#HighFinance #GPA #Sophomore #Desperate #TipsForSuccess
🎓 So, you’re feeling a bit desperate about your prospects in high finance with your 2.9 GPA and heading into your second semester of sophomore year? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Many students have been in your shoes and have still gone on to have successful careers in high finance. With the right mindset, determination, and some helpful tips, you can still make it in the world of high finance. Here are some tips to help you navigate these challenging circumstances and set yourself up for success.
## Don’t Panic, You’re Not “F*cked”
First and foremost, it’s important to remember that a GPA is not the sole determinant of your future success in high finance. While it is true that many top firms have GPA cut-offs, there are still plenty of other opportunities available to you. With the right skills, experience, and networking, you can still find a way to break into high finance.
## Tips for Success
### 1. Networking is Key
In high finance, who you know can often be just as important as what you know. Take advantage of networking opportunities at your school, in your community, and through online platforms like LinkedIn. Reach out to alumni, professors, and professionals in the field to gain insights, advice, and potential job leads.
### 2. Gain Experience Through Internships
While grades are important, real-world experience can often carry just as much weight, if not more, when it comes to breaking into high finance. Look for internships, part-time jobs, or volunteer opportunities in finance-related roles to build your resume and gain practical experience in the field.
### 3. Focus on Skill-building
Instead of fixating solely on your GPA, focus on building relevant skills that are valued in the world of high finance. This could include honing your analytical abilities, mastering financial modeling, developing proficiency in Excel and other financial software, and improving your communication and presentation skills.
### 4. Seek Out Mentorship
Having a mentor can be invaluable in providing guidance, support, and connections as you navigate your path into high finance. Seek out professionals in the industry who can offer mentorship and advice as you work towards your career goals.
### 5. Consider Professional Certifications
While a strong GPA can open doors, professional certifications like the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) or Certified Financial Planner (CFP) can help demonstrate your knowledge and commitment to a career in high finance. These certifications can also help offset a lower GPA and showcase your dedication to professional development.
### 6. Stay Persistent and Positive
Success in high finance often requires determination, resilience, and a positive attitude. Stay focused on your goals, work hard, and remain optimistic about your prospects, even in the face of challenges.
In Conclusion
While a 2.9 GPA may present its challenges, it certainly does not spell the end of your dreams of breaking into high finance. By focusing on building relevant skills, gaining experience, networking, and staying persistent, you can still find a pathway to success in the field. Don’t let your GPA define you, but rather let your passion, determination, and relentless pursuit of your goals pave the way to a successful career in high finance. Good luck!
Why do you have a 2.9?
Lmao I’ve been in this boat too, I would say since you’re GPA is not competitive at all you might want to look into F500 or industry internships, that’s what I did after getting hella rejections from fintech, banks, consulting, etc. w/ a 3.2 GPA Also, does Stern have an investment group that manages an endowment? That might boost your prospects a bit.
Absolutely, the emphasis on college performance early in a finance career is a real pressure cooker. But it’s interesting how that focus shifts from grades to professional experience as you progress.
Seeing fresh grads bagging $150k jobs straight out of college is mind-blowing. It really shows how much value is placed on potential and book smarts over the seasoned know-how of experienced pros. Personally, I’m shocked that grads are getting nearly double the salary of a seasoned veteran. I don’t think that’s good business.
But hey, if your GPA isn’t sky-high, it’s not the end of the world. The first few years might be tougher, but gaining real-world experience can make a huge difference
You’re in SREG? Me too! Nice tip on how to put in on my resume. I’m a member too. Senior. DM?
I was in a similar situation. You still have a chance, don’t worry. Do you have anything lined up for junior summer? Focus on that first. Get something on your resume for next summer because that will be key to your final internship before FT.
Then register to take any and all easy A classes that you can. Focus on studies the next few semesters like your life depends on it and bring the GPA up to atleast ~3.5 which is doable.
