GPA for Canadian S&T?

Just wondering what the outlook for S&T in Canada is, either with the big 6 or the american banks, in Toronto or Calgary. I know IBD in Canada is pretty competitive and has a pretty high GPA cut off, is it the same in S&T? Do they tend to place more or less emphasis on GPA than IBD? I'm thinking about a sales role in particular but I'm interested in how it plays out for trading/structuring as well.

For the record, I'm going into third year in September, go to a target (ivey/queens/mcgill) but I have a bad for finance average: 79% second year, 76% first year, 78.5% cumulative. A few people (alumni, classmates, profs) have told me its too low for Canadian IBD and that I should look elsewhere for third year summer and try to boost my grades in the meantime.

 
Best Response

Back in school, one of my best friends interviewed with RBC Capital Markets with a ~75% average but he had pretty good experience (worked 40 hrs a week on top of school) and is a really outgoing guy. He didn't get the job but I seriously doubt it had anything to do with his GPA.

So to answer your question, no, I don't think they necessarily weigh grades as heavily as in IBD but you're going to have to be more well rounded and the competition is a lot tougher vs. IBD, particularly since Commerce undergrads compete against MBAs, other masters degrees and engineering/math/cs undergrads for the same spots of which there are fewer than in IBD.

 

it's just hard to get interviews with grades like that. if you do some networking at events/conferences you will have a shot, but when these firms get 1000 resumes per 1 spot it will be hard to line up an interview with that.

 
manbearpig:
hellokitty123:
when these firms get 1000 resumes per 1 spot...
This is not even an exaggeration.

granted however that of those 1000 there are a decent number of terribly formatted/completely wrong fit individuals . . .

 
drstrangelove:
Just wondering what the outlook for S&T in Canada is, either with the big 6 or the american banks, in Toronto or Calgary. I know IBD in Canada is pretty competitive and has a pretty high GPA cut off, is it the same in S&T? Do they tend to place more or less emphasis on GPA than IBD? I'm thinking about a sales role in particular but I'm interested in how it plays out for trading/structuring as well.

For the record, I'm going into third year in September, go to a target (ivey/queens/mcgill) but I have a bad for finance average: 79% second year, 76% first year, 78.5% cumulative. A few people (alumni, classmates, profs) have told me its too low for Canadian IBD and that I should look elsewhere for third year summer and try to boost my grades in the meantime.

McGill - no %. Ivey - you get a clean slate starting ur HBA program Therefore Queen's.

Did you have any luck with OCR during soph year?

 

S&T at the big 5 is pretty challenging to get into. Its pretty much impossible to get into if you don't go to Ivey,Queens, Mcgill, or Waterloo. For me, my resume didn't even get looked at the Big 5. However I was able to land a summer internship on the fixed income prop desk at a MM and got interviewed at a BB firm in NYC. I honestly think you have an easier chance getting into S&T on Wall Street then Bay Street.

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