(Class of 2021) Opinions On My College School Picks And Choice

I am a student in NE Ohio and I currently am trying to figure out which schools I should attend if admitted. This is my current list of schools and am open to feedback on why/why not they are good ideas:

  1. Columbia
  2. NYU
  3. UT Austin
  4. Michigan
  5. Ohio State University

I'm on the edge of some of these schools because as of right now my high school stats are odd

ACT: 31
GPA: 3.5 (But 4.0+ Junior Year)
President of Investment Club
VP of Math Club
50+ hr/week job during summer
40 hr/week job during school

My bottom line question is what colleges should I attend in this list and how much of an importance should I place on a program such as NYU Stern or UT McCombs when picking my college and should I still attend a school such as NYU if another school that I ranked lower offers me a spot in a similar program?

Any Feedbacks helps, Thanks.

 

This isn’t college confidential.

I would caution you to not put all your eggs in one basket and only focus on the school with the “best business program”. You may think you have it all figured out, but trust me you will change greatly in those four years and may end up doing something completely different. Nonetheless, a good rule of thumb is go to the school with the most prestige that you feel that you would personally fit in at. It’s no so much just purely the name brand that prestige brings but also the resources, and most importantly — the network, which is where you really open doors.

 

to echo off of this, you should also consider going to a school that you can enjoy for 4 years. If you like UT Austin more than NYU, consider going to UT Austin. There are many paths to breaking into IB or any good career, and being in a place that you love will motivate you to do better and work harder.

 

Agree with liquidiot.

Your list seems short and reach heavy. With a 3.5 and 31 you might only leave yourself with Ohio State.

If you're set on IB, look up semi targets that are easier to get into and beef up your list. Think Villanova, PSU, SMU, W&L, etc. Semi and even non targets are getting easier and easier to recruit from as banks expand recruiting away from just a short list of targets.

 

If you aren't at an elite boarding school, aren't URM and/or FGLI, aren't a recruited athlete, and aren't a super legacy, then with what you've got on paper, I will guarantee that you do not get into Columbia/it's a stretch for NYU especially Stern/even UTA is a stretch if you can't pay sticker. Not sure abt how Ohio/Michigan interplay (some state schools give preference to kids from local states), but if that's not the case, UM especially Ross is also a stretch.

Just being honest

 

Here's my advice. Firstly, you have to apply to more schools. You just have to. What if you get rejected from the first four and you only get into Ohio State. Nothing against Ohio State, but you can do better and that's a fact. You also should have more options on the table so you're not forced to go toa school. It's a lot of work to do all those essays, but it's a worthy investment. You need to bridge the gap between the first four schools (which are reaches for most people including yourself) and Ohio State (which is a safety). I would look up target school tier list on this forum and look through some of the threads. Find some more schools that are 1. good for getting into finance 2. have some good prestige in case you don't want to do finance 3. you think you would enjoy spending 4 years at.

Work on that ACT. You're class of 2021, so you have all of this summer to get a better score. Just 3 more points can make the difference between you getting in and getting rejected at your dream school. Finally, don't forget the other things. Your essay should be fantastic, your rec letters should be fantastic, and you should curate your ECs so you sound like a beast.

 

Im gonna b straight w you, that ACT and GPA is not looking too hot. Unless u are a URM or write some killer essays, Columbia/NYU/Michigan are unlikely.

 

If you’re an average white guy, you need some more schools. By all means keep the reaches, but add like 5-10 more fit schools (can be anywhere from UVA to BC to Villanova). For context, I had a 4.0 and a 36 as a white guy, and I didn’t get into any ivy, or duke, or Michigan, or ...... etc.

Also, look at the fisher futures program at Ohio state. Not sure how the application works, but they take like 10 kids a grade and place really well for the school. If I’m well informed, almost all their BB/EB placements, if not every single one, come from it.

 

I do part-time college consulting (you'd be surprised how much people pay for this). I probably need more info to really know how you should approach this but. It's almost always better to go for a shotgun approach (i.e add a lot more schools try to apply to at least 10). Your stats aren't static. Try to retake the ACT. Honestly, if you put in the work, you should be able to get a 34-36 through practice. Still, there is a decent amount of students at all the schools you listed with your stats. Your focus should be maximizing your chances to get into these schools rather than choosing between them right now (you will have months for that).

Currently at MIT (got into a decent amount of top 20 schools and have friends at all of them).
If any high school student want help, my hourly rate is $200/hour, which includes an overview of your entire application profile and any additional advice I can give during that time. For $5000, I will work with you throughout the application process as well as help you with essays and stuff. Reply if interested.

 

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