<p>Hi guys, this will be my first post, I am a buddy of bearcats who is a longtime poster here. I have been browsing around and finally got my acts together to post. So first of all, HI EVERYONE!</p>
<p>Now, I am a sophomore at the University of Michigan majoring in Industrial and Operations Engineering. I slacked off freshman year and currently sitting at a dismal 3.24 gpa. I am working very hard this semester and am on track to bump it up to around 3.35-3.4. So assuming I successfully do it, I'll be at a 3.35-3.4 at the end of sophomore year. I am interested in consulting, Ibank and operations management (I dont want anything to do with engineering in my career, choosing U of M engineering over tepper was a huge mistake, right? I somehow thought the quantitative background could fasttrack myself to finance/management, stupid me).</p>
<p>Anyway, assuming things stay the same, I'll be applying for a full time job with 3.4 gpa Umich engineering degree at the beginning of my senior year. Assuming I have decent but not stellar experience and nothing really substantial in the business field.</p>
<p>What would my chance be of receiving an interview/offer from the top consulting firms(BCG, Mckinsey)? What would my chance be of receiving an interview/offer from the second tier(IBM, Accenture)? How bout regional/boutique consulting firms?</p>
<p>Same thing for ibanking, what would my chance be of receiving an interview/offer from the top banks (GS/MS/ML)? how bout the second tiers? How bout the regional, boutique trading firms?</p>
<p>and operations management, there arent like huge brand names and stuff..but do I have a chance of getting a sniff for those jobs (not operations process jobs at engineering places tho)</p>
<p>thanks a lot in advance, i realize it's a lot</p>
<p>Most top banking and consulting firms are very selective with regards to GPA. While a 3.4 is very respectable, I doubt that it will be enough to get you in the door at some of the firms you listed. However, I do think that you are well in range of any of the so called 2nd tier firms that you listed. Obviously, a 3.4 is not going to hand you the job - but if you have good interviewing skills and decent intern/co-op experience, I think that you are well in range of the firms you mentioned. I dont know anything about boutique firms so Ill let others comment about those I know that IBM, Accenture, and many Operations focused companies recruit IEs out of Purdue, so I assume its the same at Umich. I would say with Operations Management you are not going to be thrown into any kind of high ranking position to start with, so if you go that route you may very well end up working the line for a short time at least; (if you dont have experience in the daily business operations its hard to see how you would be a good mid-level Operations Manager). </p>
<p>However, I cant stress this enough - every person will have different outcomes because of their individual attributes. Many people on CC assume that GPA, school prestige, etc., are what makes or breaks a persons opportunities; this is not true. My brother had a 3.3ish GPA coming out of a regular state school and was recruited heavily by many companies. He eventually took a job for 75K in a great location with a great company - beating out kids with 4.0 GPAs that were class presidents, etc Many of the people he works with went to IVY type schools, but somehow he got the job just being an average(ish) kid. If employers see potential for leadership in you, then they are willing to let the other stuff slide many times.</p>
<p>But being afraid to post on CC might be the type of characteristic that keeps you out of the jobs you are talking about Just something to think about -</p>
<p>I think with your 3.4 GPA you’ll probably get an interview and usually GPA just gets your foot in the door. From there, it depends on how well you interview. I do know a person from Umich who got into accenture with a 3.2 GPA in engineering so it’s definitely not impossible. He was very personable and had good extracurriculars. And yeah, if you’re afraid to post on a forum like cc, I would wonder what kind of person you are in person (I would guess shy and introverted). If you are this type of person, consulting I would think would be difficult.</p>
<p>The number of undergraduates hired at McKinsey, BCG, Bain and a few other top firms in consulting is a very small number in comparison to the total number of graduates who submit resumes; therefore, the GPA cut off tends to be from very high to extremely high.</p>
<p>Also, at McKinsey, given the reduced targets this year and high availability of qualified candidates some practices have decided to interview undergrads who will also finish a masters in four years. McK is a bit extreme but the other firms will be pretty challenging to get into with your GPA.</p>
<p>If you maintain an interest in consulting not all is lost. You need to get a competitive job out of undergrad and perform well for two to three years and gain entrance to a top MBA program and apply with strong on-the-job performance, high GPA, GMAT and strong internship between first and second year.</p>