GPA

Thank God it's Friday... I hope everyone is doing well. Recently I've been wondering if (former) college athletes have a disadvantage in their application/interview process due to lower GPAs? In other words, does the amount of time required for a college sport compensate for a lower GPA (3.2) while trying to land a spot at a BB? Thanks in advance.

02 Oct 2020

So I had a first round interview for an IB role at BB bank and ended up getting a superday for next week. Here's the issue: my interviewer had asked me what my GPA was (i did not list it on resume) and for some reason, probably because I'm an idiot, i blurted out 3.45. In reality, my GPA was a 3.3. I understand how dumb this is, so please do not tell me how much of an idiot I am -I know already. How do I proceed if I'm asked in the superday about my GPA? It is not listed on my resume and it was not asked for on my application. What are the chances my first round interviewer forgot what I said

13 Oct 2020

I know it varies by banks, but what is a "good" or "impressive" Wharton undergrad GPA for elite boutiques/GS/MS or Bulge Bracket? Thanks!

10 Sep 2020

Hey all, I'm a rising junior at a top five undergraduate business school double majoring in finance and math in need of a lot of advice, guidance, and frankly encouragement. I'm going into a lot of debt in order to go to the school I currently attend, about 130k. I knew this when I accepted my admission offer. Despite the shit load of debt that I knew was in my future, I accepted my admission offer as I knew I wanted to live in NYC and pursue a career in finance. Given that I got into one of the best business schools in the country, I knew it gave me the best chance to make my dream a reality

29 Jun 2020

Hi all, I just finished taking a summer course and saw my final course grade on Canvas on Friday. I used one of those online GPA calculators to calculate my GPA and it told me I had a 3.55 and thus, I rounded my GPA to a 3.6 on the resume I submitted on an application over the weekend. However, the grade was officially put in this morning and I checked my transcript and it said my gpa is 3.545. Is this okay to round to a 3.6 or do I need to reach out to HR of this bank and change it for the future. This is really frustrating because I took this summer course thinking that if I get an A (which

22 Jun 2020

Hi guys, should I write in my CV that I was in the top 10% of the course? I have studied Engineering and have a GPA of 3.5, what do you think, will my CV look better with it? Or will the people think that I am dumb because I couldn't get into the first 5%? Thanks!

20 Aug 2020

Hey Everybody, I have a quick question about how to bring up GPA improvement in a networking call. I transferred to my target school with a 3.7 GPA, but my first semester at the target was pretty dismal with a sub 3.0 due to some personal issues. Since that semester, I've maintained a 3.9 GPA. Should I bring this up only if they ask, or should I let the person know what happened. I think the added context may prevent me from getting rejected solely based on my GPA. Thanks in advance.

20 Aug 2020

I have heard mixed thoughts on this from senior people. Some seem to say they don't care about your GPA once you have interned at a firm/got the job...and it should not be included on your resume after you graduate...some say it should be included on your resume after you graduate? There is no requirement from the firm saying you need to list your GPA on your resume after you got the job. This probably isn't that big of a deal but once you graduate should you just take your GPA off your resume and just list your degree and honors / cum laude/honors/deans list/societies whatever applicable etc

03 Jun 2020

I know sometimes it's alright to pass/fail some courses, but if I am a freshman, should I do this with Accounting and Statistics II? This is in the wake of covid19. I am at a school which is not really a semi-target, but can get into some certain banks.

25 Mar 2020

Hi!!! I just had a question!! I was wondering so like my GPA was prob like a 3.7/3.8 when I recruited and got my SA position last year and now after senior year it has dropped like a lot like .4 to like 3.3-3.5 range and i'm wondering if it is okay to just keep my GPA when I got my SA gig on my resume instead of my new lower one when I upload and submit new resumes? I really want to keep it at that but would I get my offer rescinded if I do that or like is that okay? Bulge Bracket M&A IBD

13 May 2020

Hi all, I transferred undergraduate universities and am unsure what GPA I should use on my resume. The transfer was mostly lateral and mainly due to financial reasons as the institutions are relatively equivalent in their national ranking. However my new university is ranked slightly higher. My GPA from my new institution is a 3.75, while my Overall GPA from both institutions is a 3.61. My new university denotes my "cumulative GPA" as my the 3.75, as it only takes into consideration the classes I have taken at my new university. My question is what GPA should I include on my resume, or should

31 Jan 2020

Will firms ask about your undergrad GPA/transcript during the recruitment process from your 1st to 2nd job?? (Think between 2-3 years after graduation). If so how important is it in comparison to the recruitment for your 1st job/internship program??

