Advice for a student aspiring career in HF

Hi!

I am 20 years old and I am in my finishing my first year of the my Bachelors at the University of St.Gallen.

I have been in tune with the HF industry for a couple of months now as I am trying to figure out where to spend my efforts for the next 5 years. From my understanding, I really like the work and feel like I could see myself in a career there. I have done some analysis and strategies on behalf of the Investment Club for my University and I really liked the whole experience. My grades, due to the nature of the Swiss system, will reset in my 2nd year of the bachelor giving me another opportunity to pursue a higher average.

But I have some doubts about the industry:
- Are top marks in your bachelor a requirement?
- Is a masters, from an EU/UK perspective, a requirement or necessary?
- Would starting at Equity Research give me an advantage over other competitors?
- I am going to attend a data science bootcamp this summer, will this help my chances in landing an internship or position in the industry?
- And finally, I do some analysis and investing from my own side, should I continue this or focus more on my grades?

Thank you for the time you took to look at my post!