Hello, I’m a junior in high school who really wants to attend nyu as a Econ major. I need an investment banking gig right out of college. I have a 3.6 unweighted, 2000 sat (taking again, goal is 2050), and a 31 act. I have good ECs. Captain of golf team, Fbla member, affiliated with drama program, tennis starting this year, and over 50 hours of community service. I am taking 3 ap classes and plan to take 3 next year too. I am in ap macro/micro and had an A in macro and currently have an A- in micro. I know my grades are lower for Cas but I can definitely play golf for nyu. Will that give me any special treatment for admissions?
Oh, and my grades have a noticeable increase. Freshmen 3.3 uw with 3 honors, sophomore 3.75 uw with 3 honors, and currently a 3.75 this year with 3 ap, and 2 honors. Nothing happened to me my freshmen year, I just didn’t know how to put my studying to good use.
If you can finish off this year with at least a 3.85, you’ll have a much higher chance, although not great; however an upward trend may allow them to overlook your freshman year performance at least slightly. Getting a 31 ACT and 2050 SAT will be good enough for CAS, but not great. I’d really aim for 32/2100+. I’d also take some SAT2’s like Math 2 and a science. As for your EC’s, they’re decent, but not anything extraordinary. Try doing some more volunteer work over the summer (preferably not church-related or at a hospital. Try differentiating yourself with a cause that you really care about). NYU wants to see really well-rounded individuals so doing things you’re actually passionate about is key.
As for golf, unless you’re super talented, don’t expect to get offered any money if they recruit you; NYU isn’t great when it comes to sports. Also realize that the recruitment process for sports is half academic, so in order to be a viable candidate, you have to have good scores anyway.
Good luck! With your current stats I’d say it’s a slight reach, but if you’re able to just improve everything by a hair, you’d be a great match as long as your EC’s and essays go well.
Also it’s worth saying that 70% of Stern and a large portion of CAS Econ all want front office IB jobs, so I wouldn’t get your hopes up, because even if you study insanely hard and network your ass off, you still have to get pretty lucky to land such a job. (Also for the most part high-GPA Stern, Wharton, Cornell AEM, Ross and HPY/Dartmouth/Duke econ majors get first dibs on most interviews)
Thank you so much! Does level of interest help at all? I am getting d1 offers from schools such as Harvard, Lehigh, and Richmond. Turning that down should express great interest. Am I correct? I will definitely strive for 2100+ now.
Also, you seem like you know what you are talking about. Is there really massive grade inflation at schools like Harvard, to the point where I can put up good grades if I work my ass off? I really need that investment banking job!
If you have already gotten “offers” from Harvard and Lehigh - why NYU?
“need that investment banking job!” - need? already know what you “need” at 16 - maybe things will change by the time you are 21
Have you visited these schools and what draws you each one?
I love nyu. I have visited everyone accept Harvard. D1 golf is a huge commitment! It’s around 25-30 hours a week for d1. I am drawn to nyu for the cliche reasons. Nothing attracts me to Lehigh and I am intimidated by Harvard. Business has always been a passion of mine and I put a lot of unneeded pressure on me. I just put the emphasis on need just to show where I want to be right out of college.
@itsdatimsta If you can get into Harvard and major in econ, go there over NYU CAS Econ. It’s an ivy plus there’s a way better chance to break into IB over CAS Econ, although it’s far from impossible. Going to Stern vs. Harvard econ may be a different story, but just be prepared to work your ass off at Stern grade-wise if you go there, assuming you’re recruited (since there’s a very slim chance at getting accepted without being recruited for your current stats) and network your ass off at Harvard since it’s further away from NYC.
Grade inflation at premier institutions just means that you need better stats at those institutions compared to others that WS recruits at, and that you need to deviate yourself from the other applicants in the school in a way other than grades, even though you should do that at any school you go to.
I’m not discouraging you from NYU CAS Econ but if it’s true that you’re getting offers from these levels of schools, it may be a worse decision for you.
And I’d really take what @swampdraggin said to heart. You won’t be successful in any career path if you’re not actually passionate about it. I’m going to Stern because I have a legitimate interest in the business world and how it works.
What about Dartmouth? I might want talk to the coach. How’s grade inflation there?
Trust me, I am very passionate about finance and business. Thank you again for the advice. What about CAS vs. Dartmouth? They seem about equal in the Econ rankings.
@itsdatimsta Hard to say, especially if you attend in 2 years. Grade inflation has become more and more apparent over the years at Dartmouth but it’s not as rampant as Harvard. They’re proposing harsher grading policies but unless you go there over a long period of time you won’t know if these policies will/are actually effective.
There’s no “easy path to Wall Street” school. You have to work hard regardless of what school you attend simply because EVERYONE wants a job there. Cruising through without connections won’t get you anywhere. The most you can do if your father isn’t a MD at GS is get as high grades as possible, network your butt off and become amazing at writing cover letters and doing interviews, and that’s AFTER you get into a school where these firms recruit.
I never said that I won’t work hard. It’s just that I want to achieve wherever I go.
@itsdatimsta If you’re willing to put the effort, you’ll become successful at any school I listed, and more. A curve doesn’t really mean anything other than firms’ requirements for higher GPA at those schools when recruiting.
Thank you so much. You really just answered 2 years worth of confusion for me. I have anxiety sometimes about weather I’m fit for these schools or not but all I have to do is work very hard and network. Thank you.