26 Feb 2020

Fellow aspiring monkeys and experienced gorillas, I'm currently weighing the options on whether to pursue an MBA or a Master degree in order to break into Investment Banking (BB, EB, MM) and would like to hear your thoughts. I graduated in 2018 from a non-target on the east coast with a few finance internships (PE and IB) and a 3.6 GPA. Upon graduation I returned to my home country (developing country: not yet recognized as an emerging or frontier market) to work in a small (10 people) family owned government supplies business. I'm planning to give my GMATs soon in order to apply to the

12 Jan 2021

Hey! I was just wondering what the gpa cutoff for IB, consulting, hedge fund, private equity etc is. I've heard a lot of numbers being thrown around, mainly 3.5+ and 3.7+. I was wondering which number would be most accurate. I'm currently a freshman who's prolly ending the fall semester with a 3.8. A lot of upperclassmen that I talked to with offers from the top banks/firms/etc all had a 3.9+.

23 Dec 2020

Title does kind of explain it all, but essentially, I am a senior at an Ivy double majoring in Economics and History. I got COVID near the end of the semester and it knocked me out for a month+, including a lengthy hospital stay. My professors tried to be as accommodating as possible, and I passed, but my grades dropped so much that I will most likely graduate with a 3.4, maybe 3.5 if I do perfect next semester. In addition, I have a strong resume, athletics, good extracurriculars, etc. I will be working at a "top MM bank" after graduating, but I am wondering how that 3.4 will look to future

11 Dec 2020

Applying to top MBA programs Senior- I have some lower grades (B range) this semester due to getting COVID around midterms. My overall GPA is pretty solid but this semester would bring it down, and my school offers the ability to take classes P/F due to the pandemic. I have two elective classes with As but the other grades aren't great and would lower it. I'm worried if I took my major classes P/F but left a couple (the easy electives) as grades it will look more suspicious to admissions than just pass failing everything. Would it be better to just pass/fail the entire semester and then note

09 Dec 2020

I usually write my GPA with two decimal points, but I was talking to a junior analyst at a top BB (think GS, MS, JPM) who told me its industry standard to round it to 1. As this next semester finishes, it looks like my GPA is going to be 3.846. Is this fine to round up to 3.9, or could I get dinged for it? I've seen online that you can round up to 0.09 depending on where your GPA falls, but doing anything more than 0.05 seems a little bit questionable to me. I know the difference between 3.846 and 3.9 isn't massive, but I'd like to put my best foot forward with recruiting.

09 Nov 2019

Hey WSO, I wanted to ask a quick question about including my GPA or Average on my resume. My school uses an average system and if I want to get my GPA I would have to convert it. My GPA comes to 85-86%, but since I had a few marks which were pretty low, it pulls my GPA down a lot to a 3.6-3.7. Do you think I should just put my average on my resume? Or should I include my GPA as well. I think an 85-86/100 looks better than a 3.6-3.7/100 on a resume. Thoughts? Thank you

07 Dec 2020

I am a junior @ a target and have accepted a summer analyst offer at a BB in the U.S. I did not include my GPA on my application or resume. To be frank, I have a bad GPA. You can shit on me, but I don't care (I've learned and have improved). I don't want to get into why I have bad grades. No one throughout the entire recruiting process asked about my GPA, and I did very well in my interviews. I know that I will have to do pre-employment processing and a background check before the summer. There was never any mention of "transcripts" by the firm. I am very concerned that they will ask for my

03 Dec 2020

I just recently finished my freshman year with just above a 3.7 GPA at a target school and I want to double major in either Math and Economics OR Math and Philosophy (and maybe add a minor if I have time). I'm also involved in 4 organizations on campus, and I'm on a committee for 3 of them. 3 of the orgs are also business related. As I'm going into my sophomore year, I'm curious what exactly I need to do to make myself stand out to most banks and have a shot at the top ones. I'm currently doing a financial services internship so I'm getting experience but I'm also debating if I should take a

