Advice for Incoming Freshman?

Hello all! I wasn’t sure which forum to post this under, since it is a bit miscellaneous- my apologies if this pollutes your feed. I am an incoming freshman at UIUC (fingers crossed campus is even open in the fall) majoring in finance, and am looking for some advice. I am lucky to have stumbled upon WSO so early, so if any of you could help me I would greatly appreciate it. Here goes:
Because I am still in the beginning stages of my ‘career’, I am quite unsure as to what specific industry I would like to try to break into after graduation. I realize that is a long way away, but I would like to start off on the right foot when I start my college education. So far, I have been interested in sales and trading and asset management, and recently have opened up to the possibility of investment banking. Also, no disrespect to the New Yorkers here, but I would like to start out here in Chicago (at least for my first job). So, my question to all of you is this: what things can I be doing right now and the second I start college to give myself an advantage in recruiting/job search? Illinois has a finance academy within the business school that I’ve heard places quite well in Chicago and elsewhere, so I will definitely be applying for that my freshman year. Other than that, what are some things that I should be doing right now that are applicable to multiple industries? Investment clubs? Learning to code? Trading my own money? I know how important it is to earn a high GPA, but I would love to hear things that you guys think helped you or are just good tools to have, especially on a resume. I realize that it isn’t the best question because of the fact that I haven’t even come close to narrowing down what appeals to me the most, but I’d appreciate any and all tips that you more experienced monkeys could give me (having gone through the recruiting process yourself). Furthermore, any general career advice would be extremely helpful (pros and cons of a certain industry, etc.). I apologize if this ran too long or if I said some dumb things, I am new to this and welcome anything you guys have to say. Thanks everyone!

TL;DR- Incoming UIUC freshman would like to know what he can do in college to help land a job in sales/trading, asset management, or investment banking in Chicago after graduation.

 
Rush2112:
Other than that, what are some things that I should be doing right now that are applicable to multiple industries?
Unironically, getting laid. Don't be a hardo day 1.

Just think about getting some finance-related internship for next summer and join finance clubs, that's all.

 

I agree with the post above. Enjoy your college experience, just don’t slip up with grades. You’ll be in a great position if you can land an internship next summer, but you can still do well if you can’t get one.

 

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