How hard are you willing to work to mitigate the impact of the low GPA? You say you want to switch into finance? Are you willing to take the CFA? Finance related classes and earn A's . You also have to make your intent there a little more real.

Also don't lock yourself into top 5 or nothing. There are many programs that will help you transition into finance and that with a 750 would overlook your GPA. or perhaps in the top 10 and not the top 5. Think more broadly about how to achieve your goal, and it may become doable.,

You might be interested in 5 As for Your Low GPA. I provide a lot more information on how to deal with it.

Linda Abraham President, Accepted | Contact Me | Admissions Consulting
 

It doesn't help in the way that you're suggesting. You can't just talk to alums and have them "put in a good word."

Each school has many thousands of alums. Imagine what would happen to the admissions process if getting coffee with alums was a way in. Every alum would be having several coffees a year and admissions would be fielding hundreds of thousands of "putting in a good word" emails. It would probably lead to that factor being eliminated from the process, which is as it should be.

The benefit of talking to alums is to get a feel for why the culture of the school is different from other schools, so you can write about that in your essay. Probably seems very silly to you now, but when you're writing those essays it can save you many hours or days of time if you have a good idea of what to say.

 

Provided your GMAT has a 7-handle, an Elite Eight spot is yours to lose, but this sounds more like a lower-end Elite Eight (Columbia given your finance focus) than making the Final (Harvard, Stanford), though a Final Four finish (Wharton, Booth) is also realistic.

The truth is you're the weak. And I'm the tyranny of evil men. But I'm tryin', Ringo. I'm tryin' real hard to be the shepherd.
 

It is his to lose based on stats alone as he will be competitive at all of the MBA business schools">M7 schools assuming he continues down the path that he is on and can craft solid essays, get good recs, get involved in ECs, etc.

GPA: 3.5 (well within the 80% range for H/S/W and M7) GMAT: assume 700+ (well within the 80% range for H/S/W and M7) Ivy undergrad and bulge bracket experience

I hear you on the entitlement issue but if he is willing to put the time in I think he could easily get into a top program. Again, I realize a lot of admissions comes down to luck and execution.

 

Assumenda fugit quis excepturi sint sit autem beatae. Et voluptatum repellat voluptas assumenda illo sed eveniet doloribus. At autem odio et voluptatum adipisci ab et aut.

Est quia voluptatem ad adipisci officia. Ab qui fugit neque placeat esse. Sed enim sed et corrupti. Sint at reprehenderit nam.

Iste accusamus minus ut in et quo. Et non nihil perferendis itaque. Odit explicabo exercitationem sapiente delectus qui repudiandae. Odio ut totam quia aut rerum cupiditate.

Assumenda debitis voluptatem fugiat dolor. Assumenda delectus ullam sit reprehenderit hic. Et itaque distinctio libero aspernatur reiciendis rerum.

Career Advancement Opportunities

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Jefferies & Company 02 99.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 19 98.8%
  • Harris Williams & Co. New 98.3%
  • Lazard Freres 02 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 03 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Harris Williams & Co. 18 99.4%
  • JPMorgan Chase 10 98.8%
  • Lazard Freres 05 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.7%
  • William Blair 03 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Lazard Freres 01 99.4%
  • Jefferies & Company 02 98.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 17 98.3%
  • Moelis & Company 07 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 05 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Director/MD (5) $648
  • Vice President (19) $385
  • Associates (87) $260
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (14) $181
  • Intern/Summer Associate (33) $170
  • 2nd Year Analyst (66) $168
  • 1st Year Analyst (205) $159
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (146) $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
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
numi's picture
numi
98.8
10
Kenny_Powers_CFA's picture
Kenny_Powers_CFA
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...”