Ways to increase chances at Wall St job by starting early?

Few words of advice. 

1) 'Wall Street' is an incredibly broad term, it's best to develop an understanding of roles in finance that would interest you. Equity Research, Asset Management, Investment Banking, Private Equity are all different jobs that require different skill-sets. Do some research on the options available, rather than just seeking a job on 'wall-street'.

1) Begin networking early. Many (if not all) competitive finance jobs typically fill spots via internships the summer after your junior year which, assuming strong performance, lead to a return offer to start after graduation. Networking is key here. In my experience coming from a "non-target" but still top school, analysts may be more likely to respond to you if you're reaching out early (sophomore fall) rather than the spring when thousands of other students are also looking to get them on the phone. They likely can't speak with every student they get requests from and probably get tired of calls at a certain point.

2) Raise your GPA. Shoot for a 4.0 in the fall (if you plan to recruit for summer 2025) if possible to raise your GPA. Being from a non-target with 3.5 will be challenging. It's more understandable given you're a multi-sport athlete which is likely a big commitment, but try as hard as you can to get that number up, even if it means taking slightly easier classes to guarantee an A. 

3) You mentioned your passion for the stock market. Do you plan on trying to find a buyside role after undergrad? Many of the well-known hedge-funds, etc. with analyst programs (DE Shaw, P72) are extremely competitive, especially coming from a non-target unfortunately. Many times, doing two years in IB allows you to make that transition more feasibly. If you're interested in that, I'd recommend reading more about recruiting elsewhere on this forum, and plan to start preparing ASAP.

Hope this helps