I'm feeling some serious anxiety - sophomore undergrad
So, I'm a sophomore majoring in finance at the University of Florida. I like to play lacrosse, workout, and study languages in my free time(this is for fun although I am taking Russian classes), as well as manage a small energy portfolio and promotional products company (its kinda legit). In 5 months I've learned to speak pretty decent Russian(conversational), and in three months ill be moving with Russian into Mandarin. MyGPA is 3.51.
Unfortunately the more content I come across on this site, the more worried I'm beginning to feel. Although I have a 3.51 GPA, it is seemingly increasingly difficult to obtain any position from a "non-target" school of which you so prophetically speak of. Also, unlike my peers I have taken the difficult accounting classes at UF, rather than the easy A at the nearby community college.
I've been reading books like common sense on mutual funds, investment banking, random walk on wall-street, art of war, the intelligent investor and so forth, trying to self educate myself on what my curriculum does not. I have also managed to acquire a vast network of investment bankers, commodity traders, bond traders etc throughout my childhood neighborhood.
Although I am a rather confident person, I am beginning to feel extremely anxious and worried about my 3.51 GPA at the University of Florida. To be completely honest with you my accounting and finance classes are quite difficult, and entirely online. Meaning that studying consists of for the most part reading an online text book, doing hundreds of practice problems, and then taking a test once a month. Other than the rigorous online coursework, the education I'm receiving seems to be a crock of shit.
This summer, I was able to obtain an opportunity to shadow and work with a bond fund manager, and learn all about the industry. I was thinking about leaving UF after this semester, working with the fund manager, and applying to a better school, with a much better hands on learning environment.
Anyways, Will my 3.51 Sophomore standing GPA prove to be problematic? Will my lack of involvement in campus organizations? Will the fact that I've chosen to take two difficult classes at UF and receive a B- be detrimental to my chances at investment banking or finance career?
Yes the B- grades will lower your GPA which being from a non target SEC school (like myself) puts you at very slim chances in IB but finance you are fine there are tons of jobs
You do realize that most people posting on here overstate what it takes to get an interview/offer in order to make themselves feel better?
This.
Get a finance-related internship this summer (anything, even PWM or something with accounting) and network. Seriously, make networking a full-time job.
UF's MSF program places if you can get in.
Don't stress about the GPA right now. Focus on networking and getting whatever finance related experience you can right now. You are going to rely on your network for interviews anyway and if you are interesting and well-rounded (which you sound like you are going to lengths in order to be) then the 3.51 really isn't going to be a huge issue. Having said that, this early in your college career you can still bring it up a bit.
A B- is almost certainly not going to be an issue because very few places actually see your transcripts until after they've extended an offer.
I feel like the importance of GPA tends to be overstated. I've made it to a handful of BB superdays with a 3.2 from a semi-target with not a ton of networking. Then again I've yet to win a offer. Whether that's down to my GPA, well, I don't know. It very well could be. Definitely focus on building your resume with compelling experience and hopefully keep your GPA above 3.5. I know I've come across UF MSFs in BB IBD positions on linkedin so that's always another option.
I wouldn't discount the ability to do a minor restart while you're young. I can't speak directly to leaving a school and stating over, or at least being a year back, at another school, but if you can manage to get into a soft target (Michigan?) even with just a few credits then I think that's a great idea.
I'll be taking five years to do a degree because I did my first year mainly in a different faculty and it's been fantastic as it allowed me to better understand the recruiting landscape and secure a sophomore and junior internship (whereas in my "true" sophomore year I still felt overwhelmed with how to get my foot in the door). I do go to a target (HPY) where things are, admittedly, easier, but I would strongly consider a small restart if you can financially afford it and move to a school with a stronger recurring base.
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Florida is a good school, but not a target school. If IB is want you want, then don't fret. However, prepare to put in a tremendous amount of work after graduation and in your first job, because you're not a sure-thing candidate right out of UF.
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