I am an incoming freshman to the Kelley School of Business for fall 2020 and I just wanted to hear opinions and advice on getting a 4.0. I am looking to join the Investment Banking Workshop my sophomore year and I know it has gotten increasingly competitive over the years. Does anyone have advice on getting a 4.0 and getting into the workshop? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
I am an incoming sophomore and I know a lot of people applying to IBW and other competitive finance workshops. IBW is, and probably will always be, the most competitive workshop (IMW and Capital Markets are right after IBW) with over 150 applicants and only around 30-40 spots. The minimum GPA to even apply is a 3.60 I believe and most students who apply and get interviews have around a 3.80-4.00. I would say your best bet is to take challenging classes that will look good on your transcript so even if you get a B it looks better than getting an A+ in a joke class. For example, take A202 as a freshman instead of taking Bowling or some random SPEA online class. I would also suggest that you take F-255 and really form a connection with Haeberle because the runs IBW and the class will really help your decide whether you want to go towards IBW, Capital Markets, IMW, or Consulting. F-255 helped me decide that I didn’t want a career in investment banking, so although the class was boring as hell, it was helpful. I would also tell you to apply to the Knall Cohen Fund. I am in KC and half of the kids end up in IMW and the other half end up in IBW. I would say it is as challenging as getting into a workshop like IBW or IMW, so really set yourself up strategically. Pick interesting topics to discuss in your essay and if you make it to the interview round, you will have to pitch a stock, so pick something interesting and unique to your personal brand. Hope this helps! If you have any other questions, let me know!