. If you were an international, you'd be limited to networking only with the banks that would be willing to sponsor you (which are usually the larger ones).

Your GPA isn't excellent, but it is also not a disaster by any means. Craft a story about yourself, and why people should hire you; it needs to be simple, effective, and attractive -- There will always be 4.0's from the Ivy's, so why should they hire you? Then, focus on networking; polish your LinkedIn account, and get in touch with Cornell alumni in every single damn bank in the States. Also apply internally to the job posts in your school, as there is still a decent chance you might get interview's on campus. And obviously also attend to all the events that will be happening next year at your school (that is also networking).

Know this: You will get rejected from some banks. You will contact some people, and they won't respond. You will contact other people, and they will say it can't happen; don't let that put you down. The key here is volume -- You need to contact as many people as you can! Don't be afraid to fail.

Good luck man, wish you all the best!

"Suffer today and live the rest of your life as a champion!"
 

The GPA is a bit of an eyesore, but when the fact that you're majoring in Math/Econ. at an Ivy school is taken into consideration, it appears reasonable. There is an open internship out there somewhere which you qualify for, but it might not be exactly what you're looking for in terms of job functions/company. I would suggest again meeting with your school's career center, and asking for suggestions on where to look. I would also suggest reviewing your cold emails, and possibly comparing what you're doing to some of the tips for cold emailing on the forums here (I've seen a number of beneficial discussions on the topic).

 

I'd say increase the prominence of your military experience (though it sounds like you were conscripted like me) and play that up. That and reach out to specific individuals (ie Veterans in companies who understand/are more sympathetic) or milk your network for opportunities/recommendations

 

Hey BirdBath, I'm the WSO Monkey Bot and I'm here since nobody responded to your topic! Bummer...could just be unlucky but one of these topics will help shed some light:

  • Rising senior IU Kelley finance 3.1 GPA trying to break into IB will I need grad school due to my low GPA? gained an interest in the field from them. I'm going into my senior year with a rather weak GPA of ... a low GPA? Should I get an MBA to break in? Would I even be able to get into a decent grad school? ... few years and let my GPA crumble after that. All of my roommates are in the workshop and I've ...
  • Non-Target, 3.0 < GPA, non-finance major, to ER to these forums. WSO was one of the main tools I used and find myself looking at boards plenty often. ... Background: I went to a non-target, had a 2.7 GPA, and didn't study finance in college. Ended ... mind. It wasn't until late in my collegiate career that I wanted to get into ER. In fact, with ...
  • What to do with a 3.0 GPA So im a senior at a non target school with a 3.0 GPA and my dreams of becoming an investment ... banker are basically over. I'm 21 and double majoring in accounting and finance. I graduate spring ... squeeze into a top MBA program. Any suggestions on what I should do? Thanks. Investment Banking Forum ...
  • High School Senior: IU Kelley or Duke to uncover more concrete clues that would indicate my chances of breaking into investment banking ... in order to draw advice from these forums. As of this moment, I am planning on a career in finance ... of finance. I plan to major in economics with a minor in Statistics. 2) Duke, comparatively speaking, ...
  • Non tier undergrad, looking to break into finance I went ahead to complete my CPA in hopes of demonstrating my ability to do well in a Masters program in ... I don't exactly know where I want to end up in finance yet but I know this... I enjoy finance more than ... hopefully break in. I'm ready to implement a 5-10 year plan to get there. Help me fill in the blanks.
  • How to break into oil trading? Masters Student in Finance here, have internship experiences in corporate treasury, trading FX, ... me. They said that my experience was irrelevant. I tried to explain that my trading skills and finance ... background would be useful, but they said they do more than paper trading as they took charge of the physical ...
  • Breaking into AM during senior year of college to get into the finance industry without a junior internship in the field, so I am looking for any ... Hi guys. So I am currently a junior in college looking to enter into the AM industry for full-time ... having these interests cover for the lack of a finance internship? ...
  • More suggestions...

Any pros willing to rescue this discussion? sbebawy karismarawat Joe-Birdsong

I hope those threads give you a bit more insight.

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.
 

Yeah, I'm planning on finding target firms and then sifting through them by matching firms with alums from our alumni network.

My resume is really solid - Operations internship at Merrill, lots of research, etc. - I just have a hard time getting into Art History and Astronomy.

 

Got in with a little better GPA but not much higher at all. Network your ass off to get an interview then be sure you're on point and have some diverse extracurriculars you can highlight and talk about. See if your campus recruiting has a list of recent alums who are currently analysts and brainstorm to see if you have any personal connections who can get you an interview.

 

Thanks for the help. Were these at BB or at smaller firms? I did manage to do a lot of networking that got me several interviews for summer internships, but I wasn't able to get any offers.

When is the best time to start making contacts for analyst positions? Mid-January?

 

I'm assuming you interviewed for SA positions for summer '08. If that is the case, I believe you are a little behind schedule in applying for FT IB analyst jobs. Most FT recruiting for next year is done. I would go ahead and start networking ASAP.

 

Yeah I went through Corporate Recruiting in the fall. I'm looking more into boutique firms at this point. I know plenty of people with solid GPAs who have to go boutique now. Anyway thanks for the tips...that thread with the regional boutiques is going to be really helpful. I'll use that list and plug all the companies into our alumni network.

 

i also hope things go well for you, but i would also advise that you look at other stuff besides banking. the job market is filled with laid off analysts and offer-less summers. perhaps getting some good work experience and trying for b-school would be a better alternative, or perhaps even law school if you can rock the lsats hard enough to make up for your mediocre gpa. just some thoughts, but at any rate good luck...

 

..networking means

meet people (people working there already, seniors joining them for full time this summer), convey ur interest, ask for insight into the job, ask them to take a look at ur resume, keep in touch, ace ur interviews, and then when the summer comes around, continue networking and in 2-3 years time..models and bottles baby (by that I mean excel models & water bottles, chances are banking will still be in the shitter)


We're about to enter a Great Depression. Don't you want a president who's already dressed for it?

------------ I'm making it up as I go along.
 

I think in this type of environment, regardless of GPA, that networking is essential. Those who truly show an interest in finance, be it IBD or S&T, will separate themselves and get in front of the right people and eventually an opportunity will present itself. Hopefully the current environment will weed out those people who were going into banking merely for the prestige and will allow those who are actually interested in high finance to get into the industry.

 

agreed on the HS part..

Lambda! Haha, my bestfriend's in KDPhi, so yeah I see/hear about a lot of Lambdas.

I don't accept sacrifices and I don't make them. ... If ever the pleasure of one has to be bought by the pain of the other, there better be no trade at all. A trade by which one gains and the other loses is a fraud.
 

It can be done. I had a similar rage GPA that your looking at from a total non target and I broke the damn doors down.

Follow the shit your fellow monkeys say @shitWSOsays Life is hard, it's even harder when you're stupid - John Wayne
 
heister:
It can be done. I had a similar rage GPA that your looking at from a total non target and I broke the damn doors down.

Every non-target who broke in should post their story here in detail.

Is it just those colleges? What about Haverford, Hamilton, Wesleyan U, Trinity C?

 

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