How to Get into Top Universities
I’m a sophomore in high school and I want to pursue a career in finance. How did you guys get into elite schools?
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Reality is, it’s mostly luck sometimes, other times its your skills that get you there, you can only maximize your chances through grinding EC, getting your grade ups and applying to as many elite schools as possible while keeping in mind that an elite school is not the end all be all.
-from someone who got refused-
What kind of ECs could I do if I’m applying as a economics major?
Being well rounded is most important. Academic ECs, Leadership ECs, Publications, sports, volunteering, instruments, languages. Has to be something you actually contribute to and care about.
You should be well rounded but also have something that makes you really stand out. Tippy top schools want a well rounded class of people who each stand out in somewhat unique ways
^What I said above totally ignores factors such as URM/Legacy/DevelopmentCase. Kudos if you’re all 3
I'll toss out an unsolicited alternative perspective on this as someone who recruited this year:
Top schools aren't necessary to break into finance
For some reason the super targets haven't been doing as well as they historically have been in previous recruiting cycles. It's certainly true that H/W will place the most number of kids at top firms but that does not mean that it is necessarily easier to recruit at H/W--it's brutally competitive there, and with the way recruiting works, you're often compared against your peers at your school, so you'd need to be the best of the best to get a sweet offer from the top universities
From what I've seen, a strategy that has worked well is to be a standout student at a solid semitarget and join the investing clubs
However, of course, if you get into an elite school then definitely take it, but I just want to make sure you understand that attending an "elite" university is not at all a prerequisite for breaking into ib
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