UChicago

go somewhere else i know 3 people personally who hate their lives there

Enjoy your last summer before the rat race begins. You'll never get this time back. It's truly insane how fast time goes by.

Don't worry about doing anything in the mean time, first year is pretty chill. Depending on your major/past experience with living independently I would suggest that you only take 3 classes in the fall. I knew a lot of kids who struggled to balance academics/social life bc they took 4 classes in the fall. In terms of RSOs (clubs) to join… I would look at Blue Chips, Maroon Capital, AKPsi and UIBG. Tbh, just join RSOs where you vibe with the people, that's more enjoyable than being overly pre-professional. Plenty of kids go into banking from consulting clubs and vice versa. One last thing, the world is a lot larger than IB, don't be afraid to venture outside of your current interests.

Everyone and their mother tries to get into The Blue Chips. Most common track to go int IB but certainly not the only. Don't fret if you don't get in, most people apply several times.