Low GPA Non Target
I got a 3.1 at UC Davis majoring in Managerial Economics. I know it’s low but Tbf I Started Off As A Computer Engineering Major And Absolutely Hated It. In My Second Year I Changed My Major To Man. Econ And Struggled For A Couple Quarters Before Getting My Shit Together And Actually Doing Pretty Well. I Graduated In Three Years Which Made It Difficult For Me To Gain Experience Via Internships So Now Idk What To Do. I Really Want To Break Into IB And Want To Get Some Advice From All Of U. Is It Possible for Me To Break In Via Networking Or Going To Corporate Finance First And Then Recruiting For IB Or Is It Over. Also I Assure U That My Gpa Doesn’t Really Reflect My Knowledge That Well So I Doubt The Difficulty Of The Job Will Really Be A Barrier. Thanks For Your Help!
*also Sorry For The Weird Capitalization. My iPhone Is Tripping
I really believe you can do anything you set your mind to man, regardless of what WSO has to say. You seem like a knowledgeable and genuine person, good luck to you man
thanks man. that really made me feel a lot better. WSO is pretty intimidating haha
I know that this isn’t what you want to hear, but your GPA/school combo, paired with the fact that you have no relevant internships, will make it incredibly, incredibly difficult to break in right now.
Your best shot is to accumulate some work experience for a few years, try to get into a MBA business schools">M7/T15 MBA program, and recruit for MBA Associate roles.
To second the first comment, you seem like a genuine guy, and if you dedicate yourself fully to this goal, I definitely think it’s attainable.
sounds good. thanks!
Don't let anyone on WSO influence your opinions. A lot of people are super pessimistic on here and believe ridiculous standards are required to even have a chance. You definitely can break into IB still. I think your best bet will be getting an MBA at a top business school and then trying to be an IB associate. It's going to be tricky to break in as an analyst though since most banks tend to select from their internship class through structured undergrad recruiting. You can try networking with boutiques and smaller MM firms to see if there's a possibility for a FT role. Be able to explain your situation and their objections and know your technicals cold. If they think you're a good option, you may have a chance. Remember it only takes one. Good luck!
I’m going to be brutally honest here and I think it’s time for you to be honest with yourself.
I’m going to assume that you’re a smart guy... so what is the excuse for the low GPA? If it’s not lack of intelligence it has to be lack of drive or grit (you haven’t really mentioned anything else, so forgive me if there is). The biggest problem that you’re going to overcome is that you’re not willing to put in the time. With the exception of a few things in life, hard work can overcome the lack of intelligence. It seems that there are also rare cases in life where raw intelligence can overcome the sheer lack of work ethic.
I say all of this to say.... let’s kick it into over drive brother. Admit that you slacked off and do everything you can to show everyone from here on out that you’re gonna grind harder than anyone else. Network your tail off and own your mistakes. You can do it!
Hey man thanks for your response. I’d say that there was a combination of slacking off and just me doing a major I had no interest in. My transcript shows that in my last year everything clicked a lot better and my senior year gpa was a 3.65 with improvement in every quarter. I’ll definitely keep grinding and try to land that IB job haha
Definitely, and I think you sort of proved my point. If it was life and death, could you have gotten a 4.0? Who knows..... but I can say for a fact you would’ve tried a lot harder.
Just be honest with yourself about what motivates you. Because at the end of the day.... I doubt you have a huge interest in making sure that logos are aligned on a slide down to the 1/100th of an inch. I think it’s a lot easier to get through tough things in life if you have a reason for doing so. Not something general either. The most successful people I have ever met had some sort of plan. Maybe they didn’t follow it at the end of the day, but they certainly weren’t wandering and hoping to happen into their dream gig.
Best of luck!
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