Junior Sternie answering questions

Surish
Wed, 15 Aug 2012 09:57:43 +0000

@LeatherCouch: The hard numbers (GPA/SATS) are the most important. It’s figure it to be something like this (importance decreases as you move down the list):

-URM Status
-SATs (Heavy emphasis on Math/CR other writing)
-GPA (while considering the rigor of your courseload)
-Essays
-SAT IIs/AP tests
-Recs

My answer probably does not shock you too much lol.

@Josephyang:


3.5 is the minimum as you said with no connections and even then, you need to get extremely lucky. 3.7 is when you get competitive and have a strong shot at getting interviews. 3.8 or higher is when banks start giving you interviews just based on your GPA. A lot of other things come into play as well, like what prior internships/networking did you do when it comes to getting interviews so don’t only focus on GPA. Also, I suggest you read up a bit on how to break into these individual fields and understand what they are all about. Don’t just pick what field you want to get into based on prestige. Later on, your year end bonus will be based on how well you performed…and if you’re unhappy…well that would suck.
I don’t think so. There will be those superstar networking students that will have an advantage, but they have an advantage over most of Stern so you shouldn’t fret. Most students end up networking heavily their junior year fall semester and early spring semester. You can try joining Finance Society, you’ll learn a lot if you are new to finance. I plan on joining just because a bunch of my BAP friends do it.
Hmmm, I thought Corp Fin. needed you to take FFM as a prerequisite? Also I suggest you stick to just those 4 classes. OrComm (idk why we sternies don’t keep the g) can be very taxing if your group is lazy and you’re shooting for an A. EGB is also considered to be one of the hardest classes in Stern because teachers (Foudy) likes to not only quiz concepts but also weird facts from the book. For example, he may quiz you on whether Marvel classifies X-men toys as humans or animals. This topic gets one paragraph or so in the book and he expects you to know it. But if you study the book hard, it’s an easy A. (Also the classification is important due to international trade regulations) This, combined with pleding BAP, will make your semester very busy.


Also Stern classes get really intense compared to other NYU classes because of the Stern curve. Most Sternies go crazy during finals/midterms when they take 16 credits at Stern. I did 18 credits once and I decided never to do that again. I did really well but my social life suffered.

But if you really want another class to take, go with Piano lessons or Interviewing Strategies. These are easy GPA booster classes that every Sternie takes so you might as well keep up with everyone else right? I don’t know what Stern class to recommend because I don’t know what courses you took in Rutgers.

As for the classes I am taking, they will probably shift around a bit. Currently:

Debt Instruments
Corp. Fin
Management & Operations
Interveiwing Strategies
-Some other class which I have not decided yet (since I am only only at 12 credits)

I may drop debt instruments for something else. I’m always horrible with scheduling classes.


You should be fine, but you can always double check during our rush week.


Let me know when you get into the city, I’ll show you around. If you are into drinking/partying, a few of my BAP friends and I will be going out a few nights on Welcome Week. You should join us! However NYU does do a great job of getting transfer students to make friends with other transfers so you might just be too busy to hang.