If you could do undergrad all over again, what would you change?

Never put selfies on your Tinder profile

Talk to upperclassmen and alumni about what they do day to day and see whether or not you'd think you'd like that. So many people on this site view the IBD / PE / HF path as the only path because they view it as having the most prestige & comp, but there's a lot out there outside of those paths. The earlier you can figure out what you're passionate about, the better off you'll be at graduation.

Also, just generally... don't be a dick to people. That will come back and bite you, sooner or later.

Honestly? Staying in my comfort zone and not transferring. Hot girls can be found anywhere

it's important to meet a bunch of people, but if you get a couple of close friends don't alienate them in favor of having a lot of friends. this is very difficult if you go greek or get involved in something because you essentially have all of your brothers plus tons of women who you're "friends" with. all of those people go away after college and your close friends are the only ones left. treat them well, ditch a big party every now and again and hang out with your better friends, you'll regret it the next day but be very thankful in 5-10 years.

I 2nd not being a dick to people. don't pretend to be everyone's friend but realize you're not better than anyone and shouldn't act like it.

and finally, go to every single tailgate and football game. study hungover, get a B once in a while, but for the love of God savor SEC football Saturdays.

every summer, do something epic or do something profitable (for your career or just for the spending money)

Sophmore Summer: S.America for the summer Junior Summer: F50 Internship Senior Summer: Western Europe for the summer.

We had a full house at 44 living in house if that give you an idea. But the pledge classes were not as large as 50-100, that's insanity to me. Like you'd be bidding all kinds of mongoloids at that range. Maybe they figure they can haze out the awful kids through the pledge process, but I've seen that not work too many times haha.

I honestly wouldn't change much. As some people have said already, it's important to be aware of your options, be intellectually curious and talk to alumni and upperclassmen about the various paths they've taken. But more so than that, relax and have fun from time to time. You won't get that chance again and take every opportunity you can get to make your college experience something memorable.

I would've gone to a big party school with a decent network. (Penn State)

I would've gone greek.

I would've hit on more girls and got in better shape before college.

I would've ditched my friends who pulled me down.

I would've taken less classes and done more extracurricular and networked more.

I would have went to a college with a varsity soccer team. 5th ranked goalie in the state and I didn't even attempt, and didn't have recruiters come and watch me play. Would have been nice to go through college for free.

I would have gone to a school for finance straight away instead of transferring and changing majors and wasting a few years. This would probably have lead to better grades from trying harder.

That's about it. I partied enough. I did a lot of orgs and stuff. The only thing that ever held me back was my school of choice, degree, and GPA. So by changing that I'd be golden!

I second trying to really get in shape before college as said above - as an international student in the US (but with an accent girls loved) I was able to compensate for being in normal/average shape (as most are), but being in great shape would definitely make you stand out to girls a lot.

I was a finance major and took ~8-10 liberal arts classes, but I would take even more if possible - there are so so many interesting things in college academically that you've never been exposed to and realistically may never pursue again, and you should take advantage of that - don't become an econ/poli sci drone like many will.

Make a real effort to get along with your roommates - this ties in with what @thebrofessor said about having close friends. My roommates and I got along unbelievably well and even though I no longer live in the US I regularly make trips to the US, in large part to visit them - your college experience will be awesome if you manage to live (and really get along with) the same group of guys for most of your time in school.

Finally, while you may be of the mindset that you want to get as many girls as possible (as I was when I started) and there's nothing wrong with that (at all), if you meet a girl you really like don't be afraid to give up lots of girls to have a girlfriend, even if you wonder if you're "missing out." I was in that situation and decided to go the girlfriend route, and it made college unbelievably amazing for me and I'm still with (and will marry) the girl I've been dating since freshman year.

A lot of people will disagree with my points, especially perhaps the last one (maybe two?) but if you're the kind of person who values close relationships over superficial ones I reckon following the last two points (if the opportunity arises - can't force it) can change your life (did for me).

Truly finally - if you can, build a beerpong table. My roommates and I took some disused bulletin boards from the basement of the dorm, bought some hinges and built a foldable beerpong table. Made us the centre of a lot of parties on our floor/in our dorm and was a great way to meet people (but you'll probably get written up a couple of times, as we did, but you'll learn that's no big deal).