24 Jun 2019

I go to a large public semi-target and I've noticed a very wide gap between the banks that people from my school with a 3.9 end up at for SA gigs vs those with a 3.8, and and even larger rift between those people and the ones with a 3.7. I'm wondering if this is more of a correlation vs causation thing (people with 3.9 tend to have stronger profiles all around) or if some of the more competitive banks literally jsut throw out your resume if you have below a 3.8 or something. Some follow up questions related to this: I currently have a high 3.8 but after this semester (I'm a sophomore) it'll

26 Nov 2020

I am a recent high school graduate from Germany. My ultimate goal to work in the US.I already lived there for 2 years and studied at a private school (GPA 3.7). Unfortunately I had to move back and finish my degree in Germany. Due to me missing 2 years of german school and my bad oral grades I was only able to get a 3.1 GPA. Now my question is, do I have a chance to get accepted into US target or semi-target school, if I got a good SAT score or am I better off applying for an undergrad at one of the european schools (Mannheim, RSM, FS, St. Gallen, Bocconi) and then later slowly transitioning

18 Nov 2020

Hey guys, undergraduate about to graduate literally this month. I go to a non-target state school in NY and will start at a Big 4 TAS line this coming September. I will graduate with a 3.49 but my school has a line of a 3.50 to get a "cum laude" designation. I can spend 1-2k on two courses over the summer for easy As to boost it over the 3.50 line. My question is is it even worth the trouble to go through with this? I am torn by the fact that "cum laude" will seem as a big indicator of "intelligence" for the first 3-5 years I'm trying to network and get MM/Boutique IB/PE jobs from TAS, but I

08 May 2020

Hey everyone, I've been doing solidly in my math class this semester (routinely a bit above the median, which has been about a C+). I'm a third year, 3.9 GPA math major with a BB SA job for next summer, and I hope to get my MBA after IB->PE. My professor just dropped a bomb on everyone and said the final grade average for the class will be about a B- (2.7 GPA). This is wayyyy below the curve for every other math class I've taken (6 so far). I've never gotten a B in any of my math classes, but this is an absurdly low class avg, well below the GPA average for my school (which doesn't even have

13 Nov 2020

How far along in your career is it appropriate to remove your GPA from your resume? Asking specifically about moving between PE firms after 2-3 years of experience (so ~5-6 years after undergrad), or perhaps when applying post-MBA? Thanks

08 May 2019

In my country the grading system is different, and we don't measure GPA with the 4.0 scale On my Uni website, they automatically round my GPA from 27.6/30 to 28/30, so that it is legitimate to put 28/30 on my CV. Should I convert my GPA to the US and UK grading scale? If yes, should I convert the rounded number or the 27.6? In any case, when does this rounding and conversion stuff become a problem for recruiters in background or transcript checks? Thanks a lot in advance

13 Apr 2020

As an Econ/Math double major at a university with a target business school, what GPA do I need to get interviews at the elite bulge brackets like Goldman and boutiques like Evercore? I just finished up my freshman year with a 3.74 and I'm involved in 3 orgs on campus (1 finance related and 2 that are not). Would pushing for a higher GPA (3.8 overall) in the semester before recruitment begins really going to help me that much?

03 May 2019

I'm at a target but due to some family deaths and distractions, I messed up my freshman year. Is it okay if I just list my post-freshman year GPA (3.64) and omit my cumulative (3.31)? If yes, should I just write Post-Freshman Year GPA 3.64 or GPA (Post-Freshman Year) 3.64 or whatever?

11 Jun 2019

So I have a 3.3 GPA. If I do not include my GPA on my resume, would recruiters assume it was even worse or would they not be turned off by actually seeing it?

31 Jul 2018

Hey guys, I'm currently going into 3rd year at a nontarget Canadian university studying Finance (my school is mostly known for our accounting program & consulting exit ops). I hadn't really known what I wanted to do till this summer but want to get into IB now. Background: - My GPA is not competitive : currently sits at 3.1ish due to me working during the school year and partying a little too much. - Work experience : I've worked in a customer relations roles this past school year (hotel front desk) and at a financial services firm (don't really know how to describe it - sell insurance

02 Sep 2018

Hey everyone! I am a current sophomore at a non-Ivy target B-school in the Midwest (think Michigan, IU, ND etc) and am curious about how my GPA will affect my recruiting in the Fall. I currently have a 3.47 GPA but will have a 3.5+ and am majoring in Finance. I have recently become interested in Private Debt/Credit Funds in Chicago (like Maranon, Madison Capital Funding, Deerpath etc) and want to know how my GPA will affect me, since it is not above 3.7. I have strong club and leadership experience so far at school, have even started a couple projects/initiatives, and have a good LMM IB

