Hi all,
I'm just wrapping up my freshman year at Penn, as a prospective mathematics major. I'm interested in working in IB/PE/HF, but I'm worried that I will be really hurt by my 1st semester GPA -- a 2.65. I know it's awful, but I have a pretty valid reason for it being so low (I had appendicitis and surgery a few days before exams). Not that I was getting a 4.0, but it definitely affected my grades.
Anyways, I'm doing much better this semester and should end up with a 3.5-3.7, but that will still give me a freshman year GPA of 3.0-3.16...still not very good at all. So I have a couple questions:
1) What should I do this summer to position myself for a decent internship next year which could help me get one of the major junior-year internships? I'm torn between taking an average job (bank teller, research assistant) and taking summer courses to help boost my GPA and clear some requirements.
2) It will take a few semesters to get my GPA up to the respectable 3.4+ level, if I continue to get 3.5-3.7. Will IB/PE/HF be understanding of the fact that my GPA is the result of one bad semester, or will this really hurt me when I try to get internships? I have really good SATs (and I know some banks want to see those), so I'm hoping they'll see I'm smart and a hard worker as long as they look past my first semester.
3) Is there any other advice that anyone can give me about trying to recover from my GPA situation? Anything I should say on resumes or cover letters about it?
4) Kind of unrelated...but would it be acceptable to list "poker" as an interest of mine on my resume? Or does that give off a negative impression of being a gambler?
Thanks a lot for putting up with these questions.
1) Take both summer sessions and take 2 classes each, get As 2) They won't care about the one semester of bad grades, since they will probably not look at your transcript, but they will care if your overall gpa is low 3) Look at 1 4) Not sure. It's a gamble that some people will probably like but not others. I'd personally not do it unless you have done something spectacular with poker.
All they're going to do is look at your cum/major GPA after 5 semesters (frosh/soph/1st semester junior). If by then your GPA in your major can be up in the 3.4+ range, you'll be fine. IBDs really like Ivy Leaguers, and like the kids who take difficult majors even more- stuff like math, engineering, etc.
Outside of improving your GPA, become an extracurricular hero. Do tons of volunteering, become an active in several clubs, if you're good with languages work on becoming fluent. These other skills can be strength points to talk about when you interview. GPA is extremely important, but you're a step ahead since you go to Penn, you take a difficult major, and you want to get your GPA up.
Thanks for the replies so far.
I was also wondering if I should include my SAT on my resume if not explicitly asked for (I've heard conflicting things). As for the extracurriculars, I really only have one but it takes up a lot of my time -- I'm a writer and night editor for the newspaper (about 15-20 hours a week) and will probably be an editor next year (40 hours a week). And I guess I should include the fact that I'm fluent in French on my resume.
Thanks again.
Considering that you are in the college, you better have over 3.5 by the end of next year. You are at a disadvantage compared to wharton kids (for sa this year, our firm turned down many wharton kids who had well over 3.5, and I know many other firms did as well because there was so much competition). Math is a good major, but it's not as good as econ:finance/accounting for ib. Extracurriculars isn't THAT important, just have a few clubs and positions - you have way too many and you'll get dinged.
As for SAT, put it if it's high, don't put it if it's low (unless asked).
I just realized that I forgot to ask if I should include a note explaining that my relatively low GPA is because of a poor first semester affected by appendicitis and surgery right before/during the exam period. Sorry for ressurrecting this.
Well I know at my uni you can retake classes. Would retaking the classes boost your GPA more than doing well from now on? B/C even if you got a C, I bet if you spoke with your dean he would be willing to grant you permission to retake the courses.
Yes, try replacing your grades by repeating the courses if you can.
I don't think I can retake the class and have the new grade replace the old one. And in any case, doing so would set me back in my major (because math is so structured).
Wow your case sounds so similar to mine.
I currently have a 3.38 cumulative... that 1st semester destroyed my GPA.
I do put my SAT scores on my resume, in the hope that it offsets my GPA (since many applications ask for the SAT score anyway)... I got a 2390/2400, and have heard different things about noting it. Do you guys think yes/no?
I love poker... I've won a substantial amount of money (nothing compared to a couple of my semi-pro/pro poker friends who've made between 100k and 500k), but don't list it on my resume. There IS a group, "SIG," or "Susquehanna International Group, LLP" that I think is based out of Pennsylvania that is finance-related and has contacted poker players about internships. They feel that the skills that make a good poker player also make a good S&T intern, I think.
Meh, that's me... I just thought it was odd that we kind of have similar questions.
-C
EDIT: I'm an economics major. I am still in the philosophy major as well, but am not sure if I'll be able to do both. Would it be more impressive at all to have a double major in econ/phil?
Have the SAT scores bc you need them to pass grade, not bc it'll necessarily make you stand out. I go to Wharton, and most of the people there have 1450+(on the old 1600 scale), and the people you'd compete with are the ones who have 1500 or 1550+(at which point the differences are really minute and no one cares)
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