How to answer "Why did you get a C in this class"
I have a superday and know I will be asked why I got a C in Managerial Accounting. I don't have a real reason other than the fact it was an exceptionally hard class, yet I did know the info for the most part. How can I turn this negative into a positive?
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People I know at firm told me to be prepared for this
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An answer that I used to cover my low accounting mark was that I said how "I had other commitments that clashed with the exam, and I had to decide between which to prioritize - this is not an excuse, however, and this semester I am taking other courses in the same field to deepen my understanding for the topic and redeem myself". And then I bring up how I got a really good mark in a higher-level accounting course the next semester.
Managerial accounting is not a hard class at all
Neither is Calculus. But I've seen people get Cs/Ds because the teacher was awful, graded hard, and didn't like them sorry we we all don't play teacher's pet and aren't as brilliant as you intern
What are you going to do if your boss is an absolute dick
Agreed. As a math major who gets straight As in calculus, linear algebra, and probability theory, fuck fundamental analysis where you prove 1 + 1 > 0.
Curious on how they’ll know this since they don’t ask for transcripts till you actually get an offer.
Some places like UBS and Credit Suisse asks for transcripts as part of the app.
My brother in Christ do you know what firms make you submit a transcript? Are EBs known to scrutinize specific grades?
Not sure why you’d be asked this question, but I would try and pick a lesson you learned after getting that C. Talk about reflecting on your performance and noticing a few areas to improve upon, which you now implement in your current courses. “It was hard” might be the truth, but that answer doesn’t show ambition and an eagerness to adapt your process.
“After not performing well, I took some time to think about why. During that process, I realized that I did X less optimally than I should have, so in future courses I made sure to make X a priority, which has yielded exceptional results in the Y and Z courses I took later on.”
This.... Embrace it and spin it. Even if they know you are lying, spin and being positive are what this business, especially at upper levels, is all about.
You can put it down to a lot of things. Other classes you prioritized, partying, whatever. But quickly get into lessons learned and then how you applied those lessons to CRUSH the next (relevant) class to the job that you are interviewing for.
So if you are asked this question... Smile, nod. "Great question, I'm glad you asked. You know I was doing X or prioritized Y at the time, and hey, that was a mistake as you can see my grade suffered. You learn from your mistakes right and college is a great place to do that. I learned x and y from that and you'll see in (insert next class here) that I applied those lessons and crushed the class and have gone on to do x"
Or something like that.
They don’t look at your transcript for a fucking superday don’t waste your time worrying about this.
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Tell him you didn’t think you were playing for a marketing job
The two people I know at firm made sure to tell me that this was common for them
I would just say you were unable to focus on your studies due to your focus of bringing societal justice one moltov cocktail at a time through your leadership in the BLM movement.
This is good, but you also need to point out that all of the kids who got As were racist because they thrived in a systemically racist institution. If the interviewers seem to balk at or be offended by your response, be sure to point out their white fragility.
kek
The odds of anyone outside of HR looking at your transcript are slim to none.
What about for EBs? I've heard they're smaller so HR is more in contact
I had this question when I was recruiting “back in the day” as I had a similar situation. The grade was largely concentrated to one exam and I rolled with it “I spent too much time focused on one element of the exam, and other elements suffered. From this I learned x,y,z” spin it into the classic weakness question framework and you should be fine
Tell the truth, that is is boring as hell and no amount of drugs or booze could help you concentrate. LOL
I interviewed at a PE fund that asked for transcripts ahead of time. Graduated with a 3.9 overall, but with one glaring exception: a B in Music that I took for a required fine arts credit.
One of the VPs who was an alumnus from my school grilled me on that one... I just laughed and told him I was tone deaf
Just tell them that you aren't good at accounting.
Tell them because of deez nuts
gotta pumps those numbers up
Tell them it’s simple you didn’t have any fucks to give to that class but you have many fucks to give to this job
how about just be honest and tell the ACTUAL reason?
Most of the above answers are variations of "lie and say something you think the interviewer wants to hear"
For example, if you sortof did mini give-ups where you would read a chapter and think "ok, i basically get this...but this is not fun....so i'm gonna stop studying accounting and go play frisbee on the quad with the girls..doing extra study exercises to get a 100% on the exam seems like overkill" just say that. If you then went on to get better grades in the more advanced courses...go ahead and say that to redeem yourself...but just make sure you come across as honest...nobody respects a bullshitter.
NEWS FLASH: your interviewer hates being lied to...and will lose respect for you if it appears you are lying...and you probably suck as an actor (but what the fuck do i know)
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