Advice for highschooler interested in finance

Hey all,

I'm currently a rising junior interested in getting into finance (IB or HF) and was wondering if I could get some advice on how I should proceed to break in. I know the number one thing to do would be to get into a target or semi target then go from there. Even though I have good extracurriculars and a 1580 on the SAT the pandemic really fucked me and my GPA up so I've pretty much resigned myself to the fact I'll be going to a nontarget. I was wondering what I should do between now and then to try and hit the ground running once I get to college. I would truly appreciate any and all advice

Thanks

25 Comments
 

Step #1: read the thousands of other posts that are identical to yours.

All jokes aside, it’s great to start getting entry level work experience (i.e., server, retail worker, lifeguard) so you can start crafting behavioral stories. There’s some classic infesting books out there, but honestly wouldn’t be too bogged down on that (although it would make for good side reading if you have the bandwidth). Your #1 goal should be improving GPA and crushing your college apps to get into semi-target. You likely have 0 conception on what finance actually is, so stop pigeonholing yourself into an industry you don’t even know. Watch YouTube videos to truly understand the industry to realize if this is something you want to do aside from the prestige/money.

 

> Step #1: read the thousands of other posts that are identical to yours.

I've read plenty of posts about people breaking in from non-targets and high school students with high gpa's so I thought it would be better to get advice for my specific situation. If there's a thread with my exact situation I'd be happy to read through it if you link it.

>  it's great to start getting entry level work experience (i.e., server, retail worker, lifeguard) so you can start crafting behavioral stories

I had a normal summer job as a lifeguard last year, would you recommend going for a similar thing this year? Also there's a job at city hall that supposedly "finance" related, should I try and go for that?

> so stop pigeonholing yourself into an industry you don't even know. Watch YouTube videos to truly understand the industry

I've researched it a good bit (though obviously I could learn more) and I've done a lot of sort of related extracurriculars (investing competitions, case study competitions etc) so I think it would be a pretty good fit. Any ideas on specific things I could try and do to learn more?

 

Bro is a high school sophomore, not even a college sophomore and already thinks that he basically knows almost everything about the industry and likes it. How about you try working for over 15 hours a day, fixing slide 20 at 2 am. Fix your GPA since your SAT seems very suspicious compared to the rest of your academic profile.

 

It’s good you’re on here early. Good luck. I wish I found WSO in HS.

"If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." - Bruce Lee
 

Step 1: Pretend to be hispanic (if white), or black (if Indian), or pacific islander (if asian).

Step 2: Pretend to be disabled (break a leg and make up a story like losing it to an IED in Afghanistan)

Step 3: Fake a gay accent

Step 4: Sit back and wait for offers to roll in without even applying

 

I actually am phillipino/native hawaiian and am bisexual. Do I qualify for any decent diversity programs, and if so what should I do to maximize my chances of being accepted to them?

Also what actually is a diversity program? Is it a networking event, internship, or something else?

 
Bekele1234

The entire point of the post is that I'm not getting into a target, did you even read the post...

You could focus on transferring to a target once in college.

"If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else, it will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." - Bruce Lee
 

Focus on knowledge, kid. Best advice I ever found was to focus on knowledge. From there you'll discover insight and from there patterns will emerge. If you want to be in business in general, focus on knowledge and believe in yourself to figure things out as they unfold. Good luck

 

Just read the news and maybe some books but the most important thing is to get into a good school that will open doors to finance jobs. And for the love of god pls get sum bitches

 
Most Helpful

Don't resign yourself. Definitely still try to get into these schools. Talk to your college counselor and a way to explain how the pandemic fucked you over.

 

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