What did YOU do?
I'll be starting college soon, as of now I am almost certain that I have a desire to pursue a career in investment banking. For the people that already finished their UG, what did you guys do besides getting a high GPA in your respective schools? I know that internships are key every summer leading up to your junior year, but what about EC's? ------ which should be the main subject of this forum due to the fact that a lot of people have the typical high GPA + internships. What were your ECs?
ECs are not nearly as important as you think- they just serve as a talking point in an interview. Pick something that interests you and that you are passionate about. If you sign up for a sport or something just to put it on your resume, people will know.
I tried to do as many "social" extracurriculars as I could, mostly volunteering, club sports and other sports-related activities, instead of the usual "networking" clubs, like finance club. You're only in college for a short time, so try to do as many things where you get to be doing fun things with other people on a regular basis. This could be Greek life, volunteer work, sports, a cappella, anything, really. I also met some of my best friends by taking classes in areas I was interested in outside of finance (e.g., taking Chinese or American History, if those are things you enjoy, instead of yet another Excel class).
ECs are one of those annoying things that won't necessarily help you if you have them, but NOT having them will definitely hurt you. You need them to be "interesting" and "well-rounded"
A lot of people I knew from college engaged in ECs that were finance or business-related, but I don't think that is necessary. Choose something you are passionate about and in which you can demonstrate some leadership, etc.
To add onto this, your ECs don't necessarily need to be demonstrated through college clubs. I know a few people who got involved with start-up accelerators in the cities they went to school in, others who got involved in local politics and ran for elected office -- there are plenty of neat things to do outside of the college bubble if you get tired of the undergrad scene.
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