05 Feb 2019

I just finished an internship at a BB and received a FT offer. During recruitment, I had my major GPA listed on my resume (which I calculated at ~3.4) however my cumulative is a 2.9 (got hurt on a religion course and an economics course). I didn't think I'd get the internship but I did, and they never asked for my transcript though I signed a contract giving them the right to confirm my education. Now I got the FT offer with a year left of school, and am sure as a bulge bracket they'll ask for my official transcript upon graduation. I'm nervous considering they'll see the 2.9. Also, if it

18 Aug 2018

Hi monkeys, I'm going to enroll in a M7 MBA program (CBS/Kellogg/Sloan/Booth) next August. My post-MBA goal is to join a BB bank as an investment banking associate and I think the best solution is through a summer associate internship. The problem, though, is that I had a very bad-looking undergrad GPA (roughly 2.7/4.0) although my ranking is fair (roughly 60% in my class). But frankly, the GPA number is EIGHT years ago. My question is, will my undergrad GPA from eight years ago affect my post-MBA Investment Banking recruitment? If so, how can I remedy that? I don't think I can have any MBA

27 Dec 2017

Hey all, Looking for some advice on best next steps. I am currently in the process of interviewing for an off-cycle internship (during the Spring) that is semi-related to finance (they do modeling, and my role would be as a consultant). I have one concern though. My GPA is currently a 3.63, and by the end of this semester it will hopefully be edging into the 3.65+ range. If I were to take next semester off, I would obviously be stuck with that GPA (slightly below a 3.7) for Junior SA recruiting. So my questions boils down to this: would it be more worthwhile to not take the semester off and

27 Nov 2017

Be straight with me guys, regarding SUMMER ANALYST POSITIONS IN NYC OFFICES: -Do background checks actually have access to and check GPA? Doesn't FERPA prevent any sort of request from seeing personal info i.e. GPA? Aren't these checks just to comfirm enrollment and graduation year? -BB people, does HR ask for unofficial or official transcript? Edit: state your BB or at least one that it is not Edit 2: I have the minimum GPA, I just inflated a bit

03 Apr 2018

I've seen one or two discussions on this topic but I think each situation is a bit nuanced, so I'd appreciate any feedback. I am considering whether to continue with pursuing a second major, realizing that it will likely negatively impact my GPA. My options are a single major with one or two minors and a ~3.95 GPA or two majors with a ~3.85-3.90 GPA. I realize that this difference is pretty marginal, but I go to a total non-target, so my I would expect my GPA to play a fairly significant role in my possible business school applications. I am not set on moving to the buy-side or going to b

25 Apr 2018

I got the offer with my transcript that looked good without the last semester when the hiring was conducted. But I am having a huge trouble with one 1-credit technical class and it's not required so it won't affect graduation. I think I am gonna fail that one as the duration of the course is only 1/3 of the semester and I can barely save it with only days remaining. The firm only mentioned they wanted a GPA higher than 3.5 (I will try to make it as the F is just 1 credit). Will they take back my offer and should I start looking for other jobs?

30 Oct 2017

Hi guys, I go to a school that is ranked 45-40. I have had two real estate internships and I want to break into banking. I went from a 2.87 gpa for my first 2 years to 3.27 gpa that I round to a 3.3 on my resume. I am not qualified enough for an analyst position realistically, even though I am very knowledgeable about financial markets, corporate finance, and financial products. I'm trying to find a job that I could have at a bank for 1-1.5 years and work on my cfa to pivot to an analyst role in NY. Also, I have a strong personal connection with a pretty high up employee at a particular bank

25 Mar 2018

I have a 4.0 in computer science and mathematics from a top 20 school. Pretty much every bank I have applied to has rejected me. What kinds of internships can I still apply for that will get me a decent shot at a BB next summer?

