What else should I do to get into targets?
Hey everyone,
16 yr old HS sophomore here. I come from a middle class family and I've always dreamed of a finance career. I'm working my ass off rn so that I can get into a good target school, but there is just so much competition. For reference, I go to a large competitive public high school in the midwest.
My unweighted GPA should be 3.92+ by the time I'm a senior. Pandemic caused a drop in grades for me in BC calculus, AP Chem, and a retarded computer class (B in all). My weighted (which is what school only records) GPA of 4.2 puts me comfortably in the top 5-10% of class, and if I get straight As next year (which I can if there is no pandemic), I should have a 4.5+ GPA which puts me up very high.
SAT wise, I haven't taken the test yet but practice tests tell me that I'll get a 1550+. I'm not too worried on that end. AP tests should all be 4 or 5s, and I will take at least 13 AP classes by the end of high school. I am on a very rigorous track compared to other students so ig that helps.
Anyways I'm more worried about my extracurriculars. I do MUN a lot and I'm really good at it with a ton of awards. I also do science fair and have done quite well (no ISEF but a ton of prize money). I also made commercialization plans. The rest of my ECs aren't as important but include TedX organizing and a few other irrelevant school clubs.
I have plans for next year including starting my own conference and doing research with a target prof but what else should I do? I'm gonna work a fuck ton on the conference and use it to show business skils. Are my stats gonna fuck me up? Should I take calc 3 and other calc classes at a local uni to make up for the Bs? Do I need business ECs? I can work on creating a business out of some science fair research I did. Assume that essays/recs are decent.
What else should I do? Is there a secret sauce I'm missing? What do you think I should do? Any help is good help at this point
My child, you need not to worry about whether or not you'll get into "targets," but whether or not your soul is right with Allah. Your post sounds very anxious and stressed, and reading and listening to the Quran daily will help refresh your heart and mind.
How else can I not be stressed? Everyone around me is curing cancer and so many smart kids are getting rejected from target schools. ugrad admissions are way too competitive these days, much more than a few years ago
Cure the cancer in your own heart and no one can reject you.
It sounds like you're on the right track. Keep working hard and results will come. Do you play any sports?
I play a pretty niche and non-NCAA sport that I'm not too talented at, but it's Varsity.
Oh ok that’s cool - everything helps.
Do something entrepreneurial or research oriented and make it original. Try and stand out from the people who help homeless or whatever for a certain number of hours
Couldn't agree more. Everyone helps with the homeless, everyone has a high GPA with high test scores. It actually makes me angry how entitled these people feel too when it comes to acceptance from the top colleges. You need to stand out and a great way to do this is through individual research and competitions. The more well-known the competition the better.
Glad to give some insight. I also came from a similar background (competitive, large high school) and found it nearly impossible to break into even a T20 school with 1500+, good GPA, extracurriculars, etc. I ended up at my flagship state school and killed it since I was decently driven and smart and transferred out to a T10 after my freshman year. Personally, I think that you should give it your best to get into a good school but don't take transferring after your first year out of the question since it seems you have competitive stats and it will be easier process than straight out of HS if you create a good story and put some effort through the process. TLDR; relax, you're chillin regardless of what happens and will have a good chance at IB/PE if you continue putting in work.
Yeah this.
Yeah I'm pretty much an auto admit for my state flagship and its honors college. If all else fails, I'll try that. Thanks!
I wish I found WSO at 16 - you’re set dude.
Sports are by far the easiest backdoor into targets. Become one of the best in the country at any collegiate sport at the hs level and you will be able to get into target schools with objectively worse stats than non-athletes.
Note, this is not relevant if you ride the bench in JV basketball, I'm talking about getting recruited. I will bet money that the student athletes at all the targets had way lower standardized test scores compared to the average student.
I wish, but the only sport I play is a non-NCAA sport. I think it's too late for me to start a new one given that I'd only have a year to get good enough to receive any offers
What about Cross Country - can you run?
