Urgent - Top Tier M&A shop offer worries
Basically, just got an offer from a Top Tier M&A shop. Did great on the interview (very technical), and hit it off w the people well. However, my GPA is left off of my resume and was never asked. I graduated with a 2.4, will this be a problem? I have not been dishonest about ANYTHING, I did not include it because obviously, the GPA is horrendous. I did good work during my internships (non-banking), and once again-- just killed the interview.
Thanks guys.
You got the offer and nobody asked, should be fine. Congrats.
Dude. This is inspirational. Congratulations man!!
Have they asked for your transcripts during the application process? If they did, and as you said you didn't lie about your GPA, then you're good to go.
You must have networked like a mad man...good job, congratulations!
They didn't ask, you didn't include it, you got the position by omitting it, not lying about it. It's yours.
dayummnn. congrats... underdog +1
What's the base ?
Congrats! Where are you located?
Congratulations! Just enjoy - you have nothing to worry about
Congrats brah - you're fine. If they ask for it though, you can't lie about it. You got the offer so you should be good.
The B students end up working for the A students, while the C students end up running everything because they're out bullshitting with everyone and anyone. Listen, you got in the door honestly....if they didn't bring up GPA then they don't care, but all the same NEVER BRING IT UP. Now, absolutely CRUSH IT every day and you're golden.
Thanks guys, I guess I am still in shock that I this happened. Everybody spoke to about entering investment banking laughed in my face and told me I was wasting my time; and that I had no shot at doing IBD, let alone at a top place. They said I had an awful GPA, never did banking, never went to an ''elite'' school, and finally: I was not smart enough to do the work. I had poor grades because I was dealing with some rough personal times that are now over, not because I am lazy and/or incompetent.
It's a huge relief because my life for the past few months has been completely consumed by attending networking events, calling people and getting hung up on, rejected by job after job- I'm just glad it's all over.
I'm not comfortable sharing too much info online, but, I went to a ''pretty good'' school (top 20, not a traditional target), and will be working at a top boutique (think bx, evr, etc). Comp is street, and the location is NYC.
Thanks again guys for the response, this was my first ever post here despite being a member for a while.
Great story. Shit happens in life and it's nice to see someone being able to overcome it and come up on top. Curious if you're willing to share how you got the interview given the GPA barrier and the negative criticism you've gotten from speaking with others.
Well congrats to you for cockslapping the haters, brilliant success story. Now go get Certified status.
Congrats dude. I have a feeling you'll do better than anyone out there, as well.
Appreciate the kind words guys. Whenever I was asked my GPA early on during screenings, I was honest and the bankers were immediately turned off. However, when I was able to showcase my motivation/intelligence BEFORE that standard screening question was brought up, the GPA became irrelevant.
My advice would be to make yourself stand out in every way possible so GPA is the last thing that they think off, and if its brought up, always be honest. Most people will pass you over because of it, but if you really are that driven and bright, it's their loss.
I admit, in the back of mind I'm still worried that somebody will see my transcript and be like "what! we can't hire this guy!"...because a traditional low for banking is low 3s...not mid 2s. It's encouraging to hear that you guys feel differently though.
As a guy who broke in with a 2.5, a word of caution (with some ramblings): it's not that you have a "character" issue or that you're lazy so much as it's the whole applying yourself thing. I was a pretty darn good student in high school with pretty good SATs, but when I got to college, it's not so much that I "slacked" off but that I was preoccupied with depression, trying to find a career I was passionate about, trying to fit in, etc. So I was a smart kid and I broke into IB by destroying some IQ and general knowledge tests they gave me and by doing a great interview. But when it came to the work, I wasn't prepared mentally. That's not to say that I wasn't necessarily smart enough, but I wasn't mentally prepared to give 40 + hours a week to a mental pursuit when I had barely done 10 hours of real, actual work a week prior. I was not yet mentally disciplined to concentrate on sometimes uninteresting tasks for long periods of time. As a result, my initial year in the industry was a complete failure (I was able to salvage my life and career but there were difficult, desperate times).
My advice to you is to really apply yourself in this last semester and do what you can to get the best grades possible and not just celebrate and slack off because if you do continue to slack off you may find that you aren't mentally prepared to actually apply yourself to something you may not be fully passionate about (even for jobs we like, there are parts we hate about it). So unless you change some things over the coming months, you may find yourself in a bit of shock when you begin the daily grind.
^ Good post VT4er, very thoughtful. SB+
^^Great post Vtech4ever. I completely understand where you are coming from and I was in a similar situation not too long ago. I am glad everything worked out for you in the end. I would give an SB if I had any credits left.
People on this board always freak out about technicals, prestige, and other superficial representations of the working world. In reality many kids underestimate the emotional maturity and self-discipline needed to succeed in a career as demanding as banking. Chasing someone else's dream while ignoring your own strengths and weaknesses is a recipe for failure.
I would appreciate a look on your res
Ya'll need to also understand that there will be people who do well in school but not in the working environment, and vice versa. Of course, there's usually a correlation, but there'll be plenty of exceptions. I've seen ~3.0 kids who were better composed and just could figure things out quickly and make use of their tools (excel, databases, etc.), whereas I've also seen ~4.0 kids who got there by quietly and slowly doing all the work. In the working environment, especially one like banking, you'll see a bunch of ADD kids succeed because 1) they can function w/out sleep, 2) they can hyperfocus and apply themselves when they're motivated or when someone motivates them, and 3) they can do multiple things at once. But they can't focus on a semester-long course worth shit - and they suck at 9-to-5s.
Congrats!
Can we assume you got in through networking?
Yeah, networking everyday for months.
In my offer letter HR does specify that I include my transcript. Like I said, it was not on my resume and got the offer, so I take it there is no chance of them being like "OMG! WHAT!"...if any senior bankers on here could she'd some light I'd really appreciate it.
I know I'm probably being ridiculous, and paranoid, most people keep telling me just to enjoy my time till I start.
Either way I think you should carry on with life and enjoy your time.
Did you sign any contract with them? It doesn't look like you misled them which gives them grounds to dismiss you formally from a contract so I'd say you're fine imho.
edit: i'd imagine if HR had an issue with it they'd call the last few folks who interviewed you... who would vouch for you and protect their decision. if you shone enough to get the offer a GPA of 2.5 isn't fantastically bad for them to second guess. just not run-of-the-mill to see it happen
Damn, that sucks.
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