<p>Let's say a person (I won't say I since it has never happened to me yet) attends a decent college (Top-tier UC) and decides to double-major in Econ (concentration in Finance and Econometrics) and Mathematics with courses in programming (C++). He takes the most rigorous courses ever (4, 5 courses per quarter/semester + summer class) and he ends up with a 3.9+ GPA. However due to the packed schedule he didn't have the chance to do any significant leadership activities. He doesn't have any prestigious internship experience nor he has worked part-time during his collegiate life.</p>
<p>After he get his B.A./B.S., will he be successful in getting employed? If so, what kind of job will he most likely end up at?</p>
<p>I guess what I'm asking is, will the "good numbers" be good enough to get himself employed at somewhat prestigious finance/investment firms? Or would they prefer someone with mediocre GPA (between 3.0 and 3.5) with excellent ECs?</p>
<p>when you graduate from college, everyone has the same degree</p>
<p>BUT!!! not everyone has the same work experience/professional development. how can you differentiate yourself from just your degree?</p>
<p>my mentality is that you should take minimal classes, keep a high GPA, and use your remaining time to find some internships... ones that you can really benefit from</p>
<p>also, avoid useless jobs (cafeteria etc) at all costs!!! though your internship might not be paid, its by far more beneficial in the long run</p>
<p>
[quote]
use your remaining time to find some internships
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Yea but the problem is that some of the most prestigious intern positions require you to have gone through a rigorous course schedule to show your intellectuability and Diligence. Which in turn forces prospective interns to keep busy with academics, which naturally limits their time for ECs... etc.</p>
<p>ECs can help for sure. If you were the president of a club or organization that actually did something (not the Break-Dancing Club) you could certainly show leadership (don't have to be president even, just have some official title). For example, for finance, maybe join the funding arm (or eventually get there) of your school's student government. I'm not sure how other schools work, but here we have a Student Assembly Finance Commission that splits up a budget near $1 million among various official university-sponsored clubs. Then a lot of these well-funded clubs (the highest 2 have about $180,000 each year) have finance directors of their own that make sure the club is spending enough but not too much (don't spend enough, SAFC cuts your budget next year - spend too much, you'll be "borrowing" money from your budget next year with no guarantee of increased funding). Any of those positions would seem very relevant to finance jobs. And, honestly, if a student can't pursue a couple different extra-curricular activities and still good grades, that would probably be a signal to any prospective employer (that you need more time than the kid w/ a 3.9 who was president of X and elected representative of Y to get the same grades, or that you can't manage conflicting priorities or prioritize at all). The people that get hired at the prestigious finance/investment firms are the people that have managed a 3.5+ with extracurricular (and DEFINITELY summer) activities. There's no 100% Phillips curve between grades and extracurricular involvement.</p>
<p>But those ECs should be used, ideally, in finding at least one internship before your senior year, because that is definitely (from what I hear) what is going to make or break a person. Of course, if you come out of Berkeley or UCLA with a 3.9 in econ and math, you'll get a job somewhere. Maybe even the prestigious finance position you seek. But why would you not first try for internships? What's the point of taking summer classes all the time if you don't need them to graduate even?</p>
<p>The bottom line is that good grades can make up for lack of EC involvement, and EC involvement can make up for good grades, but if you are going for the top jobs in finance (where everyone and all their siblings want to end up) you will be hurting yourself without both. I bet you'd get a great job somewhere with a 3.9 GPA even without former employment or ECs of any kind, but why you wouldn't want a summer job and then a summer internship doesn't make sense.</p>
<p>Don't worry about EC involvement-worry about internships in your field. The majority of these will be in the summer, so be open to not taking summer classes.</p>