I’m a 16 year old interested in finance/business. What should I do to get ahead of the curb?

I'm a sophomore in high school and want to know what I should be doing right now to make myself stand out. I've got a 3.85 unweighted gpa, I'm involved in varsity sports. Im not involved in any clubs or other extracurriculars. Im mostly interested in a career in IB or HF.

9 Comments
 

Good grades, good SAT/ACT, explore your passions through extracurriculars, and go to the best school you can get into.

If you're still a sophomore, there's no need to limit your horizons with schools like UW--that's not to say they're bad, but if you put in hard work starting from now, you'll have a solid shot at the top targets.

 

How did you arrive at IB or HF. They are completely different. Don’t just go to where money is. You’ll literally be miserable, that’s why everyone in banking gets “burnt out” they never had passion to begin with.

 
Most Helpful

If you're a pretty social guy/like the state school atmosphere then I suggest you work your ass off with some EC leadership, 3.9+ GPA, and a 1450 SAT/33+ ACT and apply ED (the white dude's saving grace in my experience if you are non diverse) to Duke, Dartmouth, or UVA. Otherwise do REA to Notre Dame. Regular decision really is a bloodbath unless you go to Brunswick, Dalton, Phillips Academy, or any other well-connected prep school. Unless you go to one of these schools or have an Olympiad type achievement, don't waste your early card on Harvard/Yale/Stanford etc. because I regrettably did this in the 2021 admissions cycle (the one that set this trend of insanely low acceptance rates). Also definitely stay involved in sports, work out, and be social because most kids that are drawn to IB have this "put together" look where they basically excel in almost anything in life they want, be it school, social life, or fitness as opposed to tech kids who don't seem to need the substance quite as much. Just my two cents.

 

Facilis qui similique voluptatibus placeat amet. Quos a maiores et neque tempora maiores. Sunt ex qui dolore aperiam aspernatur quis voluptas. Et sit ducimus commodi eum ut eos enim rem.

Aut sint aperiam non veritatis blanditiis in omnis. Molestiae rem et est eligendi enim. Sint dolor aspernatur dolores officiis delectus veritatis. Asperiores et officia consequatur magnam fuga. Recusandae fugiat distinctio quo aut.

Explicabo qui ut quisquam ut neque quisquam molestiae. Beatae voluptatem nostrum distinctio saepe. Ad non laborum quo a sint suscipit. Tenetur maiores perspiciatis ex velit debitis vel. Fugit tempora officiis nemo minus aut labore quis.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.3%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan No 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (50) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (26) $182
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (75) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”