Sub-3.0 GPA at non-target, Decent internships and strong network. What should I do?
I'm currently a junior at one of top 10 liberal arts colleges, but which is non-target for banking. Most people end up going into academia or other non-business fields. While there are some successful alumni in banking/consulting, the reach seems to be just too limited.
As the title suggests, I have a sub 3.0 GPA and international student status (F-1). I would like to land a job in the states and wanted to ask you guys for some help. I do realize it's a massive uphill battle but I am willing to do whatsoever.
Gratefully though, I have a very strong network and decent internship experiences. I am wondering how much those will help, but it definitely makes me feel better.
So just to give you guys a brief walk through my resume...
-Junior year 2nd semester standing - took 2.5 years off for national service (air force) and internship
-Top 10 LAC, but non target for banking/consulting
-BA in Economics and Philosophy (some quantitative coursework in CS and math)
-CFA Lv. 3 Candiate (Took lv.1 and lv.2 by leveraging my military experience)
-International student from Asian country
-SAT: low 2300s (800 math for both SAT math and subject tests)
-Practice GMAT: 730-740 (haven’t taken one)
-Strong proficiency with excel, vba, SAS, bloomberg
-Fluent in 3 languages
Work experience:
- Intern at a PE firm in a developing country where I lived before - had 2 transactions experience – junior. summer
- Business development intern at tech start-up in Asia (series B) - soph. summer
- Equity research intern at a BB in my country (not GS/MS/JPM) – soph. off-cycle after service
- Intern at boutique MM IB in NYC - fresh. summer
Network:
Know couple MDs at BB pretty well but I don’t feel comfortable asking for their reference due to my GPA.
I also know a good number of analysts/associates in BB who can get me references.
Here are some options that I'm considering right now-----
1. Take another semester to raise my GPA (expected: 3.3~3.4), will be graduating in May instead of Dec
2. Apply to MSF or masters in management programs at reputable schools like Duke, UIllinois, Johns Hopkins, and USC to renew my GPA with graduate degree
3. Go to graduate school for quant stuff – statistics, data science, or CS
have taken couple CS and math courses. I know this ain’t easy but can handle it
4. Change my major
drop my majors and do CS
5. Transfer out of school
Drop out of school and go to community college and transfer somewhere later
Has anyone had a similar situation?
Any insights will be helpful. Thanks.
bumping this for you - also interested in an answer.
bumping this for you - also interested in an answer.
are you in a similar situation?
You should focus on networking. Find an alum who is high level in finance. Meet him/her for lunch or coffee. Try to find them on linkedin. Also, i know how it sounds but you should focus on getting work experience. It can be a boutique shop.
Thanks for your input but I think there is some miscommunication here. I actually do have a strong work experience and network. Would you mind looking at it again and provide some other advice? Thanks!
I would do option #1 and get that GPA up to ~3.3. Graduating in May would put you on track for the normal full time hiring cycle anyway. While you take your extra semester, use that time and your network to land a few interviews. Take the GMAT too, if you're going for IBD put that 730+ score on your resume. That should at least tell people your GPA doesn't tell the whole story...
That's just my opinion though but I think you have a lot going on for you. Your biggest challenge is being at a non-target and lack of OCR.
Thanks for your input.
What do you think about going to a year-long masters program at decent graduate school? Although I know my GPA is pretty crappy, my school has a great rep among graduate schools.
You need 1-2 years of post graduate experience. Your work experience is really good, but it sounds like you still need to work full-time to add to the internship exp.
Thanks for your prompt reply. I wonder what would be an ideal/best option I can currently choose from. I honestly haven't looked outside banking/consulting/start-up. What entry level jobs would you recommend?
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