Networking at an Ivy League

Going to take a shot whilst cosplaying as APAE.

Congratulations on matriculating to an ivy. The friends and memories you make there will last forever, and as someone in the industry now, it goes by quick so cherish it.

Presumably you are a high school senior right now. Here's my advise: take a long duration approach to connecting with and staying in touch with interesting people, while developing yourself to be the person you want to become (and figuring out who that is exactly along the way). Note I did not and will not use the word networking.

It is fantastic that you are thinking about how to make the most out of your rare and special opportunity. Preparedness is the most valuable attribute a student can have to improve their odds at reaching their goals in every field. In that vein, I'll take a two pronged approach here. The first consideration is how you can best spend your time from now until September. The second is how to make the most of your time while at school and beyond.

April - August: Here is my $.02. If you do only one thing before matriculating, let it be having fun. Life is short, and the period of hs senior spring + summer should be spent experiencing your "coming of age" with your friends. Forget about ivy league, forget about "networking", focus on the now. If you feel like you're in a good place with that, you could possibly be well served to explore your interests (in this case this includes business / finance). Two ideas: look into local businesses. See if they have any summer opportunities. Use your friends' parents or your own to leverage introductions and go from there. The other idea is to read and put ideas into action. Get a subscription to the WSJ until you matriculate (pretty sure you can get a deal for like $4 a month for a few months). Read as much as you can and whatever interests you. Write down questions. Discuss these ideas with your parents. Etc.

While at school: You likely know this, but attending an ivy provides serious value in a broad alumni network and ample opportunities to engage with current students. The posters above correctly identified connecting with upperclassmen in clubs you're interested in or jobs you desire. Sure, go ahead and do that, but I would recommend making efforts to put yourself in as many situations as possible to meet new people and do things together with them. This could mean intramural soccer, joining greek life, doing a play, joining student govt, joining an entrepreneurship club. Do all of those things and make it a point to stay connected with people. You're in a fantastic position where you can meet someone and spend four years building a lasting relationship together. That will pay dividends down the line.

For efforts related to IB specifically, repeat what I wrote above but for areas in which there is a great density of bankers. Investing clubs are likely your best bet. Don't worry about networking for your IB job. If that still interests you in 14 months, then you'll have the network to leverage to learn how to pursue that. For now focus on people and learning.

Best of luck.