[suppertime]

Wow. Thanks for the information!

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Another thing I forget to add. There is a big difference between first class honors vs 2nd class upper. Big difference between 2nd upper vs 2nd lower. About 5% of cohort will get 1st class, 30% 2nd upper. Estimation.

Give you a real life example. During my year, we started sending out resumes 3 months before graduation. At that point, we did not know our expected class of honors. I indicated 2nd upper. I also indicated 2nd upper for my internship applications. I didn't get a single banking internship. Ending up going to audit firm for my internship. Before graduation, I sent out many applications to banks (rejected by 50%) and never progressed much in those that i got shortlisted for. The only job offers I got was for Audit firms (start pay $2.4k)

When finally I graduated and got 1st class. I started applying again. The only change in my CV was I updated expected 2nd upper to First Class honors. I got shortlisted by investment banks, management associate program etc. Even the audit firms called me up and offered me additional $300 in-lieu of my first class. (didn't know they could do this because I thought they were on standard pay scale but they did)

In one offshore bank, their investment banking program had a minimum 2nd upper cut-off. Because there were so many 2nd upper who applied, they tightened to only interview first class. Immediately, my chances shot up due to smaller pool of candidates. During the interviews, my interviewers skipped all the technical questions. When I had indicated 2nd upper, I was being asked accounting basics (e.g. how do you consolidate, account for associates/JV, what is minority interest, how do you value a firm) My answers were mediocre. However with a first-class honors, I had many interviewers who skipped asking technicals because as one put it "I expect these are all basic to you considering you are first-class honors". In their mind, I have already qualified for the job.

Class of honors do matter. Interviewers are superficial, lazy. Go engineering and end up with 2nd lower = you will regret later.