I would have taken some more intensive math courses and a few computer science classes as well. Tried to pick up at least one language (computer or other). I just graduated summa with a double major in Finance and Economics but still think I would have liked some more math and how to work with computers better (VBA, at least).

Go in remembering why you are there. Find that balance between creating fun memories/enjoying all the perks of college while still focusing on laying an extremely strong foundation for your future.

It may seem like common sense but when you are smart and fresh into college, you tend to suddenly focus on the fun thinking everything will play out when you are older; you have years till you graduate and get a job and blah blah blah till becoming CEO in NYC or Silicon Valley etc. Suddenly though, you are 20/21 (or whatever) with no internships, only now having tons of trouble getting anything at all because all the elite kids already have 3 underneath their belts.

Go live college, party, have shitty relationships that provide you real life lessons but never sacrifice your future. Always, no matter how young into college, be taking steps to get you where you want to be after college. This can easily result in a $35k+ starting salary.

Straight forward what I would have done differently (all based on the above though): -Studied abroad freshman year -Interned every year slowing building up to a top firm -Gone greek -Definitely agree with ditch anyone who brings you down -Dated around more -Got shitfaced more -Played a lot more beer pong

Focus on grades (obviously). I took difficult courses as free electives when I could've taken courses that were easy As. I didn't appreciate that you need really good grades just to clear the minimum GPA hurdles to apply for certain jobs.

bang more chicks and worry less about the future

also i had this mentality that i had to get through the college years as fast as possible to get out into the real world, now i look back and wonder what the rush was all about, i finished up and had no idea which route to go

also wish i'd learned to "hack" my studies a bit better, couldve spent a few less hours in the library

one more good spring break wouldve been nice as well

enjoy your college years young monkeys!

Don't take the orthodox path. I took a semester off my sophomore year and joined a conservation corps just on a whim. I made friends and learned how to camp, work a chainsaw, and etc... After that I had a gap before the spring semester so I went pack backpacking across Europe. To quote Mark Twain," I've never let school interfere with my education".

Dump your girlfriend...

Trying to make a relationship work hindered first few crucial months of my college experience.

I would have minored in Econ rather than majoring in it. The way Economics is taught at the undergrad level leaves something to be desired in terms of depth and breadth, and this is coming from a target (HYP) school that has one of the best Economics departments in the nation. Looking back, I feel like it's something that I could have easily picked up on my own. Instead of studying Econ as my major, I would have switched to Math or Applied Math. Even though it would have been much harder than Econ since I don't have any natural talent (e.g. I'm not an International Math Olympiad medalist or a prodigy who started studying Calculus in elementary school), I still feel I could have been reasonably successful and it would also have been good mental training.

As an added bonus, it would also prevent people from ever questioning my quantitative skills. I recall an on-campus interview I had with a trading shop (I had cast my net wide and applied to all kinds of firms through my school's career website, and this firm decided to call me in for an interview) who look at my resume and said "Economics, huh? How much stats have you studied?" and proceeded to grill me with statistics and probability brain teasers.

My friend, who was a math major, also interviewed with the same firm, but instead of getting grilled with stats and probability questions, was given interesting optimization problems to work on and had an overall more pleasant experience.

Undergrad would not change. I lived fast, tailgating at all the football games, spring breaks, you name it. Hell I'd like to go back just to repeat! Change for me would have been bypassing my MBA and instead wish I had chosen law school.

-Be focused on the prize of landing a great gig out of college on day one. -Focus more on getting great grades. I was focused on other things my first two years and have around a 3.3, which means I can't even apply to some of the top jobs since I don't have a 3.5+. Always remember that. -Try to have at least two internships before graduation instead of one. I was going into senior year without any internships and was essentially hosed for landing a good full-time gig. Luckily, I managed to get a 8 month Co-Op with an investment firm in my senior year. -Workout during weekday mornings, you will gain the freshman 15 if you don't -Go Greek. I did and held a few executive roles which were the most challenging, yet rewarding experiences I have ever had -Get involved outside of a Greek organization in a student org that pertains to your career interest -Depending on your financial situation, try to swing a part-time job. I worked full-time throughout college and it was just too much. -Get out of my comfort zone and date more -Study abroad. I missed out big here. -Network with alumni more -Treat your schoolwork like a job, get it done during the week and party it up on Thurs-Sat. Don't ever miss a tailgate. -Don't be afraid to meet knew people, but always keep your best friends close

Join Rugby team earlier. Not waste time in Health Sciences. Learn about the best careers before my sophomore year.

