It should be easy to get 3.9+ gpa since schools like Harvard are handing out As like candies.

It was lot tougher 15-20 years ago. Average gpa back then was around 2.8-2.9 gpa not 3.5 gpa now days.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DC is at an Ivy and says that the chatter is that you need a 4.0 through fall of sophomore year to at all be in the running for a strong finance internship after junior year. Is this true or similar to what you've heard?

My kid is working their tail off for this as As are 95+ and averages on most exams are 70s, 80s. Doing ok so far but it'd stressful--93/94 in several classes.

"Landing a Goldman Sachs internship as difficult as NASA astronaut acceptance"

Still, that didn't stop over 360,000 people from around the world from applying. Only 2,600 of them, or 0.7%, were accepted into the 2025 internship class.

Though not impossible, the odds have become increasingly stacked against candidates as the applicant pool continues to grow under CEO David Solomon's leadership.

https://www.foxbusiness.com/lifestyle/landing-goldman-sachs-internship-difficult-nasa-astronaut-acceptance

I heard it was close to .3% for summer analyst position at GS. That would be 3 out of 1,000 applicants.

This is silly though. I mean, every year a decent number of Penn/Wharton students get internships at Goldman and the entire school isn't applying.

The internet gives everyone hope these days and they go online and apply, but the odds aren't the same across the board.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Darn. It was a slog to get into the Ivy and now the reward is.... more slogging. Great. I guess he had the summer before college as a break.

It's not easy to get a perfect GPA at his school. He's working his a$$ off.

My kid is at one of BB (GS, JP, MS) and he graduated with 4.0 gpa with a double major from a top 10 university. Most of his fellow summer analysts were 3.9+ gpas.

One of my kid's fraternity alum brothers heads up Goldman recruiting for one of their equity desks...every year at least one of his brothers gets an internship at Goldman. Other brothers are at various other BB banks...one alum founded a hedge fund and is worth $2BN+ and surprisingly active with the chapter.

They are smart, but I don't think they are 4.0. The hedge fund guy is far more selective, though not as focused on overall GPA vs. how they perform on the various interview questions/tests. He is actually super helpful in placing kids at other companies where he has investment/relationships and very up-front as to what it takes to actually work for his firm.

Again...not all 4.0s are even equal...so not sure what majors we are talking about.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DC is at an Ivy and says that the chatter is that you need a 4.0 through fall of sophomore year to at all be in the running for a strong finance internship after junior year. Is this true or similar to what you've heard?

My kid is working their tail off for this as As are 95+ and averages on most exams are 70s, 80s. Doing ok so far but it'd stressful--93/94 in several classes.

"Landing a Goldman Sachs internship as difficult as NASA astronaut acceptance"

Still, that didn't stop over 360,000 people from around the world from applying. Only 2,600 of them, or 0.7%, were accepted into the 2025 internship class.

Though not impossible, the odds have become increasingly stacked against candidates as the applicant pool continues to grow under CEO David Solomon's leadership.

https://www.foxbusiness.com/lifestyle/landing-goldman-sachs-internship-difficult-nasa-astronaut-acceptance

I heard it was close to .3% for summer analyst position at GS. That would be 3 out of 1,000 applicants.

Anonymous wrote:Yes, things have changed across the recruitments, nowadays i do see more math/cs students get the finance internships and offers actually with the better firms in better roles. For them more then grades , how they get through the interview. My DC. had multiple rounds at a top hedge fund / trading focused from a public school not even in the top tier compared to ivy and their internship pay and bonus for the summer blew any investment banks compensation out of the water. So it can be done if your really good interviewer but its a lot of rounds with very creative questions and problem solving not behaviourals.

And being hot helps too. I know this totally sounds inflammatory but the 3 kids I know who who have received GS or similar internships recently are REALLY attractive women (plus they are articulate, top grades, etc etc). These girls look like SEC sorority sisters (the made-up, traditionally "hot" influencer look).

Yes, things have changed across the recruitments, nowadays i do see more math/cs students get the finance internships and offers actually with the better firms in better roles. For them more then grades , how they get through the interview. My DC. had multiple rounds at a top hedge fund / trading focused from a public school not even in the top tier compared to ivy and their internship pay and bonus for the summer blew any investment banks compensation out of the water. So it can be done if your really good interviewer but its a lot of rounds with very creative questions and problem solving not behaviourals.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh, for the days when an ivy kid with average grades and no finance background could still get a good banking job and the bank would just teach them everything they know. The current situation is just awful.

this wasn't true in the 90s. are you talking about the 50s?

