Recently when I look at my LinkedIn feed, I see a bunch of posts from high school students, some as young as sophomore year. These kids seem so in the know too; one was looking for an economic research internship in very specific fields. Even on wso, high school students are posting things like "Which college is better for mbb?" Is this the new normal now? I made out quite fine in recruiting despite getting LinkedIn my freshman/sophomore year of college. Heck, I didn't even know what consulting/IB was until then either. Perhaps this could be because I didn't go to an elite high school filled with bankers' kids. But what's the rush? Is this just part of the hyper-competitive culture that's been growing recently among elite students?
I say that as someone who wishes I had more fun in high school and was less intense. Every time I see one of their posts, in my head, I think to myself "dude, you're in high school. Relax and have fun."
What I have noticed is yes, a lot of high schoolers on LinkedIn now. However, it's becoming more competitive to get into any field these days. Many people are struggling to find relevant internship/work even post-grad.
Can't knock these students to try to get a step ahead, though.
Yeah I can see that. I'm definitely not knocking them, I actually think it is pretty impressive. I'm intrigued because it's very different than what I experienced.
Factoring in the all-time low admissions rates at top schools that are projected to go even lower in the coming years, it's no surprise that high schoolers nowadays are publishing books, starting companies, and even doing college-level internships just to get into college when less than a decade ago mere GPA/test scores were sufficient for those schools.
I made my LinkedIn account as a sophomore in HS lol. I didn’t really post anything though, I just made it because everyone else did.
It's the prevalence of the Internet. Many high schoolers are online all the time and the most ambitious ones are trying to get ahead.
Like people said above, it's getting so competitive nowadays because of how easily accessible everything is and it's getting more and more competitive every year.
Some examples:
1. One of my parents' colleagues sons recently got into one Ivy and got rejected from the rest. He had written a 100-page book on Water Law. When we were impressed that he had written the book, the parent and the son both honestly said that any competitive applicant is writing a book these days. When I was applying to college 5-ish years ago, if someone wrote a book like that, they'd be almost guaranteed to get into any college they want. It's shocking to think that 10-20 years ago, if you just look at college acceptance rates, it doesn't seem that hard to get into a good college at all.
2. For any high-paying career, nowadays there are numerous different resources or consulting services that will help you get the job you want whether it's IB, Consulting or Grad School Admissions. These honestly were not that prevalent 10 years ago let alone 20 years.
3. YouTube has blown up significantly since the early to mid 2010's as the platform transitioned from just having silly content and videos to being many people's livelihoods or additional sources of income. Nowadays, you can learn anything from YouTube. When I was in high school in the very early 2010's, I barely knew YT existed and almost never used it. If I had a question about something, I would have to either call a friend or ask the teacher the next day. Now, people can find hundreds of videos on any topic they want. It's shocking to see that the most popular channels and videos on educational or helpful content really only were uploaded 5-ish years ago.
Another thread about a princess complaining about LinkedIn nothing new here.
I was locked out of LinkedIn for years (switched emails and it would'nt accept my IDs to unlock the account), but finally got back on it last year. Most of my friends my age are crushing it. It is impressive.
I like PE and messaged a good contact of mine for PE work on there recently, but I just asked for 20hr weeks remotely and he wasn't down for that. He wanted me to move cities for a FT position and I just can't move right now due to family.
I have my eye on a few other people on LinkedIn that I may ask for favors, but I hate asking for favors.
Bro what?
What?
Hey man, there is no support when you get locked out of LinkedIn, there was nothing I could do. I eventually had to wait for them to update their software and finally was able to login again.
How is this relevant to the discussion at all lol
I thought this was the LinkedIn thread. Sorry dude if my LinkedIn experience is different than the above. I don't see HS posts in my feed.
Isaiah forgot to take his dementia pills
My mom takes dementia pills - I guess you think that’s funny or worthy of a joke?
I feel bad for people younger then me. It's getting so fucking competitive nowadays. Kids are publishing books and starting nonprofits, all while keeping a great GPA, just to get into a target college so they have a shot at getting into IB/MBB so they have a shot at getting into PE. I don't think there will be any such thing as childhood in the next decade.
Exactly, isn't it crazy? Like it's no longer good enough to have a strong GPA/SAT and be a leader in student clubs. My brother who had a 34 ACT, all A's, and some extracurriculars got rejected from from almost every school he applied to, including Villanova, Boston College, and UVA. Everyone was shocked. The valedictorian of his class of (#1 out of 700+ students, insane applicant) ended up at a state school that's considered a "non target."
I think especially this year with the test optional stuff, people are under more pressure to shine outside the classroom, because the applicant pool now consists of those with bad test scores who think they can compensate in some other way.
It’s actually insane how weird the college admissions process has gotten. Freshman are reaching out to network all the time and they know as much as i did when I was recruiting SA roles. It’s absolutely absurd. Also, a lot of them, even the ones that seem to be chill, have sacrificed their social lives for the sake of networking and internships. Lastly, it’s turning all these kids into hardos which is the last thing banking needs more of.
Are you talking about freshmen in college recruiting for IB? Or freshmen in high school applying to college?
The classic “8 years old with no internship, am I doomed?” thread will be real next decade. Life imitates art.
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