Does Undergrad Courseload Rigor Matter?
I'm a sophomore at a shitty state school. I'll be doing BB IBD this summer (so i'm hoping I can go to a better BB IBD next summer).
LET ME CLARIFY: this question is for MBA applications.
Does it matter if i ease off the throttle for classes? What if I take 12 credits each semester in college to graduate on time (With the average being 15 credits)? Does this look bad on MBA apps?
What is I take 12 credits, but do some type of part time internship each semester, an go into a top program for a 2 year gig after undegrad? Basically does class rigor matter.
From what I've seen (through the SA process personally as well as a bunch of buddies) as long as you're graduating on time, load doesn't matter. They ask for GPA, not average credits per semester. Even then, I know some people who take a light load, do one extra semester, travel in the spring and still go to BB's.
I don't know of anyone who looks at transcripts. That's from discussions with several analysts/associates in a variety of fields. Their advice to me: work the shit out of the system.
For graduate school admissions, maybe class load matters, but in an interview, all they are going to see is your GPA. So GPA is more important for hiring decisions. The interviewer is going to see your resume, not your transcript, so whatever you do, keep your GPA up.
I had quite a few AP credits going into ugrad, and I took a lighter class load than many of my peers and got better grades and a higher GPA because of it. There's no shame in working the system.
Caring about how many classes you take after you already have a banking internship? Ain't nobody got time fo dat!
As long as you have upward tend in your GPA year-over-year, and graduate on time, taking one less course/semester should be okay...
Not what you asked, but... only do the part-time internship if you actually are learning something/you can speak about your experience in an accurate/non-embarrassing way in a job interview. I only say this because I know plenty of people who were glorified coffee-fetchers.
this is for getting into an MBA school*
I know - but the same standard applies...
Will light senior year courseload hurt MBA chances? (Originally Posted: 09/03/2013)
Hi All,
Having accepted my full-time offer at a BB, will taking the minimum required credits and a bunch of easy classes hurt my chances at getting into a top-tier MBA down the road? I want to be more involved in my extra-curriculars, have free time for reading, and maintain my high GPA, so I was hoping to take it easy this year.
Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!
No, not at all. The easier way to get around this is to declare a minor that looks good on your transcript but isn't challenging at all. I don't know your school's policy, but at many universities, while you can't declare major courses pass/fail, you can for a minor. I had a friend who had a 3.98 going into senior year and declared two classes each term pass/fail, maintained his GPA, and earned summa.
This seems like a reasonable plan, to be honest. What courses are "easy" ? I think if you use these classes to demonstrate that you are well rounded and intellectually curious, that won't hurt at all.
Last Semester: 4 classes or 5? (Originally Posted: 01/07/2008)
this is probably a lame question, but i am curious..
I have an offer from a BB for after graduation, and a 3.8+ GPA (non-target though).
As of right now, I would really like to attend a top 10 MBA program in a few years.
I only need to take 4 classes (out of a normal 5 class course load) next semester, but im worried it might look bad on my transcript for MBA admissions.
Does it matter to the MBA admissions people whether I take 4 or 5 classes my last semester of senior year?
really should not matter,but what do i know
Um, I really don't think they care whether you took twelve or fifteen credits your final semester. Seriously.
Seriously, take 4 classes. Enjoy your last semester.
What will they say if you take 12 credits (minimum amount to remain fulltime) for the last 4 semesters of undergrad (2 full years)? Will that be frowned upon?
Not frowned upon at all. There have been semesters I have only taken 12 credits and this means nothing to recruiters. Enjoy your last semester.
i'm taking 8 credits, 2 classes this, my last, semester
dude, take 4 classes. especially if you took a job in IB, this could be your last chance for a good period of time where you could dick around and drink heavily without real repercussions for a long ass time.
I know someone who's only taking 2 classes because that's all they need to graduate. There's no way they can hold the fat that you did enough to graduate slightly quicker against you.
take four classes. Its evident by your job offer and your grades that youve already proven yourself at that stage of the game. And kudos to breaking in from a non-target. The only thing I would warn you about is that you need to be just serious enough in these last four classes to maintain -a bschool is more likely to ask about a significant drop off in grades your final semester than about that total credits you took.
Now go create a decadent senior year otherwise youll regret it. Youll have plenty of opportunity to work hard where youre going.
I'm pretty sure that your academic record will play a WAY smaller role than you think in your admission to the top b-schools. A minute detail like 4 vs 5 classes during your last semester will probably go totally unnoticed. Having spent a fair amount of time at b-school information sessions and tours, I would hazard a guess that you could even drop your GPA by 0.6 this semester and no one would hold it against you, provided that you go out and get some amazing work experience and score well on the GMAT.
Haha, I'm only taking 4 classes hereon out (2nd semester sophomore), and I'm still going to graduate a semester early with two majors.
Full Courseload vs. Less Courses + ECs (Originally Posted: 11/12/2012)
Here's the situation:
I can complete my major with ~12-15 credits per semester OR I can complete my major + minor with ~18-21 credits per semester
In the former case, I would have time to do things outside of school (e.g., volunteer, possibly part-time job/internship, etc.)
In the latter case, my time would be wholly consumed by schoolwork.
What are you opinions on the two options? Both with respect to career prospects (e.g., undergrad recruiting, future bschool apps, etc.) and non-career prospects (lifestyle, college experience, enjoyment, etc.)...
(btw, I'm in NYC...)
Stop being whiney, you can do both. If you can't commit 40-80 hours a week to work and school, you can't commit 80-110 to banking.
I did five twenty unit quarters in a quantitative major(had to get my major and two minors in) and worked on the weekends while being involved in a leadership role at one club on campus.
If you had to chose though, probably doing internships and ecs(leadership role only, "member" doesn't count) probably matters more.
Though networking probably matters more than the internship stuff after a certain point.
What majors? If you're majoring in Finance and minoring in Econ it probably won't matter a ton. Same skill set, nothing new.
I did Math-Econ and minored in Stats and Accounting. I'm able to sit for the CPA and am 4 courses away from converting the accounting minor into a Bus Admin major. I had 3 F500 jobs/internships and landed a comfy internal consulting role at an F500. I will admit, my Statistics minor helped me get into it(though I was also a good fit), they were looking for a Math or Engineering major originally. In most instances though, it won't matter.
The most successful guy I know (this recruiting season at least) just did Business Econ and nailed a bunch of F500 internships and got 3 IB offers(two from BB and 1 from an Elite Boutique). No minors. No second major. Just 1 club VP position, CFA level 1 passed, 6 internships. This is from a non-target school. If he went to a target I imagine he'd have ended up in top tier PE given what hes managed to do.
Go with Option 1 no question. Past a certain point, nobody really gives a shit about GPA (which would probably be damaged anyways if you're taking 1-2 extra courses per semester). No recruiter looks at a resume and gets wowed by a GPA (any socially awkward Asian robot can get a 4.0). EC's and work experience are what differentiate you from the crowd and give you meaningful things to talk about during interviews. Option 1 is better from both a lifestyle and career perspective. Nobody gives a shit about minors anyways.
Get laid.
I think they like to see Full Course load + ECs.
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