When do people start being recruited?
I'm currently a senior in high school and I'm interested in getting into a career in investment and finance, preferably on Wall Street. Right now my chances for undergraduate business programs like USC Marshall and NYU Stern look decent, Berkeley Haas is a pretty big maybe, and schools like Harvard, MIT, and Yale are basically impossible. Even though I'm not Ivy material yet, I think I can get there for grad school if I work hard enough in my undergrad years. So basically should I be working towards getting into grad school at a top school or a job?
You need to completely stop thinking about going to grad school, especially for an MBA.
Focus on getting into college first (one you'll enjoy and one that your parents can afford). Then get good grades and have a good time. You've got time, man.
Completely agree. Don't be thinking about this sort of stuff at your age. Enjoy yourself. College was the most enjoyable last 4 years of my life. I got good grades but also had an amazing social life and I miss it dearly my first year out. Don't spend it worrying about that stuff. Just do well in classes, network, and everything will fall into place.
I'd love to not worry about it, but college apps are coming soon and I need to decide whether or not an undergraduate business program is for me. That and it doesn't help that I go to one of these schools where a 2290 on the SAT is barely average. Also, I might as well add to this, how important are undergraduate business programs to getting a good MBA or a good job in finance/investing?
To me it sounded like you already decided you were doing ugrad business school, hence my comments. If you go to the schools you're talking about like I suppose I assumed then the rest will fall in place if you work hard.
To answer your question directly: the steps you would take to gain admission to a top MBA program are roughly the same as those you would take in pursuit of a top job after undergrad. So, to echo previous posters, don't sweat the MBA.
In terms of guidance on undergrad business programs: I can't speak for USC or Haas as much as NYU (had a few friends go there), but I would take Stern over the rest (given the opportunity), due to Stern's opportunities for motivated candidates to build their chops on the side. By this I am referring to the broad potential for off-cycle and part time internships, and for networking, that comes with being in New York. Stern is not a core target for the top firms, but then again neither is Haas, and if you bust your ass academically and develop yourself professionally, you'll be at the top of the pool. Of course, keep in mind that at all of these schools, you will be in a highly competitive environment. The downside of an undergrad finance program is that a larger portion of your classmates will be going after the same jobs.
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