Looking for a Friend

Hi all,
I'm reaching out to look for advice from someone who has been in a similar situation. I know there are multiple discussions about this sort of situation all over but I'm looking for more specific advice.

So about me:
I'm a senior (graduating early in December) at a non-target and you guessed it, a low GPA (2.6) and no internship experience. It should be slightly higher when I graduate, hopefully around a 3.0. I was considering taking some summer classes to boost it but I don't really know if it's worth it. I do have some redeeming qualities about my resume which I believe have landed me some equity research interviews at various boutique firms. I have left my GPA off of my resume which has helped in some cases but is obviously a red flag for other firms.

Why my GPA is so low:
As I know there's not a really good excuse for a bad GPA, I wasn't out partying every day of the week, I can assure you. I do suffer from severe anxiety/OCD and have struggled with it since childhood. Some of it was brought on by environment but I'm positive that it was mostly genetic. I've been managing it with therapy and medication and am experiencing some relief. On top of that, I started out with two minors; mathematics and accounting. This was a very foolish decision of mine as I had to accept taking 18 credit hours nearly every semester until I finally decided it wasn't worth it. I dropped the mathematics minor with 9 credits left to take out of the total 24 credit hours to complete a math minor. I figured this would be the best decision as it was affecting my ability to perform in my finance courses.

I've been raked over the coals enough from myself, my boyfriend, and my family. Though I deserve it, I'm just looking for a way out of this rut. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

Wow, impressive! I've kind of accepted that I'll have to take on either a role I don't want or a role at a firm that may not have been my primary choice which is ok. Passing level 1 of the CFA in December has been a big goal of mine. I've been using the CFA Institute books/guides to help get me there. Now that I'm not so bogged down with so many credits it's been a little easier to dedicate time to things I actually enjoy.

 

Here is my journey that I submitted on reddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/Accounting/comments/3ex6bl/losing_my_accountin…

Two years later and I'm at an investment bank. What I will say is know that you will not start at some glamorous place, but its completely possible to work your way up through either time or unorthodox methods (networking, cold calling, taking classes to reverse grades, taking personal career growth classes, etc).

GPA is GPA though. It's a huge determining factor for the first few years of your career. But all things will pass, and if your experience and drive make up for it after a few years, you'll be just fine.

Good luck

 

That parallels a little more with the situation I'm in. I'm not bothered by not being at a huge firm right out of the gate; I think that's sort of a given at this point. That really is an awesome story though. I think my main focus is getting a solid position that I can use as leverage.

 

First and foremost if you have not already, start reaching out to alumni. Aside from the low GPA, you are also "off cycle" when it comes to employment. I'm currently a senior with a 3.0 about to graduate, I had a low GPA and instead of taking more classes, I advise RETAKING classes you got Cs in. This is better because replacing a C with a A does WAY more for a GPA than just taking another class and getting a A, it dilutes it because you are just adding credits.

 

Yes, that was another thing I was thinking of doing this summer; retaking classes I did poorly in. My major GPA, while not great, is around a 2.9 and will be better after this semester. So I will definitely reconsider that now that I don't have a bunch of math credits to take this summer. Thank you!

 

you won't get into finance thru the front door...so you'll have to use the side door

a) network b) non front office job (tech/ops/accounting) ---> MBA --> front office

those are really the only ways to get in if you are not getting in thru standard recruiting (which, you won't).

just google it...you're welcome
 

you could also transfer to a target school (if you can get in) and then use the target GPA only when you apply (might get past some screeners). but i agree with the above poster...if you can retake some classes to get better grades (or retake exams), then that would be ideal.

just google it...you're welcome
 

I think you've got two options to get into ER:

A. Network like crazy and try and use your connections/work experience to land FT gig. B. Apply to MSF programs.

You should try to do A no matter what as networking with random people pushes you outside of your comfort zone and it's an important skill to have. Given that you know what you want to do, you could consider getting an MSF. You could then recruit with your MSF GPA and try to get in that way but to get into an MSF you'll have to answer why your UG GPA was so low and have a legit explanation of why your MSF GPA would be higher. If you can get a 700+ GMAT score, that'd help a ton to answer that question.

Definitely need to try and get something for this summer though. That'd go a long way when you're networking with folks.

Good luck

 

You don't think it's too late to get an internship for the summer? I've been applying online and doing some networking but I don't know if I'm coming off as desperate or what. The interviews I've had have flopped, likely because of my GPA because I didn't think they all went that bad.

 

First off, obviously I am not a therapist and am not trying to act in that capacity.

In my opinion, you have to make strides right now to start overcoming your anxiety/lack of self confidence/self-defeating mentality.

Believe me, I get that it sounds much, much easier on paper than it does trying to implement it in real life. However, if you can't make strides in your personal life, no amount of "networking", studying for the CFA, or applying for different jobs will help you.

It seems like at this current stage, you don't have the presence and the softer skills to really take advantage of networking. If you network right now, I think you're just going to waste those opportunities because you'll be anxious the entire time, probably leading to mediocre first impressions and ultimately failed meetings.

Hopefully therapy has been helping. Hopefully you are introspective and are cognizant of what are some things that really trigger your anxiety. I know you know this, but your anxiety will not suddenly go away. There isn't going to be one big life event that will "cure" you. It's a journey, and it all starts with building up a little bit of positive momentum, day after day. You have to do things that give you the small victories first, and then you build on that. Start looking into self-help methods that assist in changing your mindset and your mentality. Then start achieving the small victories. I'm not sure where your anxiety stems from, but if it revolves around social situations, one method that's helped a lot (including for me) is to start watching videos of celebrities (especially ones you admire) do interviews, especially interviews on talk shows. Start noticing how they interact, their mannerisms, how they speak, how they move, how they look when they do things. Then start mimicking them. Fake it till you make it DOES work. Even if you may initially feel a little weird acting or talking differently, eventually your mind will adapt to whatever your body does and your will start internalizing what you are doing. It's building positive momentum, winning the small victories, and actively trying to change your mindset that will hopefully put you on the fast track to living your life how you want to.

