I don't know what school you are going to but if your at a non-target, you need a 3.8+ from the success stories I have heard... I mean take it with a grain of salt. I haven't met the whole entire non-target IBD people but you should do what interests you.

Also, at a non-target low GPA will kill you during recruiting so make sure that you are ready to commit and do well in school.

So, you should take both concentrations or even minor in some quantitative major since alot of IB firms like quantitative majors.

 

To have a good GPA is to pass the HR check. Anything above 3.5 is okay. But the worse a school is, the harder it is for you to get a high GPA, since good schools nowadays tend to have significant grade inflation.

For quant, a math major is definitely unnecessary. I-banking does not require math higher than pre-calc.

 
Best Response
heintzst:
To have a good GPA is to pass the HR check. Anything above 3.5 is okay. But the worse a school is, the harder it is for you to get a high GPA, since good schools nowadays tend to have significant grade inflation.

For quant, a math major is definitely unnecessary. I-banking does not require math higher than pre-calc.

for traditional investment banking, a math major is not necessary indeed (math majors work in IBD, though). for quantitative analysis, however, a math bachelor is not even enough. you either need a phd in math (or something related, e.g. applied math, physics) or a masters in something like financial mathematics or financial engineering.

finance is becoming more and more quantitative every day, so a math major is not a bad idea (if you are interested in math). some fields of investment banking which are not quant jobs already require a lot of math, e.g. structured finance. you also need a math bachelor for risk management btw. and in trading it is definitely helpful.

Career Advancement Opportunities

May 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 04 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

May 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

May 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

May 2024 Investment Banking

  • Director/MD (5) $648
  • Vice President (20) $385
  • Associates (89) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (14) $181
  • Intern/Summer Associate (33) $170
  • 2nd Year Analyst (67) $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
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
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
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.8
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
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...”