Weird GPA/Test Score Situation - Do I Include my GPA?
I'm a rising sophomore at a target school with a pretty shitty GPA - just a 2.8 after freshman year. Right now I'm applying to intern positions for the summer of 2017.
Here's are the caveats - why I think my poor GPA may be overlooked.
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I'm currently on a very quantitative Math/Physics/CS track at a school that's fairly prestigious, but also known for having difficult STEM programs and massive grade deflation (MIT, Cornell, UChicago, Caltech, Duke). I'm planning on double majoring in Math and Physics with a minor or a concentration in CS. I'm hoping the heavy emphasis on hard science will mitigate the effects of a shitty GPA. (Stupidly, I took very few easy classes my first two semesters, fulfilling none of my breadth requirements. Instead I've been taking advanced classes related to my 3 possible major tracks.)
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My test scores in high school, however irrelevant they might be at this stage of college, were all stellar. I scored a perfect 2400 on the SAT, perfect 800's on the Math II and Physics sections, and got perfect scores (5's) on all the AP tests I took - roughly 11-12 of them, mostly quantitative - Calc AB, BC, Physics B and C (E&M + Mechanics), English Literature and Language, etc. I'm sort of reluctant to put these scores on because I'm no longer a freshman, but I feel like my poor GPA necessitates this.
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I somehow landed a fairly prestigious internship this summer in Chicago at a reasonably reputable Asset Management firm ($15+ billion AUM, but reasonably small employees-wise). I'm currently working there.
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I was diagnosed with ADHD early this summer by a neurologist. Ever since I've been on medication, my productivity has skyrocketed. I feel vastly smarter all the time, which I hope translates to a very real possibility of greatly improving on the GPA next year.
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All my extracurriculars are finance based. I'm in fairly high positions in 2-3 reputable finance/hedge fund/business clubs at school. Reputable meaning they have low acceptance rates and have sent many alumni to prestigious firms (Goldman, McKinsey, JPM, etc.).
On the downsides, I'm Korean, so I'm getting used to being fucked by affirmative action. Also, my major GPA isn't any better than my cumulative, so I'm kinda out of options there.
So should I include my GPA/Test Scores while applying for summer 2017 internships? Obviously I'm gonna raise my GPA next semester, but I want to know what to do in the meantime so I can apply for internships right now. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
nice username bro
Typically if you don't include your GPA people assume it's
Include your test scores, don't include your GPA. Does your school recruit in the fall or spring? I know one of the schools you listed recently changed their recruitment schedule, so if you don't start resume drops until early spring you will be able to throw down a higher GPA. As of now, your GPA will prevent you from getting some of the really great IB/PE sophomore summer gigs, but you should be able to boost it to something respectable (~3.4-3.5) by junior year.
Try to start looking for something that won't have as formal of a recruiting process (Boutique IB/PE/HF), because the GPA screen will filter you out of most large intern programs at this point.
Good luck.
where the f*** can you already apply for 2017 summer opportunities ?
The good news is if you can get straight A's this year and straight A's your junior fall you can (barely) squeak out a 3.52.
As a math major myself I highly urge you to drop the major while you still can without adding extra time for graduation. The fact of the matter is mathematics gets exponentially harder as you go further on, and if you can only get a 2.8 now, "ADHD" or not, you really have no business choosing it as a major if your career path is GPA-dependent. I would switch to something still interesting and maybe only lightly quantitative - perhaps economics? This gives you the best chance at actually having a semi-decent GPA. Switching majors is also a nifty trick to skyrocket major GPA which you'll probably need to put on your resume next year.
As a final point:
If it were that much of a given for you, you wouldn't have gotten into this mess in the first place.
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