Yes it was. I went to a top school and got a top bank with average grades and an ok but not great internship and I had many friends who were the same. Internships were less important and the cycle was later - senior resume drop was right before Xmas and interviews were late January of senior year.

Anonymous wrote:This entire thread just screams out loud that the best path is NESCAC athlete particularly at Williams or Middlebury. Great placement without all of the Ivy League club nonsense.

Huh?
Well first of all, you have to be an athlete. And if that gives an edge then being an Ivy athlete is certainly better than being a NESCAC athlete when it comes to recruiting. And finance club memberships are still competitive at the NESCACS and there are fewer jobs offers to go around at a NESCAC when compared to an Ivy.

There really isn't any school that has a secret hook to this tiny pool of opportunities. Being an athlete may give you an edge (or not--depending on the hiring manager). Being an investment club member may give you an edge (or not--depending on the hiring manager).

This entire thread just screams out loud that the best path is NESCAC athlete particularly at Williams or Middlebury. Great placement without all of the Ivy League club nonsense.

DC is at a public ivy and if your in the top clubs at the school your chances of PE/L/S equity funds and IB is very common via networking and campus visits for their club. Now if your looking for Quant good luck that's a meritocracy across any college in the world, and you have to get through their very very difficult interviews.

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Darn. It was a slog to get into the Ivy and now the reward is.... more slogging. Great. I guess he had the summer before college as a break.

It's not easy to get a perfect GPA at his school. He's working his a$$ off.

My kid is at one of BB (GS, JP, MS) and he graduated with 4.0 gpa with a double major from a top 10 university. Most of his fellow summer analysts were 3.9+ gpas.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Kid is a drama queen

OP here. No, kid isn't. Quite the opposite.
I know about this because he was grumpy about a test and I was like, 'chill out, you're doing great" and he shared that the upperclassmen talk about how "you need a 4.0 if you want XYZ internship" which may just be a very top finance internship but my kid heard as being any good econ/finance internship.
And I can share further that my DC is not even sure he wants to go into finance. But the social pressure to consider this career path is SO HIGH at the Ivies. It's all anyone is doing. My son is bright, naturally a STEM brain, doesn't want to be an engineer so he's considering it.

Your kid isn't a finance jock and you shouldn't enable him to ruin his life with this.

Fk finance. My Ivy sophomore is currently working a fantastic internship on study abroad and has one already lined up for the summer in DC.

He does not have a 4.0 and was an unhooked admit, not in finance.

I didn’t know his grades until he sent his resume a few weeks ago so I could give it a cursory review before he submitted it for the summer internship.

Kids that are motivated and savvy make their own way.

Anonymous wrote:My DC is at an Ivy and says that the chatter is that you need a 4.0 through fall of sophomore year to at all be in the running for a strong finance internship after junior year. Is this true or similar to what you've heard?

My kid is working their tail off for this as As are 95+ and averages on most exams are 70s, 80s. Doing ok so far but it'd stressful--93/94 in several classes.

"Landing a Goldman Sachs internship as difficult as NASA astronaut acceptance"

Still, that didn't stop over 360,000 people from around the world from applying. Only 2,600 of them, or 0.7%, were accepted into the 2025 internship class.

Though not impossible, the odds have become increasingly stacked against candidates as the applicant pool continues to grow under CEO David Solomon's leadership.

https://www.foxbusiness.com/lifestyle/landing-goldman-sachs-internship-difficult-nasa-astronaut-acceptance

Anonymous wrote:Kid is a drama queen

OP here. No, kid isn't. Quite the opposite.
I know about this because he was grumpy about a test and I was like, 'chill out, you're doing great" and he shared that the upperclassmen talk about how "you need a 4.0 if you want XYZ internship" which may just be a very top finance internship but my kid heard as being any good econ/finance internship.
And I can share further that my DC is not even sure he wants to go into finance. But the social pressure to consider this career path is SO HIGH at the Ivies. It's all anyone is doing. My son is bright, naturally a STEM brain, doesn't want to be an engineer so he's considering it.