UVA MS in commerce advice

Hello all,

I am starting the MS in commerce program at McIntire this fall and looking for a bit of advice on how to break into finance. For some background, I am a UVA undergraduate where I study philosophy and have a strong GPA and have had a summer internship in management consulting. Needless to say I am a relative newbie to the world of finance but I'm facing my career options after graduation and seeing friends outcomes who did their undergraduate at mcintire I decided to pursue a career in the field and applied and was accepted to the program. After reading a dozen or so entry level finance books I can say that I find it to be quite interesting and something I could do as a career.

My goal is to recruit for ER. My current plan is to either study for a certification (either CFA or CAIA) this summer or, if I can swing it, manage to get a summer internship in some capacity. I'm looking for some advice from you fine people as to what steps I should take starting now in order to give myself the best shot and breaking into high finance.

Is ER attainable/a good idea? What should I do this summer ideally? Are there important factors that I am not considering?

Thanks for the help!