So I keep seeing all of these threads that basically go along the lines of: "what GPA do I need to be successful" or "what is the minimum cutoff GPA at each firm?" so I figured I'd start a thread to cut through all the grey areas and just straight up ask people honestly what their undergrad GPA is/was. I'll start - currently sitting at a 3.87.
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3.1-ish? It doesn't matter after ten letters. I don't ask what the other guy got during his Ph.D. at Chicago.
About 3.7, both undergrad/grad.
3.3-3.5 seemed to be the cutoff for a lot of firms when I was applying to jobs.
3.1 in Electrical Engineering.
Class avg. was around 2.8 IIRC.
3.93
3.67. It's correctly said that it won't matter 5 years after graduation, but it does for the first 1-2 positions you take. When I used to review resumes in banking from my university, I would have a stack of 50+ submissions for internships so I would generally use a ~3.55-3.6 as a cutoff to slim things down unless someone was an athlete in which case I generally would give some additional points. Nothing crazy, but I might give a D1 athlete an extra 0.1-0.15 given their workload.
When recruiting into PE I remember almost every headhunter and firm asked for SATs and then after going to an MBA program, people asked me for my GMAT. Kind of silly stuff, but it does ultimately help narrow the pool.
This made me cringe a little. I had a 3.3 in undergrad, which is not great. But I also worked 3 days during the week, and took 5-6 classes a semester so I could finish on time without summer/winter sessions. The days where I had to work or study for extra hours, I really needed some time in the gym, shooting hoops or throwing around weights.
This is a privilege that I would ask, is it needed? You're talking about opposite types of work, where I would assume, one could play off the other. I guess a .1 boost isn't horrible, but, still seems a bit biased.
There are certainly other circumstances I'd consider and I only used the athlete as an example; maybe I should have been more explicit, but what it was meant to say is that I wasn't just immediately looking at GPA and skipping on. Although, for standard students A, B, and C who have average extra-curriculars with no stated special circumstances, the GPA served as an easy cut.
I am just trying to be honest. Is it the best method? Maybe not, but what is? The unfortunate reality at my firm at least was that the youngest analysts were typically chosen to do the first cut of resumes with an Associate taking a quick look. Of course if an MD knew someone they would also chime in (and their advice & recommendation were always taken). So when a bunch of 22 years olds are doing the picking and you know a VP/MD is more likely to raise a point of "why the hell am I meeting with this kid with the 3.2" you're less likely to stick your neck out for some you don't know. What's your risk vs. reward level. It's much safer to pick a bunch of 3.7+ kids to fall back on if they do all happen to crash hard in the interviews.
I know plenty of folks in your position and it's tough. You've got to hustle that much harder.
Similar to this... I was pure math + econometrics (a more difficult/math heavy version of economics) double degree/major and I got 3.4 as the cumulative GPA. The required units to graduate was 180 and I had 250+. Fwiw, I was a different major in my freshman year, changed to math in sophomore and added econometrics at the start of my junior year, so basically I finished 2 majors in 3 years and got a 3.4, not very high I know but given the fact I needed to take 6 classes a quarter (yes one of those UCs) and 3 math classes among them, I don't feel that bad that I only got a 3.4. I also worked an on-campus job and was taking leadership positions in ~2 clubs.
If you are a math major, you know it's crazy to take 6 classes 3 math in 1 quarter, and yes it's a quarter system so that made me crazier than I thought.
Also depends on country - In Scandinavia, for example, they will often ask for grades long after graduation. I've seen positions that require over 5 years of top experience, and where they still require "Excellent academic results", and request grade transcripts going all the way back to High-School (no joke).
Not saying that candidates will automatically get dinged if they don't, but Finance and Consulting firms here are borderline obsessed with recruiting a certain kind of overachievers. And many firms will use grades as a proxy for IQ tests, so they want a complete picture.
I'm asking about USA, not Scandinavia bro lol
As you say, it is VERY location dependent. I was dead last in my HS class (it was a very good school), and I am meeting with an AM professional who controls the equivalent of the GDP of Scandinavia tomorrow.
~3.9 It really only matters for your first few jobs, as noted above. Maybe the Magna/Summa designation carries some weight at smaller firms where your bio is listed on the website
Let me ask you this - do you think you'd still be where you are today if you had a 3.7?
Have done pretty well with a lower GPA
Tough to say. I'm not sure whether interviewers gave me the chance cause of my GPA versus something else on my resume. I'm sure I would have fared fine with a 3.7 though
Pretty low to be honest. It's something I've definitely gotten better at as I've gotten more mature and upped my game. Back at undergrad, each night out I probably attempted to get 5 or 6 girls, but only ever really managed 1 - and many nights 0 :( . So I guess my GPA would be around .1 or something like that. Congrats to all you sluggers out there!
