Washington & Lee University
I got into W&L as an International Student for ED1 after a gap year
They even gave me 80k a year in aid, so going there is gonna be super affordable.
Can any W&L alumni, or anyone knowledgeable answer these questions,
1. How hard is it to break into the Williams Investment Society there, what can I do NOW to prepare for it, im completely free. rn im studying for the CFA L1 and will give it as soon as i can (23 months before graduating). and also learning financial modeling, and excel, and python, and vba, and even french.
2. Is an Economics and Mathematics double major gonna disadvantage me over a Business Administration + Mathematics Major? I kind of wanna do Economics because its different from the CFA, ive heard that most of what ill need will be covered by the CFA.
3. What is the impression of W&L in your firm? is it unknown, known, positive, neutral, or negative?
4. If i get the Johnson Scholarship, does that improve my recruiting odds?
Based on the most helpful WSO content, here’s what you need to know:
Breaking into the Williams Investment Society (WIS):
Economics and Mathematics vs. Business Administration and Mathematics:
Impression of W&L in the finance industry:
Impact of the Johnson Scholarship on recruiting odds:
Pro Tip: Keep leveraging your gap year to build skills and network. Your CFA studies, financial modeling, and language learning are all excellent initiatives. Just don’t forget to balance technical preparation with soft skills like communication and leadership, as these are equally critical in finance roles.
Sources: Ask mbaMission about Business School Admissions, What to do Pre-MBA to prepare for IB recruiting, Q&A - Analyst at $1.5B Endowment Fund, Ask an ex-IB MD anything.........
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Doesn't really matter to me.
Do you have the answers to my questions
Have some friends there that have good things to say about their consulting recruiting, apparently culture is such that being involved in sports teams helps out with placement. Greek life and the overall culture there seems fun, sorry I can't help more
Oh that's great to hear, since IB isn't the only thing I'm interested in.
Thank you for your input.
I've heard W&L people are generally loved at most firms from people I've talked to. While you won't catch many at EBs, lots of BBs and MMs have a small to mid-size W&L contingent that is extremely tight and well-regarded. Most say that this is a function of the school not being as academically rigorous as some other schools which leaves a lot of room for "developing social skills". Greek life is huge and sports teams are basically small recruiting pipelines. Most students aren't hardos which means they usually enter the industry with great soft skills as well. Don't get me wrong kids work incredibly hard which benefits them when they get into banking. Overall, people usually have a fun and successful experience. Also, if you're not interested in greek life and aren't an athlete, you will be fine - but you absolutely have put yourself out there and socialize as a freshman.
Tangent, but I think this is helpful: Due to how small the class sizes are and the consistency of W&L grads into banking, there are maybe 30-40 kids each year looking for spots who actually recruit. This means if you're looking to place, you have great chances. There are usually 5ish kids who go to BBs (some years are better than others) meaning there are much fewer people to "beat" in order to get a spot at the traditional W&L BBs (you can look up grads on LinkedIn to see which ones I'm talking about). Definitely a good deal imo compared to some other more traditional targets where 20 people may place into BBs, but you have to compete against 400 other people for it. just my $0.02.
Also no shade at other commenter, but banking dominates finance placement, with consulting sending maybe 5ish to MBB each year. The school's still a great option for it.
Thank you so much for the detailed response!
Math may be eh, but the STEM designation helps, ig.
Another thing, how big of an advantage will it be if i manage to pass CFA L1 and L2 as soon as I can. (sophomore year end and junior year end respectively). I'm prepping rn, so I can do it.
The consulting placement being worse than banking is kinda concerning cuz I was looking at Consulting as an alternative, but eh.
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