Rising Senior with Low low GPA.. Moves from here?

Hello,

Currently looking to see where I stand and how to proceed from here. Non-Target Big State School.

  1. 2.75 GPA (Horrible I know. Was ok ~3.2 and then mother passed). Currently taking Summer classes, should be able to get to 2.8/2.9 by the end of Summer. 3.0 hopefully at least by end of Fall Semester Senior year.

  2. 2250 SAT Score ... (Not sure if this even helps... but I think there is a shot it could counteract my GPA)
    -Should I take CFA Lvl 1 or GMAT just to show competence??

  3. 2 internships albeit BS..

    • 1 Boutique Wealth Management
    • 1 BB PWM
  4. Bunch of UNRELATED extracurriculars.. Coaching Youth Basketball, Leader of another club.. Part Time job at a
    Golf Club since I was 14

Now, I am not looking into IB/S&T as I am not a candidate for that.. but just out of curiosity.. what can I be looking at with this below average Resume?

Of course, with my GPA, any role would take a LOT of networking.

I'm currently looking into an Investment analyst at a Prudential/MetLife as that kind of role seems attainable and a path to more prestigious buyside within few years? Are there any better routes to get into AM with my situation?

Any outlooks, suggestions, advice would be greatly appreciated.

 
Best Response

Hey, I'm finishing up an internship in the investments arm of an insurance company similar to what you're aiming for. I know for a fact that it's not as trash as it may be depicted and it's definitely not easy to get in. I'm a 3.5 from semi-target (100s of alum on the street). Full time is 100% more competitive than internship. 7 interns for 1 - 2 full time spots. That being said, I know people at this company that lateralled from bo/mo to fo. They did the CFA, they showed passion and they worked hard. I highly doubt they had a sub 3 gpa. If I were you, I would start looking at masters programs, since you have a good story and it's completely understandable. Kill the GMAT or gre and write a killer essay.

Tldr: It's hard to get a front office job no matter where you go. If your stats suck beyond the min req, try resetting. Good luck

 

I would highly recommend that you start in private wealth management and try to get a more markets facing position rather than client facing position. Get your CFA level 1 then jump. And when you jump, don't include your gpa. Being good with people is something that doesn't show in your gpa, but it's arguably much more important. Focus on the end goal. And to mirror the other guy's comments, yea internship experience and work experience is exponentially more important. I had a 3.5 going for internships and I got only 2 interviews, but for full time after having the internship in investments on my resume, I've gotten 7 interviews for full time in 2 months.

 

From my job hunting experience, all that REALLY matters is having had an internship. Just remove GPA from resume and focus on your experiences.

Side note: How did you even get an internship with that GPA? Mine was better than yours and I didn't get even a single call back...

Hoping for hedge life.
 

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