EDIT: Wow, tough crowd here on this thread. Didn’t realize it was going to be so serious. I guess there’s a lot of undergrads seeking validation through their GPAs. So I’ll play along and break it down for y’all nice and simple like:
Yes, your GPA matters, usually the higher the better. Some firms have “cutoffs” because they need a mechanism to reduce the applicant pool. Such is life. Usually this cutoff is either a 3.5 or a 3.3 – so if you can be above these, great. But no, nobody cares if you got a 3.84 vs a 3.72 vs a 3.76. And your school and major matter more than your GPA. That’s why this thread and similar ones are so ridiculous. Me posting “I got a 3.62” is absolutely meaningless without context of what school I went to and what I studied. A 3.4 at a target is usually more impressive than a 3.9 at some state school. It’s about the context.
Yes, there are extra factors. If you played a varsity sport (at a D1 school, not at D2 or D3 lol), or somehow excelled elsewhere (academic competitions, music/art, whatever) this will give you a leg up and some wiggle on your GPA. If you are chill and people like you, that will also give you a leg up in interviews.
Finally, all firms have different recruiting criteria. But the basic gist is the same. Get good grades, show why you are a “winner”, and be tolerable to work with and you will be ok.
By GPA I'm guessing you mean Girls Per Attempt? lol
Law of large numbers.
"A 3.4 at a target is usually more impressive than a 3.9 at some state school."
Guess you're unfamiliar with grade inflation at Ivies. The craziest thing I've heard was from an old college buddy of mine a few years back. His brother goes to Berkeley (I think? Maybe something similar) where apparently you have the option to drop your first semester GPA. Man, wouldn't that be nice..
I checked the registrar website for Cal and I don't think that first semester GPA can be dropped. That being said, grade inflation at Ivies is real, and even at other targets such as Stanford, GPA is out of 4.3 (for A+).
3.0. Let's just say I had a lot of fun in college. Definitely no regrets because I turned out fine. Although I'm gonna have to kill the GMAT to get into T10 MBA
Nah just invade a county bro, I got into an MBA business schools">M7 with sub-3.0 UG, had some good work experience and the veteran status
Can you tell me more about this?. What are career opportunities like after an MBA without work experience in your industry?
Sub 3.0. Pretty trash. I'm not sure if it's ever hurt me or not - maybe my resume has been thrown out, but no one has ever brought it up or asked about it in an interview.
Oddly enough, my 3.8 graduate GPA almost was used against me. Company was worried I didn't have social skills.
Same here. I have a 3.8 just like you and literally that's the biggest concern people typically have. Also had an interviewer at a F500 tell me how he thinks kids with high GPAs are cheaters, so he's vary of people with high GPAs. Which is total bs if you ask me. Luckily I got the offers so it's all good now.
I think the biggest misconception with GPA is that after a certain level say like 3.5 it really doesn't matter because companies just care if you're good enough, not that you're necessarily the "best".
A 3.8 vs a 3.85 vs a 3.91 vs a 3.78 means absolutely nothing. But a 3.8 vs a 3.1 makes a big difference.
My undergraduate GPA is not on my resume because it is shit. My graduate GPA is on my resume because it is goo.d
CRE
Do you think your GPA hurt you when applying to MRE & MRED programs? Do you think with your sub 3 gpa you would've been admitted to USC?
No
Unsure, but I was admitted to Georgetown, Johns Hopkins, and others without question.
It was like 3.2 ish, did not do well in all classes outside my major (Science, Art). All A for major classes (Poli Sci/Econ). I was working 7 days a week to pay for everything so finished with no student debt, which is nice.
3.2 from target, at a top asset manager rn
No regrets, although had I not ended up here, probably would have some regrets
I was in the 3.2 - 3.3 range. But I played a sport and also worked (not during the season) to help keep my debt down.
My undergrad GPA was lower than the BAC on my DUI. Boom! And I turned out just fine professionally
So your GPA was below 1.0? There's schools that let you graduate with that?
I could drive flawlessly with one eye closed at a 1.0. Way North of that little cubbie.
3.7 GPA, which is a poor way to gauge anything about anyone. It’s the other stuff I did WHILE getting a 3.7 that made the difference.
Is this your second semester in college?
6th
3.35
Did you network into IB? Target school?
Semi-target. Networked my nuts off. Definitely some luck in there too. Tbh I never actually had a hard time landing interviews, even with a couple top notch places.
