Career advice for working in Finance

Hi there,

I'm Charles, I've just finished college ( UK college that is!). I'm taking an unforseen gap year before university due to higher than anticipated grades. I achieved AAA in my A-levels and this year I've applied to LSE, Cambridge, Warwick, Bath and Durham University to study Economics ( Accounting and Finance at LSE).

I'm trying incredibly hard to find some sort of placement in the financial sector for the remainder of my gap year and I've had limited success. Asset Management and Hedge Funds are areas that particularly interest me but I am totally willing to work in any area at the moment. I have done some work experience in the sector since leaving college but I am trying to find something a bit longer term, unfortunately most companies - particularly the larger ones - have strict recruitment procedures and hence can't fit me in anywhere.

So my question to professionals reading this is what do I do? The typical gap year of travelling and volunteering somewhere half way across the world doesn't really interest me. In fact I want to come out of my gap year with some valuable skills and experience to aid my future prospects. Is it wise to keep sending emails and letters with limited success? And finally is anyone aware of any internships or placements I qualify for (I haven't seen any myself)?

Also I think LSE is the best place for me next year, but I would appreciate suggestions if you think otherwise.

Thanks for taking the time to read this.