Study Abroad Fall Vs. Staying to Work on GPA and Network

So I'm currently a sophomore at a semi target (Gtown, Duke, Northwestern type) I have a finance and economics double major and a 3.4 GPA (not going to make excuses). I have a decent amount of experience in finance a PWM internship, economic strategy research, and Asset Management firm. I have an offer from a small boutique IB and a mid sized hedge fund for the summer. Overall the rest of my resume is solid as far as extracurricular activities, interests, and skills. My goal is to do a SA position with a BB or top boutique for summer 2016. My question is whether I am better served staying for fall 2015 to network (informational interviews, recruiting events, and possible NYC trip) and boost my GPA to ~ 3.55-3.7 range? How important is GPA considered for recruiting? Does studying abroad generally disadvantage someone for recruiting? And are there any things that one can do abroad to make up for physical lack of presence? I'd appreciate any advice from people who have either studied abroad or know of someone who has. Thanks.

4 Comments
 
Best Response

First off, you're thinking about going abroad with the right mindset. In short the answer is going abroad is disadvantageous during recruiting season. However, if you plan ahead and are diligent networking this spring, summer and while you're abroad it should not be a disadvantage. Alternatively, with investment banks interviewing earlier and earlier you could go abroad in spring 2016. Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, Jefferies, Guggenheim Partners and many more conducted a fair amount or all their interviews in November/December. I think Goldman finished most front office interviews by mid-December.

 

Non totam debitis natus beatae id sunt expedita. Necessitatibus in aperiam dolor qui quo eaque velit. Sint consequuntur dolore ea qui natus inventore ea. Velit laborum aut distinctio totam quidem occaecati cupiditate.

Consequatur ducimus architecto qui et eligendi beatae sint. Est earum ipsum magnam asperiores aut aspernatur. Consequatur voluptate quaerat cum amet voluptates ratione non.

Repellat tenetur molestias mollitia eum iusto. Qui dolor quia ratione nihil nostrum ratione.

Aperiam mollitia iure ut qui et. Amet sint reiciendis molestiae. Et laboriosam ullam quo tempore cupiditate officiis incidunt.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.3%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (44) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (78) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”