How screwed am I if I attend the University of Alabama?
Okay, so I'm a high school senior from a lower middle-class background who's been waitlisted/rejected from about 10 or so targets/semi-targets. Going into the college application process, I thought I had a real shot at most of them (I have a 35 on the ACT, decent ECS) but I think I was probably rejected because of my GPA (3.6, downward trend junior year due to personal reasons). My ultimate goal is an IB BB job, preferably in NYC but the south is fine too.
Anyways, the only school that accepted me was the University of Alabama. They'll give me basically a full ride for national merit, so I could graduate from there with little to no debt. However, I am really worried about their reputation and what my career options from there would be. On-campus recruiting seems to be virtually nonexistent. At Alabama, I'm planning to network like hell, get as close to a 4.0 as possible and to transfer after 3 semesters to a different target/semitarget school. From what I’ve heard, breaking into IB from UA is next to impossible. Would you monkeys agree?
The smartest UA guys I know were in programs such as capstone and the honors college, A few actually did break into IB, but all in southern cities. It’s an up-hill battle but would be one hell of an experience.
Life is over if you go to UA
Not sure if Atlanta would be that easy. I'm sure they draw students from higher ranked southern schools, like Emory, Vandy, UNC, UVA, etc.
You can always transfer.
If you double major in BEER PONG and SEC FOOTBALL, I think you'll be able to land KKR out of undergrad!
.
Ideally, the only way you'll get screwed by going to Alabama is at the hands of some big tiddied, corn-fed country blondes.
This guy gets it. Tig ol biddies.
LMAO
If you let the school you're going to define you and dictate your opportunities before you even attended, you are going to be screwed regardless of where you go
+SB Well said
didn't u get sent to top school?
I wouldn't say I got "sent" to it lol I did what was necessary to gain admission
Take my silver bananas. ++
Go for it and aim for transfer after your freshman year. Do not wait for 3 semesters as your chances will go down significantly after your sophomore year begins. I'm actually kinda surprised you got rejected from semi-targets with those kinds of stats. I guess GPA and test score inflation is crazy or the admission process has become very competitive over the last two years. Focus on GPA, clubs (leadership hopefully), some kind of competition experience, and a freshman internship. Also, consider Texas schools for transfer if you're willing to move down south as with Houston living costs it will be waaaay easier to pay off student loans.
Eh, I'm surprised I didn't get in too but it has gotten really competitive (for example, USC accepted 13% of their applicants this year). Thanks for the advice, I'll try to focus on transferring after my Freshman year!
How many schools did you apply to?? You should've gotten into NYU or Michigan with those stats.
I applied to 15 schools total. I got accepted to Fordham (with shit financial aid) and Alabama (full ride because of national merit finalist). I was waitlisted at Colgate, Emory, and Villanova, and was rejected by Middlebury, USC, Claremont McKenna, UNC, UVA, Amherst, and Boston College. I'm still waiting on UMich, Georgetown, and Brown - but based on my other results, I'm not expecting good news.
Should've applied to UT man D: and wat about indiana university
You should put rejected by Middlebury into the list of very good things that have happened to you
Christ, I'm thrilled to have graduated HS when I did.
I remember being in your position, deciding school based upon banking routes and reputation. If I could do it again I'd go to Florida State and bring my work hard play hard mentality to get from there to where I want. I'm talking fucking smokes while calculating free cash flow baby.
Luckily I ended up at a school that had a pretty good social life but an even better academic pursuit. Still a nontarget but it has a constantly growing placement on the street and they all help each other like brothers. Plus I got to fuck hotter girls and get drunker than the kids at the target 10 minutes away, while we beat them out for positions too.
Check out Texas A&M. They offer full rides for national merit. Good placement in Houston and NYC is doable too. Overall slightly better academically than Bama.