31 Dec 2018

Hi all, I am looking forward to get an MBA soon and I would like to get some "reality check" for my chances at top 20 MBAs with 5 years work experience, as my undergrad was a sad story. Nationality: 100% Thai Final undergrad GPA: 3.13, Engineering, 2-3 D+ and 2-3 C in quant subjects ( first year calculus I, II, so bad :( ), upward trend, last semester 4.00 (awarded academic excellence in senior year), 1st rank undergrad school in Thailand both in overall rank and engineering rank. Got some scholarships in high school and undergrad. Other certificate: Coursera Wharton's Business Fundation

19 Jun 2017

Hi I am an undergraduate at Boston University. My major is Economics & Mathematics with a minor in Finance. I am hoping to get into the BA/MA program in Economics and graduate with a masters degree in Economics along with my undergraduate degree in Economics and Mathematics. I will be applying for Investment Banking Internships at BBBs and Boutiques this summer for an internship in Summer 2020. What are my chances if I have a GPA between 3.50 and 3.60? Thank you very much for your help!

24 Dec 2018

Do background checkers or HR have access to GPA data? A friend of mine was being recruited for FT in IB and put his last year GPA (3.8) instead of his cGPA (3.4). Is this grounds for them to rescind the offer?

21 Jan 2017

I recently got the chance to speak with a VP at a BB, and one question that I asked was the minimum GPA that would be required for either a FT or SA role in S&T. He told me that if a candidate had somewhere in the 3.2/3.3 range, they would be fine. However, earlier this year, I spoke with the head of global markets at another full-service investment bank (think Nomura), and he said candidates hoping for real consideration should have above a 3.5 and even up to 3.7. In the past, I had thought that the baseline for real consideration was 3.5. I'm curious to see what other people think about this

25 Jul 2018

Upon graduating, I finished with a 3.71/4.00 CGPA. Is 2 decimal places too long? Or should I make it simple and round down to 3.7? Not sure if this would hurt me in any way (or it just doesn't matter). Any advice would be appreciated.

16 May 2019

Chance me for Equity Research / IB? -Target School -GPA 3.5; SAT 2330 -Some connections to Goldman and JP but I have no idea how to leverage them -White male (but technically hispanic although it has literally never factored into my life; should I put this?) -Co-founder and head of alumni relations at finance club -Captain of non-varsity but club team -Good ECs; work as an Econ Tutor; won certain writing awards (if this matters) -Also took 3 classes at a decent state school in HS; GPA there was 3.83

28 May 2017

If I complete my undergraduate degree from a non-core state school (UT McCombs/IU Kelley/Michigan Ross) with a 3.7 but work at a tier 2 BB in one of the top groups (M&A/LevFin/Sponsors), what are my chances at landing a MF gig for PE recruitment? Assuming a good gmat score of 750+

28 Oct 2017

I have worked with a Big 4 firm for the past 2 years, and wanted to transition into bank analyst role. I know banks are strict about GPAs. I had an undergrad GPA: 3.55; wanted to see if I can round up to a 3.6? Do Banks ask experienced hires about their transcripts even after 2 years of being out of undergrad?

27 Jun 2017

I can graduate this year with a 3.87 GPA and a degree in economics or spend another year pursuing a Finance degree at a top 10 undergraduate business program. My ambition is to work in Investment Management and get into Wharton or HBS for my MBA someday. I desperately need help with this decision. Here are the facts to consider: 1) I'd stay at the same University, but a higher ranked program (UNC-CH) 2) The Finance Program offers a specialization in Investment Management 3) Tuition is not a factor 4) I don't have work experience in Investment Management or Finance 5) I've only held two

22 Sep 2017

I have 2 choices: - Go for an exchange program at National University of Singapore (top #15 uni according to QS). Pass or fail grades; doesn't affect GPA. I've been to Singapore a couple of times so it's not for fun or anything, purely to help my resume. OR - Stay back and finish the remaining credits. Redo some courses in the freshman year where I got a C in. I could choose "easy" electives to get As and potentially improve my GPA from 3.57 to 3.68... Which will have a bigger impact on my resume? I don't go to a top 30 school so anything would help.

14 Sep 2017

Alright everybody, I get it. I am an asshole. I am sorry. I am never doing this again. I lied about my GPA. BB is asking for a transcript. I have three options: 1: tell them I wrote my major GPA instead of my cumulative GPA by mistake (which is true) 2: fake transcript 3: send transcript in and hope they won't notice. 4: turn down the offer to save my reputation and stay on a good page with HR for the future. What do you think? i really feel guilty and I really want to work for them. Do you think it's a good idea if I just bluntly talk to HR about it, say it was a mistake. i am sorry...etc

24 Jan 2016