Quick question!

  1. Hypothetically speaking, say I graduate with a 3.0 or under that; will I be assed out in finding a job in finance?

  2. Will I be able to find a job with a BA/BS from a non targeted school?

13 Comments
 
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There will be people here that sugarcoat it but I'm gonna give it to you blunt. There is a reason they are called "success" stories, and that's because they overcame the odds to achieve their goal/beat some sort of obstacle.

You can find a job, sure, but it's not going to be investment banking or anything on this forum unless you are literally the most likable person on this planet that can persuade anybody, and if you can do that, don't work in finance; work in sales.

People from community colleges transferring to target schools have it hard enough, people from nontargets have it harder, and people with shitty GPAs from nontargets better have rich parents or they're not getting anywhere.

Hate to break it to you, if you want to work in New York or anywhere remotely prestigious you are bonefucked. You will have to work your way up for the next decade and probably have to get an MBA if you want a nice paying finance job.

 

Any GPA that does not have a "3" (or I guess a 4 lol) in front of it will be very detrimental to your search for a job. I graduated from a non-target with just south of a 3.4 and found my GPA to be a real application killer. Our non-target status (even though we were a top 25 school) meant no on campus recruiting, therefore getting any interviews was a major challenge. I can't even imagine how hard it would be with a 2-point-something. If you have OVER a 3.0, it will be tough but I wouldn't rule you out just yet. I know several kids with 3.0-3.2 who got IB/ER jobs. However, I don't know anyone who pulled it off with under a 3.0. If that is what you have, I would seriously consider looking in other fields, because IB is going to be near impossible. Sorry but I'm being honest. The first guy who commented had it right.

Dayman?
 

I haven’t switched majors yet, It was just a question. So where do people who fall under the 3.0 mark end up working at? I’m sure not everyone in finance wants to work in IB lol

 

I was unaware that you were even considering switching majors, since it doesnt say that anywhere. All my friends with gigs in Corporate Finance + Strategy, Consulting, IB, Research, S&T, and various investing positions at equity/debt investment funds all had above 3.0's to the best of my knowledge. I am really not sure where the people who end up under 3.0 go, with the exception of the rare outlier. I gonna try to break this down a little more to give some color on why a GPA that starts with a 2 can hurt. Buckle down:

Lets look at some of the areas of finance that WSO users tend to find less desirable. People on this site shit on audit and accounting a lot, and we even have that absolute unit of stupidity above who proudly displays his love for the field, making many of us dislike it even more. But on a real note, jobs like that, i.e. the acct/audit jobs at solid shops still will see a sub-3.0 as a major red flag, since they recruit from specific schools and target kids with higher grades there, even if it is at Bentley or Penn State instead of Wharton or Stern. This example applies to many areas of finance. Additionally, the big bad 2 will make it very difficult for you to work any sort of corporate or sales gig with a real reputable company (think fortune 1000). To give yourself a chance, I guess you'd have to look small cap or local.

There really is no single place that caters to kids with below a 3.0, because different areas of finance target different people. Someone who went to Stern but has a 2.8 will still look worse to KPMG Audit than someone went to Bentley and got a 3.4. It all depends on the audience you're trying to appeal to. You might think "regional boutique IB shops are the move" but remember that they are still very competitive and get dozens, if not hundreds of applications for single spots, surely from many bright students with above a 3. The top commercial banking and corporate banking roles are also more competitive than anyone would think, so the odds of getting a job like that would be slim. I would guess your best shots are in operations roles like fund admin or corporate actions. It'll be hard to find any form of job where you work on deals, research, investing, or strategy.

My only advice would be to try to break 3.0 (because while GPA cutoffs are disputed here, 3.0 is the bedrock line where GPA becomes a true killer). If you cannot break 3.0, you best have a really good story as to why or be a phenomenal networker and a complete saint in person. If you are switching majors to something finance related and are early in your college years, you can crush those classes and list Major GPA, which if it is good, can help mitigate cumulative. I'm not trying to be a dick, I'm just being realistic.

Dayman?
 

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