Do I still have a chance at Investment Banking or Management Consulting even though I'm going to a non-target university?
A little background, I basically screwed up in high school initially and only got my act together towards the end. As a result, I've been rejected from all targets and my choices that I've been left with so far are complete non-targets. Arizona State University (Admitted major is Finance at W.P. Carey Business School), University of Arizona (Finance at Eller College of Management) and San Jose State University (Economics), and I'm waiting to hear back from some other schools that are around the same level.
What is my course of action from here on out? I've been leaning towards ASU and U of A, they have some alumni at various Wall Street banks, and others scattered at various consulting firms, and both have "Pre-Wall Street" programs. Is a career in either field still viable for me in the future because I'm going to one of these schools? Do you know of anyone from these schools where you work? I understand that I brought this upon myself, and accept that, but I'm just in need of some advice now.
Thank you all so much.
Plenty of people from non-targets make it to both investment banking and management consulting. With that being said, it's not easy and you're going to have to work really hard. I'm going to sum up everything that has resonated with me that I've learned from this forum to save you some time.
Straight A's should be a given. Bust your ass to get them. ASU is known to be a party school (I think they have their own STD - The Sun Devil?) so you have to show banks you're not letting that culture get in the way of your studies. I don't know much about U of Arizona tbh but don't read into that as I'm from the Midwest.
Network. Network. Network. As if your life depends on it. I'm not being dramatic. And remember, it's not always about who you know, it's also about who they know. Send emails to everyone and their mother that's in banking that went to the school of your choosing, even if it's not many at first. That info can be found on LinkedIn. If you haven't made one, now is the time.
To answer the crux of the question:
Pick the major you're interested in the most. In my opinion, finance seems to go a long way but you have to do what you're more interested in. Both are good for banking.
Pick the school with the best program for your major of choice.
Visit the campuses. You don't want to be f*cking miserable for 4 years and need to be able to let loose when you can because it's going to be stressful.
Check clubs and organizations each school offers. Do they have a lot of clubs? Any investment or consulting clubs you could join? If they don't, plan to make one. Sometimes I feel HR would take an applicant with a strong leadership background over their newborn child.
You'll be alright. You realized your mistake and learned from it. Now it's time to put your foot on the gas and make some moves.
I'll be visiting U of A and ASU within the next two weeks and will definitely take into account all the things you said. I'm leaning towards ASU more right now, as it seems their opportunities are better for those looking into WS fields, but I'll definitely keep my mind open when visiting. Thank you for the reply, I'll definitely be keeping all the info you gave me in mind.
You absolutely can, however, you may need a step or two in-between to get there. Recruiting is hard enough at a top-tier school; it will be even harder unless you have some amazing connections.
Don't let that dissuade you. Alternatively, if you're going into your first year of undergrad you could get stellar grades and transfer in a year or two. I transferred from one uni to another and no one cared nearly as much about my HS GPA with a couple years of college under my belt.
I'll keep the idea of transferring in mind for sure, and its definitely good to know that colleges will be looking into first and second year grades more than high school. Either way, it seems that involvement and networking is key, which I'll definitely get into from the beginning wherever I go. Thank you for your reply
Just wondering, did you go to a Bay Area high school?
I did not, I am in NorCal though.
If you go to a Virginian community college, you get auto admit to UVA after 54 credits (AP and IB don't count but duel credit do). You can still apply with less, but it isn't auto-admit. It's not ideal, but it's worth looking into. Good luck.
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