Get ok with the idea that your first job out of school might not be IB with BB IB, MF PE or an HF. There are tons of great jobs besides these too that pay well and will set you up nicely for your 2nd job/grad school – consulting, s&t, valuation/tas (ib adjacent services), maybe even middle or back office, etc. If you don’t end up in your desired job out of school, you could always lateral or go to grad school later.
Network with alumni at each and every one of these fields or ones that interest you. Start networking now. Network with alumni at BBs, MMs, boutiques, etc. With a decent GPA, networking will carry you much further.
I had a 2.8 from a top 15/20 college, ended up being the top ranked associate at an EB before going into PE, and now at a high level in F500 corp dev (only because i got tired of PE)
The MBA will likely be your next slingshot. But your ability to network will be key
For me, i did big 4 advisory for a year or two, but then moved to a startup, where i made myself indispensable and ended up having multiple jobs, not just finance (biz dev, project development). This made it so, instead of looking like a second-rate version of the kids who got IB roles, i was more seen as a career changer type, which I think was to my advantage during recruiting.
YMMV tho. Key here is how much independent research and prep you do — i wasnt a finance kid, but I knew all the same lingo and concepts from self-study. I fucking memorized the vault 500 lol
But i didnt get my EB job through the MBA recruiting channels. I got mine from good old fashioned networking. Took everyone i knew who was remotely connected to finance out for lunch, made sure to impress, eventually got referred to an EB that happened to need an offcycle associate.
Went in for one 8-hour day of interviews, then got asked to come in for ANOTHER 8-hour impromptu superday the very next day, as, while everyone who interviewed me was apparently impressed, those who didnt interview me were still skeptical given the non-traditional background. Crushed the second day
Was originally brought in on an extended stub year (Jan-Dec instead of Aug-Dec), but after crushing that year, i asked politely to be moved up a class (as if id skipped my stub year instead) and got promoted, after everyone i asked told me theyd never agree
But this was only possible because i went FUCKING HAM at work — made sure no one hustled more AND was more detail-oriented AND was more liked by the analysts than me (the last one is underrated but so key).
The jump to PE from post-MBA IB associate is another rare one to make, but the story was similar — research, hustle network, impress. Slipped into another offcycle opening
Anothing important thing here is i was outside NYC. I was in one of the cities most active in high finance in the tier just under NYC, but making the competition regional instead of national made things a lot easier. If id wanted to leverage my success to move to NYC, would’ve been easy — the NYC folks were already asking me if i wanted to transfer there lol
Again, my story is unique, so YMMV. I got incredibly lucky, and also sacrificed my body — 2 years later, and Ive only just lost the 50 lbs i gained during my 5 years in IB/PE. I did some real permanent damage to my body and mind for sure. I aged a decade and a half in those 5 years
But thats what i did. I hope my story is helpful to you in some way. AMA
[Aside: What is your major GPA? Was Calc part of your major? I started listing my major GPA instead of my full GPA on my resume and it helped a lot, though some did still ask for the full]
You have an incredible leg up on someone with a 2.9 gpa who goes to school anywhere outside of NYC. Just keep grinding to get above a 3 and try to go to NYU networking events. I have colleagues who regularly attend (major hedge fund)
I don’t mean this to sound personal or discouraging in any way, just clear. You’re at Stern, so you’re a smart guy and know this already. But if not, after 30 years this is how I frame it up…
You say you want to work in “high finance.” I’m assuming you mean MS, GS, Blackstone, or a top hedge fund.
These firms tell their clients they can be trusted, with billions of dollars, to make money for them. You make money in the financial markets when someone else loses money. You make money in IB when you have better analytics and pitches than someone else. You make money in PE when you buy/sell the right companies at the right multiples at the right times. **It is a competition.**
These companies hire people who have proven they can win in prior competitions – and at your stage, that is your academic record. A big bulge IB or successful hedge fund wants to hire intensely competitive and intensely competent people, because the job is intensely competitive and difficult. They are putting billions of dollars and their market reputation at risk with you (as part of the team), so they want people that have already proven they can succeed in the most challenging situations – such as being top 10% at a top 10 school competing against other super smart and ambitious students. There are so, so many people who want to work in “high finance” that they can be extremely selective, and they offer extremely high compensation and incentives to land the best.
