Role of UG GPA in MBA Internship Recruiting
Hey all, could anyone provide some insight into how much consideration employers give to one's undergrad GPA when it comes to MBA summer internship recruiting? I would imagine that recruiting and interviewing for MBA summer internships starts during one's first semester in b-school, and as such one wouldn't have any b-school grades or GPA to report to a prospective employer.
Reason I ask is, I feel that my UG GPA is subpar (3.4 Econ major from a top 25). I currently work for a Big Four firm, and am considering b-school to do a career switch into either IB or management consulting. I understand that prospective employers probably look at each applicant holistically (work exp., gmat score, ECs, and UG GPA).
It would seem pointless to incur tons of student debt to get into b-school, only to find that the top firms I want to work for won't look at me because of my UG GPA. I haven't taken the GMAT yet, and I know employers would take a high GMAT into consideration, but just wanted to get everyone's thoughts on this topic.
Short answer: No impact on recruiting if you're at a legit B-School.
Long answer: If you get into a good B-School then don't worry about your undergrad. The way I see it, if you yourself see yourself as more than just a grade point average then others will follow suit...rack up on your extracurriculars. Quit work a few months before you start your MBA and go travel (or do anything outside the box) and I bet you that that will play more of a positive role in your internship recruiting than your undergrad gpa and if it doesn't then maybe you're looking at the wrong employers.
From all that I've read, this should not affect you at all outside of the actual business school admissions process. Certain employers (I'm looking at you, MBB) will, however, ask for your GMAT score, so a low GMAT can follow you a bit.
Short answer: once you're in, you'll probably never have to worry about your undergrad GPA ever again.
(Also, a 3.4 isn't that low.)
EDIT: Take everything that I saw with a grain of salt. While I do plan to apply to a number of schools this fall, I haven't actually been through the process yet.
From my experience with IB recruiting only one BB asked for undergrad GPA and it didn't stop me from moving to the next round (mine was around yours). Some of the MM boutiques worried more about undergrad GPA and apparently had a high cutoff (like 3.7). But they weren't my target anyway.
Great news to hear, +1 for a good question/thread to bring up. Original and helpful, your GPA isn't that low, mine is LOW and hearing things like this are reassuring to someone who tests quite well.
Agreed with yeahright. OP's GPA isn't that bad at all. I'm sub 3.0 and got a little nervous when I initially saw this thread.
from my understanding as long as it's not REALLY bad it's not going to stop you from getting recruited at good firms... but you have to get into a good MBA program first which isn't gonna be easy with that gpa/work history unless you're a URM or whatever
To an extent, consulting firms still care about your undergrad GPA. If you leave your GPA off your resume (or if it's below ~3.5), you'll likely be asked to address/justify it during the interview.
Debitis nihil libero dolorum quos et. Harum voluptas velit quidem debitis repudiandae aut quisquam. Ab a ab harum et molestias modi. Est omnis labore quidem voluptas eum. Magni totam dolorem atque quidem aut tempora. Neque minima accusantium veritatis minima facere.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...