If I was in the market looking for young hires, would absolutely hire an Alabama grad over the hordes of "smart" top-tier and/or ivy league kids. For a few reasons:
U of A(labama) probably leads you towards a more "traditional" WallSt firm (think bigger bro culture, more "hiring by feel", etc). Doubt quant funds will look at you. In this day and age, that might be a blessing.
Will you be introduced to sorority chicks when you guys make trips back to Alabama??
pun?
lol "you're English is native"
Go to Bama for now, balance well so you can party it up there while getting as close to a 4.0 as possible. Transfer out after a year to a target/semi-target.
If you go there, you need to have laser focus and get a 4.0 GPA. Usually what happens is you adapt to your environment and will never make it out. Also, there will be a lot of distractions.
Going to a community college will guarantee a 4.0 and less distractions. Plus 2-3 yrs at an ivy is gonna cost less if you do your first year at CC.
Lastly, you could take a gap year and do a program like Americorps NCC. It's a great program where you'll travel the states making a positive change, get super fit, make money and will look more attractive to colleges for the next year.
Also check out Cornell ILR School. They accept around a 30ACT and big banks heavily recruit out of the program. After you get in, you can end up taking courses at Cornell Johnson.
ILR is not that easy to get into (I had the equivalent of a 35 and was deferred early decision)
Don't fret. I'm from Mississippi, right next door, and I realized that it does help if you to go to a name school, but it isn't impossible. Networking, leveraging your perspectives and experiences from the South, and sheer determination will get you far. It's going to be harder no doubt, but my biggest advice is to network like crazy. It's all who you know.
There’s a surprising number of Alabama grads on Wall Street, in particular students that studied engineering. Top tier programs will get attention.
What about majoring in Finance? Should I pursue a double major to differentiate myself?
you can be any major in top schools but signaling with a finance is more than useful @ Bama
I'd ride out the 5/1 reply deadline and/or possibly waitlist. I imagine you'd get some half-scholarship schools that falls around the Emory / Vandy / Wustl tiers.
the top school don't always have smarter people, the competition is generally more cutthroat, but the access to seeing different things (beyond networking) can be more than useful in your age.
You might benefit from reading some of the responses in this thread:
https://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forums/university-of-alabama
transfer
god i wish i could redo undegrad and fuck a bunch of big tiddied, corn-fed country blondes
Alabama alum here, working in IB in NYC. Was in the same exact spot as you (Killer test scores, not great GPA), went to bama for free and broke in to IB. You can break in as here is a bunch of kids on the street, probably 10-15 from my class, but you have to follow the exact model (3.8+, Join the investment club and extra curricular finance programs). If you do all those you'll get interviews and then it just comes down to networking and you as a person. If you have any questions about Wall Street, the school, or even the social life there feel free to PM me or reply to my post.
Obviously UA is pretty well-known for its social life/Greek life. That being said, do you think it would be realistic to join a frat and still manage to get a really high GPA, do business ECs/investment club, networking etc? Or would my time realistically be better spent elsewhere. Were the guys who broke in from your class involved in Greek Life?
If you want to take advantage of the social life UA has to offer, I would 100% recommend joining Greek Life if you can afford it. I pledged back when it was a more time consuming experience and still managed a 4.0. It also depends what fraternity, as some have very few kids who care about grades. If you join the right one, pledging these days is so watered down that you should have no issues getting a good GPA. If I remember correctly it's pretty competitive to get into CIMG (The investment club) as a Freshman, but there are plenty of other EC's to get involved in as a first year.
The cost may be an issue, as dues are pretty hefty at UA ($2500-$4000 a semester). It includes 3 meals a day from a "chef" and all your parties.
you could have a decent chance at Suntrust Robinson Humphrey, I think they recruit from Alabama
I'm about to graduate from Alabama in May and start FT in S&T at a BB in NYC. I graduated high school with a 34 ACT and 4.0+ GPA and wanted to go to college for free. Maybe a naive choice I made at 17 but it worked for me.