Dont minor in poliscience. It's a waste. Minor in CS/MIS/Math/Acct anything but political science, srs.

More sex, more drugs, more alcohol. Party your ass off, meet plenty of people don't turn down different experiences or opportunities. Bust your ass for solid grades but don't get so stressed over the future. Best 4 years of your life that you won't get to do again.

I wish I knew what I know today. Specifically tar vs non-target and BO vs FO, etc. Shoulda spent more time on sites like this earlier on. I eventually figured it out and as a senior, I have good prospects, but coulda had better if I started learning this stuff earlier (like day 1 freshman year).

I would have picked a school that was well rounded in which programs it offers. That would have allowed me to have been more flexible with what degree I could get without transferring schools. Most students change major at some point so Id recommend picking a school that will allow you to do so without having to transfer. Don't pigeon hole yourself into the major you start out with. Be flexible

Don't f*ck up freshman year. I went from being a complete square in high school to a wannabe frat star. It hurt my GPA in the long run. Finished with a 3.5, but could have been a lot higher. You need to have a top GPA (3.7 and up) if you want to compete with target schools.

I wish I:

-would've found sites like this earlier on -would not have taken pledge term so seriously (big ten greek) -would've been more involved with my fraternity earlier on -would've avoided dating a girl for far too long. lotta stress resulted from trying to make that shit work -would've gotten involved in organizations earlier on. I'm in 3 now, but there were some organizations I missed the chance to join that i would have benefited greatly from -had taken school more seriously. have a 3.5 right now and am pretty well positioned for interviews for SA positions next summer, but having a 3.7+ on my resume would have helped me out a lot -found 1-2 mentors to help me through my developing interest in finance and banking freshman year. just recently I became close with an adviser at our school who is very well connected, and as result has been helping me a lot, but I really wish I would've found some people like that sooner. -would've taken more chances with dating and girls. I'm obviously not out of the woods yet, seeing as I'm a junior, but there have definitely been some chances I've left on the table for one reason or another. -would've surrounded myself with the right people earlier on

take everything I've said with a grain of salt.

Figure out as early as you can what you want to do, and then put in the absolute minimum work to achieve that. I went to a big party school and joined one of the largest fraternities and partied my ass off for 3 years until I realized that I was about to come out making $35K a year. Got my ass in gear and networked through the expansive network I had created through school and landed an IBD gig with a top group.

But back to what @"thebrofessor" was saying, be sure to get out and meet as many people as possible, but focus on maintaining your closest friendships. That's my single biggest regret from college.

And slay as much tail as possible, it dries up a bit after you graduate. Enjoy it young one.

• Go Greek. Rushed but decided not to pledge for financial reasons. Was still close with a lot of kids in Greek life, but it definitely wasn't the same.
• Spend a summer/semester abroad. Sophomore summer is probably the best time to do this.
• Spend a summer up at school taking classes or working. Had a bunch of friends do this and they all have said that this was the best summer of their lives.
• DO NOT DATE LONG DISTANCE.
• Get out of your comfort zone. You will meet more people and learn more about yourself.
• Take care of your body. Obviously you should be going out every chance you get, but you should be exercising and eating well also. You'll see kids fucking balloon over the course of 4 years, and you don't want to me one of those kids. -Get to a weight/body type that you're happy with and try to maintain it. Between the drinking and drunk eating on the weekends, it is super tough to get your ass back in shape.

