Undergrad--Cornell AEM?
Hello Wall Street Oasis,
I'm a high-school senior in the process of determining where I'd like to go to school for the next four years. It's been my dream since I was around 10 or 11 to work on the street in IB or PE, and so I'd like to do everything in my power to get there.
At the top of my list of schools is Cornell. I really enjoy the campus, and think that the AEM major gives me a good shot at getting recruited by most of the large firms.
The only thing that really worries me about AEM is the difficulty associated with getting admitted. Apparently, only 10% of applicants were accepted last year, a rate almost half that of Cornell as a whole. Although this is in line with other Ivy's, it is still somewhat worrisome.
I'd just like to ask if anyone could evaluate me as an applicant, speak on Cornell's program, or offer some general advice to a high-schooler trying to eventually find his way onto the street.
Stat Overview:
3.96/4 GPA, 4.55 weighted
Top 3% of class
Heavy courseload (10 AP's in sum)
SAT's: 730 math, 730 reading, 780 writing (2240 total)
5 5's on AP exams
Good to great extracurriculars (3 yr. varsity lacrosse, president of 3 clubs, multiple jobs, tutor, write for local paper)
In b4 people start criticizing hs student. I think you have a pretty good shot of getting in, probably around 75th percentile of applicants. Definitely apply, but also apply to schools in cities like BC/Harvard/Wharton/Columbia as it allows you to intern part time during the school year which will impress potential employers. Also try to get the SAT math and writing above 750 as they are easy to prep for, don't stress out about CR and take as many SAT II's as possible as it really makes a difference. EC's are okay, but nothing special so you'll probably need 3-4 700+ SAT II's in order to make yourself a lock to get into a good school - which shouldn't be too hard granted the 10 aps. Good luck!
Check out College Confidential too if you haven't already, it's more suited to these questions. Search "target schools" on this site now to figure out where to apply, then when you get in, just come back here to see which school you get into is best for IBD. Good luck
Thanks for the speedy responses. I've already checked out CC and comparable sites. Just wanted to see what people on here thought, especially because (having lurked for months now) I trust their judgement more so than on other, non-finance specific sites.
apply early to cornell aem, and i'd be surprised if you didn't get in.
Also if your unsure at all about getting in, just note that cornell engineering is the easiest way to get in for the ivy side (18% or so acceptance rate), and the state schools are around 20% as well and then you can easily transfer to AEM taking non engineering classes for your first year.
You're too smart for a trade school. Skip Cornell and go to Columbia or Dartmouth (depending on your urban vs. rural preference) - you'll meet more interesting and diverse people, and have as good of a shot (if not better) of being recruited, in a less competitive environment.
How do you even know about banking and private equity at age 11? I had never heard of it.
I'm an AEM alum, pm me if you have questions. Your overall background looks pretty good. They want leaders, which it looks like you have some experience being. Make sure that comes across in your essays.
Here are my thoughts:
Assuming worst case with your ethnicity/background (i.e. you're a white male from the suburbs of x-major city), you've still got a good shot at getting admitted to AEM, it's definitely worth a try. And you're correct about everything you said - it's a fun campus, it's a good school, and you'll get recruited everywhere when you graduate...
Personally I'd say you should also apply to the rest of the lower half of the ivies (might as well skip HYP - unless you're not a white/asian male then you'd have a shot with those numbers) and also apply to some other good public schools like UT Austin / Michigan / Berkeley.... unless admissions have gotten tougher over the last 8 years since i applied, you'll get into some places...
Also - the lacrosse team at cornell runs shit, so that'll be fun for you to watch... good luck.
you mean hockey?
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