It matters to get internships and for your first job, and only if you are going for positions that are really competitive.... that is it. I had a 3.8 my Junior year and it dropped to a 3.47 by graduation because I started businesses (that failed) but it didnt matter because I already had good experience from my internships. For people that are worried about bad GPA's, if there are other life circumstances that created the bad GPA besides laziness or a lack of intelligence, there is no issue, you just need to be in a position to have a 5 minute lunch, coffee, interview, with anyone who has control over hiring/recommending you. Smart people can see intelligence and general positive/negative personality traits within 5 minutes.
TL/DR: talent never gets stuck anywhere, that is why they are talent
EDIT: Also, one thing my dad has told me (I am smart, but I am not a genius, my IQ is probably around 115, but I make up for it because I played a lot of chess growing up and given enough time I can really grasp things deeply) my Dad has always said it is not IQ alone but moderate intelligence combined with good character that creates the success he has witnessed in his peers.
Yes, average is 100, I did not take offense, i think 115 is 85th percentile, 120 is 90th percentile, 130 is 97th ... I guess I just like being able to recognize some people who are truly gifted and being able to listen to them, I am well aware of people below me, but the people who are higher than me, I have no way to comprehend how much higher than me they are. I like knowing where I stand because it helps me know when to shut up and listen. I think young people (i was guilty of this) assume they are the shit and old people just dont get it, but it was significant when I realized there are some older people in their 60's + who were smarter than me at my age and have used their intelligence to get to an exponentially higher place that I can try to leap frog from.
Yep I definitely learned this. Last I tested (a couple years ago) I was in the high 130s-low 140s, (I can't remember exactly) but not until I worked on my social skills and character did everything come together after college.
"Nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent" -Calvin Coolidge
.
I had a 3.5 Cut off for my work I believe is a 3.25
Mine was 3.64314159265358979323846264338327950288419716939937510582097494 - give or take...
Straight 3.0, now associate in IB
Pi.
Too low
https://media3.giphy.com/media/9Y5BbDSkSTiY8/giphy-downsized.gif" alt="sad face" />
My major GPA was a 3.7 but my overall GPA was like a 3.5 because I fucked around a lot freshman year.
3.80 / 4.00 GPA Economics major / Statistics minor Liberal arts non-target
I graduated with a 3.28 after taking 4 years off to play poker for a living. When I initially quit for poker which was first semester of sophomore year, my GPA was circa a 1.0 because I stopped going to class and didn't take finals that semester, but also didn't withdraw...really smart on my part.
2.48
I win! We're play golf right?... Right? Cries
I've posted my story before and am an anomaly. Don't follow what I did. Good grades are very important, if nothing more than to get the respect of your professors who will be your great first professional connection to the industry.
1.58 - It's great when you know people ;)
You literally had a 1.58? What job are you doing now?
A good job.
JK AM at a top 10 firm. Kush.
Are you using a different metric? I don't see how you can graduate with under a 2.0. I was on probation to be kicked being under 2.5..
3.2... sometimes got lucky since athlete
3.7 or 3.8 (rounded) when I was recruiting for banking as a sophomore, and 3.5 when I graduated college.
Lol this thread. 90% of high GPAs are the result of a bullshit major or a shit school. The other 10% are not posting on this thread, I promise. Lmao no wonder you all whine and quit banking.
Turns out I'd been lying/mistaken about my GPA all these years. I could have sworn it was a 3.5. It's actually a 3.4 haha. Goes to show how much anyone's ever cared. Never been questioned about it, even when my transcripts have been requested.
2.5ish, finance major from a non-target. Anything is possible.
FWIW - I knew an MD and left my GPA off my resume and it never came up in the interview.
~3.8 undergrad (acct) / 4.0 grad (finc) - large state uni
4.0, 1 semester left after this one. Going to lose it this semester I've fucked up hard already
But the average GPA for a business major at my school is a 3.5 so my 4.0 means nothing
Then what's the point of working hard for that 4.0 if it means nothing?
2.97. Never came up in interviews and I just left BO at an AM for a commodity trading job at a large Ag company.
Can i get a comp estimate on the position in your switch? Always been curious about comps at commodity shops
Expecting ~$68K all in. I live in the midwest for reference.
3.0 in engineering. never wrote it on the resume. engineering classes were curved to C
2.8, somehow pulled off a PE internship in undergrad and said f*** this
I prefer the 35-40 hr work weeks - better suits my work ethic considering I got a 2.8
What kind of job do you have now? Are you enjoying it?
FP&A at regional beverage company.
Obviously we have our busy times of the year, but for the most part if you are proactive with your work you'll never have to work more than 40.
I can get in 9 holes everyday after work in the summer.
2.4, Economics, non-target
What kind of career are you working now?
FO Struc Fin
2.0
2.1, graduated with a Bio major and chem minor I was not passionate about but gave into demands of overbearing parents who wanted me to be in the field since they had connections. Lacked the spine to speak out and tell them to get lost, was depressed, took bad grades in upper-level sciences, and was very miserable in college.