To be frank, an average GPA, even a good GPA, is not competitive for a first-year role on the Street. There are too many people with 4.0 GPAs with great internships to choose from.
However, there are other paths in, as posters have pointed out. Start at a smaller boutique investment bank and become their top performer. Work for a regional bank in capital markets and become a top performer. Get an MBA and work at an MBB firm, and be their top performer. Work for an equities research firm, become their best analyst, then move a mid-tier hedge fund and repeat, then move to a top fund.
It **is possible** but remember it is always a competition. Build a winning record – if not in academics then in performance – to be the most attractive candidate.
You’re not desperate
If you were desperate, you wouldn’t have had a 2.9 GPA!
Hi Sternie! GPA isn’t great but I agree that internships would help mitigate it, don’t let it drop any further if you can. It’s harder to recover, but also, you’re not doomed lol you’ll be okay !
NYU does have student clubs that manage money (investment analysis group) that would give you some experience.
Also, you’re able to take the SIE now without sponsorship, (when I did it you used to have to be sponsored by a registered broker dealer after joining) and if you’re looking to get into finance you’ll need the licenses (series 7, 66) Having this pre-step done helps since it establishes your ability to pass the supplemental tests needed. Firms are usually taking a gamble that whomever they hire is going to pass within the first 120-150 days from employment.
Coffee chats help. Use the Stern network, reach out to people in the field who have jobs you want to learn about. Sternies look out for each other and you can find them on LinkedIn.
Good luck !
Unfortunately a 2.9 is going to be an auto reject for just about any IB job. If it’s really your dream, you can go in post MBA. I’d focus on finding an industry you’re passionate about and looking for a job there. For example, if your dream is to working in consumer covenants at banking, then get an F500 job at a consumer company. All that being said, you need to focus extremely hard on your GPA until graduation. Would do anything and everything to get that above a 3.5 for BSchool, ideally 3.6/3.7 but don’t know if that’s feasible
Transfer is ur best bet
Did you switched majors. I was originally a cs major.
NYU tho
Can you explain more about being “desperate to get into high finance”?
It sounds a bit cringe, like it’s the only thing that matters. What set that expectation? Why do you need to get into high finance only? What about other finance positions?
Just overall need more detail. This just sadly reads as paycheck paycheck paycheck paycheck without having any vision. Are you being pushed by tiktok or your social circle?
It’s been a while and maybe they’ve lowered reqs, but unless your family is insanely connected, most BBs and EBs have a hard line at 3.3. HR doesn’t even pass resumes below the line to bankers for consideration
You go to a good school, but have a bad GPA and no strong finance experience (school investment clubs or internships) so yes I’d say it’s going to be very difficult if not impossible. Your only real chance at this point is networking as much as possible to try and get an internship at a smaller boutique within the high finance space and going from there
As someone who works in PE and used to work in IB, failing first year calc is a big red flag. Business school calc courses are generally not very difficult
Hey fellow finance major here. I had a 2.4 gpa in school plus no internships. Well to tell you it didn’t change much McDonalds was alway hiring.
My freshman year I had around a 1.7-1.9. Graduated with a 3.65 that should’ve been a 3.8 if my professor would’ve had mercy on a final paper I handed in late because my dad was sick.
Switch schools.
When you jump from school to school your new schools GPA is all that will show on your transcripts. The old courses will just show as pass fail essentially. You’d retake calc at your new school so it should overshadow what you did before.