It's definitely possible to get an FO role coming out of UA if you do it right and take advantage of all the resources available. Alumni are consciously trying to build the pipeline of UA students that end up in finance in NYC. They are all quite willing to help qualified, driven students through the process and were absolutely invaluable to me personally.
Like someone said before me, there is a blueprint for being successful in this. 3.8+ GPA, finance-oriented ECs like the investment management group and the Investment Banking Academy, being in the Honors College and Business Honors Program, etc. Networking is key but like I said, alumni across different firms are willing to guide you if you market yourself correctly.
Happy to chat more if you want.
You can definitely do it, but you need to seriously seriously focus on getting a 4.0. Make that your number one priority, at least for the first two years. You can get into IB, but really focus on that 4.0.
I went to Alabama (class of 2015) and did just fine. I'm in IB for a BB in Oil & Gas in Houston. Some of my best friends from Alabama are front office GS, consultants at McKinsey, or starting at HBS in the Fall. Going to Alabama is not a disqualifier for joining a prestigious firm in a top position. You’re going to have to work- it won’t come to you. But, that being said, I did have a fantastic time in college so working a little harder was worth it for me in the end.
You need to establish yourself on campus and get involved (think Honors College, Culverhouse Investment Management Group, Save First, Microfinance Initative, etc) and be a strong contender for a premier award to best position yourself for recruiting. Also, Go Greek and network- some of my sorority sisters dads have been fantastic contacts to know in the industry.
If you get excellent grades, get good internships, and are involved in any kind of investment team UA may have, as well as are personable and proactive about networking, you should be fine. I actually interviewed my senior year when I was lateraling alongside a kid from UA, and he was mostly just really proactive and social and had done a summer at a third tier bank (think stifel/suntrust/baird). I kept up with him and he ended up at a BB not in the south.
Out of UA though, most of your opportunities will either be in Atlanta, Houston, or Charlotte. Atlanta tends to be geographic coverage oriented, Houston is all oil and gas, and Charlotte is a random mix of things but banks like Wells and BAML do a lot of LevFin, P&U, etc., in Charlotte. If none of those groups are things you're interested in - especially considering o&g is very niche, but also insanely lucrative - consider transferring. Schools like Emory, UT, Vandy are all within reach and sort of close to home if you do well your freshman year at UA, and they not only place well in the south but also do pretty well in NYC
Another Alabama grad here. I majored in finance and econ. To echo what others have said you are not out of the game if you attend UA, but you'll have to work hard to advance. I know numerous people currently at Goldman and other very desirable firms in NYC. I will second what was said above - if you are already pigeon holing yourself before you get there, you're already SOL and you'll feel the same way at any school. PM me for more info. Best of luck
I would strongly recommend applying to Vanderbilt pretty much once u get started at UA. I transferred there after two semesters at a florida college. There were about 5 transfers in my class coming from Vandy. U will have much better chances breaking in IB here and financial aid is amazing. If you would like to know more about my experience feel free to DM me. My ex went to bama and ik all about it
join a frat... good to go
I know multiple people from both Auburn and Alabama that work in IB most of them on wall street. Do not let these people who only attend Ivy league or top 20 schools tell you that you have to go to those to succeed. It is just a flat out lie. Do good in school , more importantly network and actually learn what is important to IB even read books on valuation in your free time or other books related to IB.
More importantly out of those being the research and the networking than getting a 4.0 at Bama. It would be good if you did, but your goal is to get someones attention and make them think it is worth the time for them to interview you. That is why your networking and actual knowledge of IB is a lot more important than just learning your classes ( Alabama will not teach you all you need to know for IB learn it on your own).
Make yourself understand it better than those from a Ivy it can easily be done, you just gotta do it.
Everyone i know who was from Alabama and got rich ( most of them left lol ) they had one simple rule on what you have to do: Do whatever it takes. Have that attitude and you will probably make it.
NETWORK NETWORK NETWORK
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