<p>Hi everyone, new poster here. I have a few questions, hopefully ill get some positive feedback. im currently going to be a senior and my major is economics, with a political science minor. my ambition after college is to do finance, and more specifically investment banking, maybe even wealth management. The only thing is that i have a low 3 gpa but have a solid resume with 2 good internships ( one being with merrill) and many social activities ( fraternity, economics honor society, and other extra curricular activities), and i speak 2 languages fluently.im also outgoing, social, and hard working, ( my low 3 gpa is cause of my first semester). So my question is that when i apply to the investment banks next year, do i realistically have a chance to get a summer analyst internship? ( which i would try to use to land a full time offer)</p>
<p>FO will probably be tough… where at Merrill? Assuming you’re at Rutgers its going to be very difficult, its not easy to break in with that GPA from targets.</p>
<p>i interned at the global wealth management department for 6 months.</p>
<p>WM isnt exactly front office experience. you will have a tough time break into ibanking from a nontarget with a poor gpa and no solid front office experience. that should not stop you from trying though … the odds are just against you.</p>
<p>yeah, sorry to say it but your odds of getting a front office job at a respectable investment bank are pretty close to zero</p>
<p>dont let that stop you from trying to prove us wrong though</p>
<p>would it be smarter for me to maybe apply to more boutique investment banks ( which i heard are easier to get), or maybe to the finance department of a major company, not just an investment bank?</p>
<p>^Yes, it would. Good luck!</p>
<p>I personally know low GPA success stories from semi/non target schools for DB, Credit Suisse, Barclays and HSBC…in most cases for City of London, not NY</p>
<p>Since BB (especially the top ones) pretty much just care about your GPA and previous work experience, your GPA would hurt you, and your activities (fraternity, economics honor society, and other extra curricular activities) most likely won’t help at all. So practically speaking, you should emphasize your internship experiences and should put them in the best possible light. It’s not impossible. Good luck.</p>
<p>but would my gpa (3.2-3.3)) even qualify me for an interview at all?</p>
<p>Many say that a lot of banks have GPA cutoffs… the most common number I’ve heard is 3.50 being the cutoff. That being said, you need to find a good template for your resume and make it stand out as much as possible, otherwise, the people looking at it aren’t going to give it too much thought.</p>
<p>If you can’t get into i-banking right now, focus on gaining solid work experience and then going back to school.</p>