Just absolutely grind from here on out
You’re not fucked, rule number one of shit gpa is your resume sucks no matter what also you go to nyu but keep the gpa to yourself which is good you didn’t put it. Since you’re a sophomore go get internships, just get one of something you want to do but try to focus on skill based so programming could be something good, some kinda analyst experience, but regardless of what you get the more experience you get the less your gpa matters. Internships will be saving grace when you graduate, you can’t get a job after college without these(cause of your shit gpa) and DO NOT be a camp counselor, waiter, etc in the summer. The people that get the good jobs after college are the people that already did the work before college. Look at what you want to do and work towards that and not “high finance” ones it’s way easier to get the same exact job at a lesser known place then the ones you think but they might have a different description or job title. Okay end of rant
Gpa is meaningless once you get into the real world. Be outgoing, personable and just different from the heard. You’ll be fine. I’ve worked for a top 3 PE firm in NYC for a decade and I was no scholar – but work ethic was impeccable and the partners knew that within my first year. Career took off and benefited from the approach.
First things first….. you have to take the rest of your coursework seriously. You need 3.7-4.0 core GPA for high finance, since you’re probably only now starting your core finance classes you absolutely MUST nail those. I would also suggest getting involved in NYU investment clubs and network as hard as you can. You aren’t a lost cause, but you’re not getting an overall GPA above 3.4ish, even with all As the rest of the way. So best bet, get as close to that as possible, take difficult courses (derivative finance etc)…. And NAIL those grades. It’s time to get serious if this is actually your dream
You either have to network your ass off and hope someone likes you enough to give you an analyst gig, or work in industry, get your MBA, and lateral a few years down the road.
You’re in a tough spot. I work at an EB and summer 2024 internship candidates have already been selected, and we’re kicking summer 2025 recruiting right now. Don’t think my shop or any other reputable shop would even consider a 2.9GPA. There’s just too many people out there that want to work in high finance with really good backgrounds and high GPA’s.
That GPA is not helping you. You still have time to move the GPA up significantly if you aim for 4.0 across the board. You could take a few summer courses to tilt the averages in your favor. A BS in Finance is not rocket science so this is question of discipline and time.
IMHO, NYU has a massive presence on Wall Street, so you are in the driver’s seat. You have so many school resources, clubs, professors, and alumni to reach out to.
That said, the job market is brutal. You may be looking at mid-office roles, smaller banks, corporates, etc. If you can’t get the role you are looking for, think about a good alternative then good MBA. I don’t know if the MBA provides preferential admissions to undergrads.
If you are targeting corporate finance or M&A, consider taking more accounting classes.
I got into finance with a 3.1 gpa but I majored in hard physics, social extracurriculars, and a great interview. Also still not banking proper but support the industry
I’d focus on achieving a near 4.0 in your major and use electives and social sciences to boost your cumulative GPA.
Also, network, attend career fairs, etc. Work your way into an FP&A internship this summer…maybe Big 4 accounting if they bite (most of the IB/PE recruiting cycle is done and even those that are not only look at a minimum GPA of 3-3.5)
After this semester (while on your internship, make sure to continue to network) during the summer, layout your calendar for the IB recruiting cycle in the fall of 2024.
Assuming you were successful this semester with improving your GPA, you can make the case…and have a story to tell recruiters about how smart you are and how you can move through adversity.
Bro I grinded it out. Made it to MM IB SA and then FT > now in VC. Just crush the grades.
Get all As going forward and try to get internships. All As more important as your first job will be a major stepping stone on your career path.
Just retake a couple classes and do better going forward. Snag internships like there’s no tomorrow.
This sub is full of weirdos that don’t actually know what it’s like to work in the industry. And they love to talk crap on each other. It’s totally fixable at this point.
Wall Street firms aren’t going to care about your grade point average. They’re going to care about your internships and they’re going to care about your graduate school prestige. Campus recruiting is also a big thing. Also ageism is a thing so get in there fast.
Most of the sub is just a waste.
Irreparably fucked
You can get your gpa up to a 3.5 with 3 semesters of mostly straight As. Of course it depends on credits and other things, but I did it.