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Hahaha Isaiah you’re a big fan of that perfect gpa status I’ve noticed
Build a spike in whatever you're interested in. If you're interested in Finance since there's such a large shift towards Quant/Algo/HFT for trading and analysis/research I'd highly recommend participating in Stock Trading Competitions, pursuing advanced mathematics topics and participate in as many competitions as possible(You're in BC as a sophomore. I took it as a Junior and that was the earliest we could take it so I assume your senior year math would be very interesting), Colleges accept applicants based on whether or not they look like a winner and often times it's very hard to tell so give them some help and have a proven track record of performing and "winning". I graduated 26th in my class but had a spike in my application towards computing and was accepted to more competitive schools than the top 3 students since they looked like every single other perfect student - Volunteer clubs, high GPA, top 5% test scores, etc. We all ended up going to the same school at the end which was a top school but the look on their eyes when they said they were straight-up denied from Stanford while I was waitlisted was hilarious and they were wondering how "someone like me" could even get waitlisted.
Agreed, admissions officers prefer kids with a spike to well-rounded applicants. They craft a class nowadays so you want to be able to be branded "that kid who was really good at X" and not a generic guy with good stats and a mission trip.
You’ll be fine, I couldn’t give a damn about academics or my future career when I was your age and everything worked out perfectly fine. Remember to take some time to be a high school kid and when the time comes enjoy college. If you only focus on school and don’t develop any social skills no one will want to hire you anyway.
With that said, you’re definitely on the right track - I wish I had started thinking about my career at your age.
A few more things to consider: you still have time to build meaningful relationship with faculty at your desired school. Spend time this summer researching faculty academic interests and try to identify if any are performing research in an area you enjoy! If so, reach out and volunteer - one reason athletics is such a great ticket is because someone from inside the institution is pulling prospects in. You may be able to re-create that pull factor in another way. You also mentioned that you play/participate in a non-NCAA sport. How good are you and is it realistic to become highly ranked (within the top 50 or recognized on a national/international level) before your apply to schools? Have you considered top LACs (and state Ivies) in addition to HYPSM? For example, many NESCAC and UAA schools (D3 sports conferences) also place many graduates in Finance. Best of luck!
Do you think that getting close with a faculty member would be a ticket for my way in? Do they really have that much sway over the adcom? I'm already planning on doing research so I'll cold email a ton of profs then.
There really aren't any ranks but I can play in some high level tournaments. LACs aren't really my cup of tea (too small) and I def have considered public Ivies like UMich, UVA, UCB, etc.
No guarantee but being creative should be part of your strategy. Profs are more influential than most give them credit for. Admission is also a lot about the academic/artistic/athletic needs of a school! Also, building those types relationships does communicate your determination/grit in the eyes of the selection committee.
What size is to small? Many of the most rigorous schools have relative small student populations - Northwestern, Pomona (Claremont College consortium), WashU, UChicago, W&L, Georgetown. You are absolutely right to point out the importance of fit though!
do CS
OP check out this post https://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forums/how-do-i-get-my-kids-into-top-5-…
A little too late for a lot of those, but I think transferring to an elite boarding/feeder school might be viable.
I think you're doing just right, Just do your best and keep your head up. What would come will eventually come, take it easy.
Do something weird. There's a small army of good grades, AP students with cookie cutter extra curriculars trying to break down the door to every good school. If you play it this way, you're leaving your odds at a bout 10% with no real control over the outcome.
However, if you do something very different than your peers (doesn't have to be actually impressive, just something that makes the reviewer go "Haven't seen that before"), your odds skyrocket (assuming you met the grade benchmark).
Maybe you like to beekeep, Maybe you work 40+ hours a week in a rough job while in school. Maybe you spend time collecting fossils. All it has to be is a niche activity that you do because you like it, not because the college admissions officer might like it or your parents bought it / made you / etc.
tldr: Don't be boring, get good grades, take on a niche hobby that is differentiated. You don't have to cure cancer, you just have to be different.
Do this. If it doesn't get you into a target school. It'll make your life more fruitful and make you stand out during recruiting. If you've been around WSO you know that you can still get in to the right position without a target degree. And, there are plenty of people from targets that cry abbout the non-targets taking stealing their jobs.
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