Ask me anything
I got my offer a couple weeks ago, and figured I'd give back a little to the community that made it possible. This is particularly geared at people interested in elite boutiques - think on par with Lazard, Blackstone M&A/RX, Qatalyst.
Recruiting with these firms is particularly hard if you have a lower GPA (3.3-3.6), as most candidates are 3.8+ at the top schools (Harvard, Wharton, Berkeley, MIT, Dartmouth); as such, I want to also make myself available as a resource for those thinking of applying with that kind of background.
Best of luck, and may the odds ever be in your favor! If you want any advice that's specific to my process, you're gonna have to PM me, btw.
Background - target school (but not for the bank I got an offer at), GPA in the 3.3-3.6 range, not URM or athlete.
Edit: I'm in M&A, to be clear. Not restructuring or capital markets (I didn't even realize some boutiques have capital markets).
Your situation is not crazy there's tons of targets with the 3.4-3.6 range. But I'll help everyone here besides the obvious answer of networking what did you do to get the job that's different that the normal person that's on here and what differentiated you
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Thanks for doing this.
Is this NYC or another location? What was one of the hardest technicals youve gotten?
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Not to be negative, but the title is misleading..
-You are not working at an EB, you said you just got your offer a few weeks ago -If you have a 3.5-3.6, I would not consider this a special case whatsoever, maybe a little low but average HBS GPA is 3.66
You said youre trying to offer up advice but I dont understand what else you are going to say unique to your situation that hasn't been said 1000x before on this site.
Right on the money. There comes a point where these threads are just a humble-brag for the OP because almost everything has been said...and they are well aware of that. There isn't really anything unique to this.
"I have it so hard with a 3.5 from Penn"
Kids with a 3.0 at Penn at least go to DB or something.
I guess It is nice to get some new recycled advice without having to bump an old thread lol. That started from the bottom thread about the target kid but with a low gpa getting in Management consulting because his dad pulled a few strings was ridiculous.
keep in mind these ama threads are still helpful to some people's specific situations and it's tough to know what has / hasn't been covered in depth before in site.
we encourage ama's from all backgrounds / ranges from experiences. if it's not for you, don't open it,
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are you worried that your low GPA is going to affect you in buyside recruiting or MBA admissions?
What was your response to this question?
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How could someone still get an interview at these places if they are wrapping their recruiting process. You are not in a bad spot at all. Congrats! Is someone screwed if that person is from a non-target ,M&A experience?
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HAHAHAHAHAHA. Im at an EB with M&A too
Everyone obviously wants to come in through OCR, but in my opinion depending on the person lateraling is easier; assuming you get the interview. I have a SUPER low GPA from undergrad (OCR because its benchmarking against other candidates I always start the day with less boxes checked. Lateral hiring is done on a case by case basis so you are able to overcome weaknesses with strengths, etc.
I will say... I FUCKING HATE target kids going through OCR. The bar is set SO LOW for them. Kids don't even know what a DCF is and get offers because they are from Penn or Harvard.
You are absolutely right. Im in the exact same position as you. I will most likely do the same as you did. Probably trying to adopt to the same strategy you did as well. Honestly, I would love to know more about how you were able to lateral. When you lateral its unique and they know you want a better opportunity elsewhere. I PMed you, but I would like to know more. Do you network and then applied online. How did they evaluate your resume and responsibilities?
I definitely agree with you there as well. Its almost pointless and it really takes away the talent that potentially makes the firm better. Talent is not always in the targets, believe it or not. But its almost tradition and it seems that the habit of only hiring from select universities wont fucking go away anytime soon :(
LOL SB man. -fellow non-target
So what was your previous internship history?
How did you network and get to know people in the firm to ensure interviews?
So, how did you handle the grilling about your GPA?
Also sent you a pm
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