Canada vs. US Undergrad
Hello all,
Not sure if this would go under this category but the B-school one mainly focuses on MBAs. I am a grade 10 high school student in Canada, who gets marks in the low 90s and has some fairly decent ECs (JA, DECA, conferences, 4 weeks volunteering @ science camp, Shad Valley, contests, etc.). I am currently debating whether to put in the major effort required to attempt to get in to an Ivy league school (mainly Wharton). Frankly, I don't know if I can achieve the marks to get in, because I have to work pretty hard to maintain a low-mid 90 average. I know I would have to study for SATs and majorly crank up ECs to even have a chance of admission at the Ivy leagues.
Mainly, I want to do whatever gets me the best career prospects in finance in the US and internationally. I would say I'd want to go into IB but its fairly naive to make that assumption in grade 10. I'd also like to work at GS (I got a book on their history for Christmas) but that is also a fairly naive statement to make in grade 10. I realize that the Ivies will have much better prospects, but I want to know if its worth the money and effort for admission. Ivey seems to have a good reputation and so does Queens (the Canadian universities I am primarily interested in), and I'm pretty sure I'll be able to get into them (and get a small scholarship if I'm lucky!). The main factor that hinders me from trying for the US is all the amazing people that get rejected...people who play in a state orchestra with 9 years of cello playing experience, who are 3rd in the state for badminton, with perfect SAT scores and 4.0 GPA. These amazing people get rejected, and I don't play any instruments anymore, and the only sports team I'm on is cross country (the one you can't get cut for!). And there's still a lot of amazing students that stay in Canada when they could've gone to the US. I am also wondering whether the Ivies for undergrad would provide a significant advantage over Canadian universities (mainly Queens & Ivey) for admission to top MBA programs in the US and Europe. I guess my main concern is that I don't want to miss out on an opportunity that I might regret for the rest of my life.
MBAapply, I saw that you went to Queens for undergrad and went to Wharton for an MBA, I'd be really interested in hearing your opinion on this situation.
Thanks everyone, I look forward to reading your views!
I don't think it's a wasted effort maintaining low to mid 90s and high extracurrics to try for top US schools given that you need the same thing for Ivey's AEO program (bare minimum 90% req'd, realistically low to mid 90s is necessary) or for Queens. The only additional thing really is the SATs and the more tedious and time consuming US college applications. I can't comment on the amount of additional studying required to do well on SATs, but I've heard from friends that have taken it that the math section is fairly easy if you do well in school (mid 90s %), so I guess some time is saved there...
Another alternative is that you could always transfer to US schools while in university, but I think this is quite rare. A friend did this and is at a top BB right now... but this person is also considered extremely talented among already intelligent peers.
you're in grade 10
let me guess, you're east asian amirite?
Actually, I'm white, I sort of break of mold, and it doesn't matter what my race is anyway. I do speak some Mandarin though.
"I am a grade 10 high school student"
Too young.
"I'd also like to work at GS (I got a book on their history for Christmas)"
I don't even know what to say about this.
LOLOLOLOL
wherever you go, either canada or the US you will face stiff competition. Getting a job for a top IB is not a walk in the park. If tuition is an issue and you are Canadian then why waste money on just an undergrad educ; kids in the US pay tons and come out with massive debt (assuming you did not get any major scholarship) .Keep your marks up, Go to either Queens, Mcgill or Ivey = no debt coming out, and work hard to get into an IB; recruiting is decent in those three places as they are Canadian Targets. I would apply to 2-3 of your top US schools as well. Down the line when you are shooting for something more meaningful than an undergrad educ. then you want to go to top 5 MBA's and getting into debt would be justifiable.
Ganthor, check your PM.
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