The weird part is I have A's in the only finance, marketing, advertising, and non-science classes I took but my grades in the life sciences were trash.
Tried to propose to my parents the benefits of letting me study finance after I failed O Chem 1 but you can't reason with hard-heads and imbeciles, they reasoned a 2.0 life science major is better than a 4.0 in finance because of the 2008 economic crash.
Took a while but told parents to fuck off, now I work in sales and make a decent salary (not IB level though).
So what college gave me in terms of academic scar, it helped me in terms of growing from a boy a slave to selfish irrational narcissists he had to call parents to a grown man who lives life how he wants.
Unfortunately, a top 10 MBA is out of the question though and so is a career in high finance but that's life :'(
///
I wish I would have majored in Finance, Accounting, or a more business-oriented major. The life sciences are pretty damn useless for life and are often full of overcompensating nerds, children of immigrants or conservative people push into it by parents, and the very few people who actually do want to make an impact on the world. The knowledge itself is worthless for the real world.
With finance, business, or accounting at least I could have applied that knowledge to adulthood. Love my life now though.
Worst part about a low GPA is spending the first 5 years of your career rationalizing what went wrong, living and dwelling on past mistakes that you cannot change. It's this that derails people more than the GPA itself.
Take a part-time courseload and get As so you have an alternate transcript as proof to others - and yourself, that you've moved on. And then do just that. Move. On.
You're right, it sucks that it matters a lot but I feel like some out there are understanding. Luckily I am not in high finance so GPA barely means as much.
3.79. Have always been annoyed it ended up barely below a 3.80. It’s like a 3.794 or something. Ugh. I blame studying abroad.
Just round that bad boy up man. People round up 3.45 to 3.5
As somebody frequently on the other side, if a person writes 3.5 I assume it's a 3.45, not a 3.49. Because if you had a 3.51-3.54, you would never round to a 3.5 Like at a certain point I guess it doesn't matter that much, but when people are close to the GPA cutoff for example, IMO it can make a difference.
3.9 self-reported magma cum lawdie
My nickname in college is the GPA booster.
I always help women cum laude - if you know what I mean.
word ![https://icdn2.digitaltrends.com/image/ps2-6-720x720.jpg][https://icdn2…]
2.1 overall. A little better in major. Needless to say, I had a very slow start. It got better. Best comp year was $1.15M. Might exceed it this year depending on equity payout.
how old are you making 1.5mm comp?
If you don't mine me asking, what are you doing now? Trying to light little fires of hope for all the other suboptimal GPA stragglers...
I didn't start in finance until my early 50's
Hit a million comp after 5 years in my mid 50's
Now working at a Silicon Valley start up. Have enough in the bank to retire, though
Don't get me wrong... Starting a career was hard with the low GPA. I had to talk myself into grad school and early jobs. I got some breaks and found a great mentor who believed in me.
I guess your Grizzled name really is accurate. It's nice to see older posters here, I often forget that not everyone is young like me.
GPA was like 2.9 (3.6 major in RE) from a state school, I work at a top CRE Brokerage firm on the west coast. Wasn't ever asked about GPA, everyone just assumed it was really high since I knew my stuff.
How did you learn your stuff if not in school?
I mean, I got a 3.6 in my major, I basically just got C's in everything else (Gen Eds).
3.88 undergrad.
Less important in b-school (to a degree), especially if you're in a program that doesn't disclose GPA to most firms (some companies may have a special arrangement with the school to still have access though).
Graduated thank you laude with a 2.7 at a non-target with an economics degree. Finessed my way into my MSF program & through the MSF program for a 3.6 gpa. Am now in Big4 M&A. Am looking to lateral into IBD.
What's your comp in big4 m&a?
Comp is close to $65k in a Tier-2 city: Charlotte/ATL/DC, etc. But the Big4 brand easily adds $25k intangibly.
4.0, state school, business This was my main selling point, I was just mildly involved in extracurriculars so this was my primary focus
3.9 at an HYP (current junior, econ major, non-athlete, no job, but heavily involved in my fraternity). Going to an MBB in NY for the summer (tryna get free b-school)
"Heavily involved in my fraternity," he said.
3.96 undergrad plus a D1 athlete, and still can't seem to get an IB interview
Sub 3.5. Fortunately I ended up at a great place, but that was due to luck + networking. If I hadn't ended up here, I 'd be cursing my laziness that I didn't try harder in undergrad. Hindsight's 20/20
Remember that there are multimillionaires (like 9 figure millionaires) that went to DeVry. I met one of them. College brand means little when your are special. If you have the it factor you can get anywhere.
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