You also mention your boyfriend and your family providing negativity...does it make sense for you to distance yourself/remove them from your life? You're not going to succeed if the people closest to you are the ones that are holding you back the most. Shed the dead weight. How the fuck are you going to get yourself through the door to success if you have to drive a forklift to carry all your baggage?

As you start building some positive momentum in your life, start channeling your focus into your studies. You have 3 chances of raising your GPA: this semester, this summer, and this upcoming fall semester. Start developing a "killer mentality", and fucking start crushing school.

I think once you start fixing yourself, you will see that a lot of pieces will start coming into place. And just remember, it's okay if you have bad days. Everyone does. Just keep that positive momentum trending upwards. Think of your life as a stock price chart. There may be short-term slumps, but you have to make sure you are ultimately moving upwards.

 

That's great advice and probably some of the best advice I've been given.

I've actually already tried implementing the celebrity technique you mentioned and it does feel super weird. I'm of the belief that it's not over until you throw in the towel but knowing that anxiety has been my Achilles heel my whole life is definitely making me wish I'd sought out help from a therapist sooner than I have.

Thank you though!

 

Happy to help.

The mimicking tactic will feel super weird at first, so don't let that dissuade you from continuing to do it. It gets much easier the longer you do it. It also helps because you start realizing all the negative little habits that you do and how detrimental they are to your life.

Another thing, there are quite a few self-help online communities around. I'm not sure what your support network is in real life, but if you aren't surrounded by positive, like-minded, supportive people, you need to start doing that right away. Having people around you that "get" your situation is crucial.

Like the iconic Springsteen song "Dancing in the Dark" states...you can't start a fire without a spark. And sometimes, in life, you have to take it upon yourself to create that spark.

Let me know if PM makes more sense to continue this conversation.

 
Best Response
hgolden:
Hi all, I'm reaching out to look for advice from someone who has been in a similar situation. I know there are multiple discussions about this sort of situation all over but I'm looking for more specific advice.

So about me: I'm a senior (graduating early in December) at a non-target and you guessed it, a low GPA (2.6) and no internship experience. It should be slightly higher when I graduate, hopefully around a 3.0. I was considering taking some summer classes to boost it but I don't really know if it's worth it. I do have some redeeming qualities about my resume which I believe have landed me some equity research interviews at various boutique firms. I have left my GPA off of my resume which has helped in some cases but is obviously a red flag for other firms.

Why my GPA is so low: As I know there's not a really good excuse for a bad GPA, I wasn't out partying every day of the week, I can assure you. I do suffer from severe anxiety/OCD and have struggled with it since childhood. Some of it was brought on by environment but I'm positive that it was mostly genetic. I've been managing it with therapy and medication and am experiencing some relief. On top of that, I started out with two minors; mathematics and accounting. This was a very foolish decision of mine as I had to accept taking 18 credit hours nearly every semester until I finally decided it wasn't worth it. I dropped the mathematics minor with 9 credits left to take out of the total 24 credit hours to complete a math minor. I figured this would be the best decision as it was affecting my ability to perform in my finance courses.

I've been raked over the coals enough from myself, my boyfriend, and my family. Though I deserve it, I'm just looking for a way out of this rut. Any advice would be appreciated.

Why are you graduating early with a low GPA when you need more time to apply for jobs and need more classes to boost your GPA?

It seems like you need 2 semesters senior year.

"If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." - Bruce Lee
 

I would SB this advice if I had the credits. Do NOT graduate early. This is the simplest step you can take for yourself, and the only one that you have much control over. Take as many credits as possible this summer, fall, and next spring. Retake courses in which you had bad grades. And get an A in every class from here on out.

Try to get an internship in any role that is even remotely finance related and start spinning those bullet points so you can line up a "stepping stone" role post-graduation--one that will make sense when you start having to tell your "story" of progression in interviews for decent roles.

 

I will echo what GrandJury said. The whole "its really just parental expectations" needs to change. It sucks, I know from experience. Bearing the weight of expectations from people around you will always make things more difficult. You have to realize that all of these major decisions you are making in this situation need to be solely for the benefit of yourself. Assuming your parents are not paying for your school, don't graduate early. They might be mad at first but they will realize that you are doing what is best for you, not them. Graduating a semester early to make your parents proud is cool, but, doing so with a 2.9 GPA that will hurt you down the road makes the situation pretty one sided.

The main thing is to make decisions that will help your future. Try to avoid making decisions based off of what your parents will think, or what your boyfriend will think. They might be pissed for a couple of months but in the long run they will realize that you were doing what was best for yourself and your future.

 

I have been in a similar situation. Who cares about how you hustle to make that money? Your life, your time.

Ditch the boyfriend and forgo your family's expectations of what you want to do. Getting rid of these two things (reduces stress) will help you during your treatments and overall recovery. If you aren't able to do this, this will be a strong potential problem..

What @eric9242" said holds some value...though harsh but very true. Wall Street is not a forgiving industry, if at all. You have to think from a strategic standpoint from a hiring manager's viewpoint - why should you be hired? why should this person work for this firm? can anyone vouch for this person? what qualities do they have that can add value?

I would suggest improving your mental and personal health first before considering anything further after you graduate Take it one day at a time, step by step.

No pain no game.
 

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