1) GO GREEK. It'll make the social side of college much easier - you'll have all sorts of events already planned out and set up for you...and girls waiting to meet you. All you have to do is show up. You can be as active or non-active as you want once you're in. And you can always quit if you don't like it (but don't quit during pledge semester). You'll make friends for life. My high school friends weren't like me - only a few of them went on to four-year universities. We'll always be friends, but we're in much different places now. When I joined my fraternity in college, I was amazed to meet a lot of guys like me - high achievers with strong social lives as well. Make sure to find the right house for you. I lived in the fraternity house with 30 other guys for three years. It was the best time of my life. Also, my greek connections (outside of my own house) helped me land a BB IBD job.

2) DRINK WITH SOME SORT OF MODERATION. I used to go out 3-5x per week, and I'd get blacked out regularly when drinking. I did that for 3 years, until I wisened up - a little - my senior year (plus hangovers start hurting when you're a senior). Getting blacked out was pretty standard with my friends (and pretty much the whole Greek system). Looking back, I realize how much harder it made my life during college...on top of all the stupid shit I did when I was blacked (sloppy blacked-out sex is not good for anyone...). It doesn't help with the ladies, either. Drink and have as much fun as possible, but that doesn't require having 10-15+ drinks in a night. In addition to being dangerous, excessive drinking is not a good habit to form. Learning to drink in moderation is a great life skill. Many of my college friends still cannot drink without getting blacked out, even though we're three years out now; because that's the only way they know how to drink. In college, I got used to throwing down shots and double cocktails without thinking, so now I have to be extra careful. It's surprising how easy it is to go from six drinks to twelve when you're not paying attention... Just figure out a good drinking strategy, and stick to it. You'll feel better, and be more productive and successful.

1. Make sure to put yourself in situations outside your comfort zone.
2. Do an internship

Also, don't spread yourself too thin with joining clubs, networks, organizations, etc. It'll stress you out, and make it difficult to do well in other areas. Good grades should be your priority. You only have 1-2 spots on your resume for clubs/organizations. Plus it's obvious to recruiters when your resume is packed with a bunch of bs resume-building activities. Focus on 1-2 and do something meaningful in those organizations. It's really about quality, not quantity. There's very limited space on your resume, and recruiters are looking for something that stands out.

Also consider taking an extra year in college. I did and it was the best decision ever. It allowed me to take an easier load each semester, get better grades, and focus more on recruiting. Gives you an extra summer for internship as well. Recruiters don't look at your schedule to see that your taking 4-5+ classes (at least, none did for me). For my summer internship, they did ask for transcripts after I got the offer, and I was only taking two classes at the time. Plus recruiters don't know that you're taking an extra year (not like it's a bad thing, but it seems that IBD recruiters will rule you out for anything that's not strictly on "the path"; I noticed that my fellow analysts were pretty vicious when going through resumes...). You just put "Expected 201X" on resume. Don't mention it to recruiters.

Fucking wish I could go back. Damnit @"Marginal Benefit" wish I could go back

Forget about taking challenging classes, take the easiest classes and get a high GPA.

Take practical classes though. If you want to break into IB and your school offers classes on valuation or M&A, take them.

wouldn't go to college

Go Greek for sure. Don't miss any tailgates or parties. Get good grades.

I wish I would have taken student organizations a little more seriously and gotten leadership positions in them. It was just kind of hard to take a club seriously that met once a month to do little more than drink coffee and eat donuts, but I still wish I didn't act like I was too cool for those orgs.

I ran cross country in high school, so I was a fairly skinny guy. I'm glad that I took up running as a hobby, but I wish I would have put on some more lbs. and gotten yoked (or, at least, stronger) before college started.

Definitely take this advice with a grain of salt, but I went to a target, and I'm personally pretty glad that I ended up a Psychology major. I ended with a 4.0 GPA, which was, in fact, difficult. But I obviously didn't work near as hard as my economic major counterparts, and I ended up with very similar offers. So if you go to a target, don't worry that much about taking that many hard classes if you're good at networking.

Start building relationships and meeting people NOW. It doesn't matter if they're in your industry or not, just get out there. A few people have a strong enough resume to just get any job they want, but far more often it's a function of knowing the right person who can help you through the system.

And pay it forward. I know that's a cliche but it's true. "What goes around comes around and it picks up speed".

Build good karma, stat

State school and better grades.

no tears, only dreams now