Incoming Harvard Freshman --> Investment Banking

Maintain the highest GPA possible and begin networking early and often. Harvard has one of the most prestigious alumni network in the world so it won't be hard finding alumni in the industry. However, there will be dozens of your classmates going through the same process so the earlier you are able to develop relationships the better off you will be. That said, IB from Harvard is most certainly easier than coming from a non-target. Focus on getting good grades, networking early, and gaining practical experience through internships. Best of luck and congrats on getting into Harvard.

@optimisticmonkey one option for me is to dual enroll and take some finance classes at the MIT Sloan School of Management...would you recommend this or is it unnecessary? I feel like it would set me apart from those who only took econ courses

OP,

I think your summer before college would be better spent at the beach than at a local bank...

I suggest you chill, enjoy the last of your high school and free summer break, and then ask some of these questions when you make some upperclassmen friends at Harvard. A lot of the advice here is geared towards non-targets, which won't necessarily apply to you at Harvard.

Also, don't be one of those idiots who walks around freshman year talking about ibanking. Just be a normal college student and fucking enjoy it.

@OleBurnSides I surely won't be one of those kids haha. I didn't grow up rich, and going to college (especially Harvard) is a big deal to my family and I. I'm just looking for ways I can make the most of my education man. I hear econ kids from Harvard wanting to go into finance are a dime-a-dozen, and if there's something that I can easily do to make myself stand out from that crowd, I'd like to know now rather than later.

Honestly, why are you thinking about IB? IB from Harvard is easy. You go to the best undergraduate college in the world. Do something new. I have a friend at Harvard who started up multiple companies, summered at Blackstone, Rothenberg Ventures, President of Harvard Ventures, and now he's CEO of a company already funded by VC firms.

I would imagine you could get into banking pretty easily from Harvard. If I were in your position, I would evaluate why you even are interested in banking. What parts of that career in particular are interesting to you? You sound mature for your age, but sometimes its easy to let the more superficial aspects of a career falsely convince you it is the right profession.

You have a lot of time to decide on a career path, and you seem like a genuine guy who has the world in your palm, so spend your first year or so figuring out what you really want out of your life. From there, you are at arguably the best school in the world to make the dreams a reality.

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Word of advice: don't get out so much information about yourself on a public forum.

@Communist I believe you, but could I still see his linkedin/would it be okay if I emailed him a few questions?

There is actually a lot of misinformation on this thread. Getting a banking job from Harvard is not "easy". It's still extremely hard any school you go to. Harvard is a finance / consulting centric school where a lot of students want to get into these industries. There are multiple times the number students who apply to IB positions than there are spots available. Most of these people will walk away disappointed without even an interview.

I'd agree with the last post. Ivy makes the process easier to a degree, but doesn't guarantee anything. I don't know the backgrounds of the other posters, but I'm actually a banker. So, I can offer some good first hand advice. First, I will say I thoroughly enjoy IB and find it challenging, dynamic, and exciting. If you are someone who thrives under pressure and enjoys working with a nice blend of qualitative and quantitative components, you'll do very well. Obviously, it might be premature to determine whether or not you fit in this area, but it's something to get you thinking. IB requires a certain level of "Type A" perfectionism and you constantly have to wear different hats among modeling, pitching, negotiating, originating, etc.

If banking is the path you want to go after, look for a summer internship at a BB or middle market bank that will give you exposure to the work. Also, modeling is critical and I would suggest learning how to build financial models now and begin looking at training programs to help grow your aptitude in this area.

Networking is definitely key and I would suggest contacting Harvard alum and asking them to spend 15 minutes on the phone for an introduction. Time is money and these guys don't have time to waste so I would tell them you're a Harvard student interested in banking and want to learn more. If he/she could spare some time to connect and provide insight, that would be great. Use the intro call to start building a relationship.

Econ is great, but may be challenging from a banking standpoint. I would recommend getting some exposure to accounting and financial reporting. You will be grilled on these areas in an interview so you need to know them well, very well. Start with ibankingfaq dot com.

Learn about deals that are in process or have closed. Reading about different deals is a great way to expand your mind and enhance your intellectual curiousity about banking.

I would suggest sitting for the CFA Level I exam - HUGE differentiator for banking. The CFA designation is the gold standard of the street. Very prominent for ER and AM, but it's been gaining traction in IB. It's also a big feather in your cap when looking to jump into PE.

Anyways, that should give you enough to think about. Feel free to hit me up and Id be glad to answer any questions you have.