IMO there’s nothing wrong with this. Most of the high-achieving kids in our area go to the most prestigious school they get into regardless of fit. IMO the idea of fit is wildly overrated — there are negligible differences between most of the T20s. Someone who will be happy at say, Princeton, will also probably enjoy Brown/Dartmouth and vice versa.
That being, being worried about Brown/Dartmouth not being prestigious enough for Private Equity seems absurd to me. The two schools place very well into finance, OP, so you have absolutely NO reason to be worried.
First of all, get a grip. You don’t know what in the world you’re talking about. Learn to love the place that loved you back (i.e., the Ivy League school that you got accepted to). You haven’t even started freshman year yet and you already have buyer’s remorse.
I mean, you haven’t even moved into the dorms yet and now you’re already thinking that there’s another shinier car, newer model, which you might like better.
The odds of you being able to transfer to a different Ivy League are lower than the odds were of you getting an acceptance to any of them for either ED or RD.
Not sure why you’re so focused on working at a big investment firm on Wall Street, but if that’s something that floats your boat, then go for it. But if you don’t land a job at one of those places, will your life be over? NO.
This is something where you kind of don’t know what the heck you’re talking about. Step away from the computer for a bit this summer and go out and experience and live life. Turn down the intensity from maybe an 11 to a 9 (old Spinal Tap reference…go Google it if you don’t know what I’m talking about).
Sounds like an existential crisis to me. Whatever will you do?
I do, however, think that Wall Street will be a good place for you. I hope you can make it to the top shelf there where you clearly belong, even if it has to be from a bottom feeder school like Brown or Dartmouth. Maybe you should heed @Catcherinthetoast ’s advice: take a gap year, further burnish your Top 5 profile, and get your rear end into a real school more becoming of your station.
I await with bated breath an update on your decision.
“Fit” becomes a two way process once you show up on campus having been accepted based on a profile presented via an ED application. You have represented yourself in a specific manner that suggests you will thrive and contribute to a community of common beliefs, motivations and interests.
I think OP’s consternation both suggests their application wasn’t entirely “complete” or introspective and/or their attitude won’t be welcomed by their soon to be classmates.
At my son’s graduation 2 weeks ago we shared a dinner amongst his housemates. 2 of the 6 kids had offers from HYPSM but choose to attend Brown. One kid opted into the PLME program and the other choose a variety of resources and the flexibility of the OC as the preferred location to build their entrepreneurial venture. The other kids at the table had all landed jobs at a variety of IB and consulting firms.
They were all extremely proud of their decisions, academic performance, career opportunities and joining the Brown alumni network.
The views espoused by the OP would not be welcomed on campus. The vast majority of these kids had stellar HS records of achievement and multiple options academically and professionally. I would strongly recommend that a student who hasn’t yet matriculated but views Brown (or Dartmouth) as a participation prize go and participate elsewhere.
With that said I suspect I am providing the exact reaction that was sought so well done!!
In the immortal words of Michael Corleone “just when I think I am out, they pull me back in”
The point of financial institutions is to accelerate the business and innovation cycle beyond the market’s natural speed. There is a reason the US is so rich compared to other countries beyond just its human capital.
You’d probably be happy working at Wells Fargo. It’s a financial institution which now very much has a NY bank management style and is headed up by former NY banking execs.
And that’s really the draw of these “prestige jobs”, isn’t it? Rather than an altruistic mission to make the world a better place by making markets more efficient.
Quick question:
What do you want to do after college graduation besides “I want to make as much money as possible?”
What does your definition of success look like?
Is it a certain salary per year?
A certain type of house in a certain part of the country?
Having a certain amount of $$ in the bank?
Also…
What type of people do you want to work with?
What sort of team dynamic are you looking for?
Have you thought about what you will do when you run into issues with burn out?
Do you know what the overtime requirements are for the type of job you’re seeking post-college graduation?
Ironic example. Charlie Scharf who is the current CEO of Wells Fargo (previously CEo BNY and Visa) is a personal acquaintance of over 30 years. He periodically recounts that he was hired by Jaime Dimon out of school to Commercial Credit because he was smart enough to attend and thrive at John’s Hopkins but didn’t have the pretense of having attended an Ivy.
Than exactly what is the point of this thread? You seem to be determined to “prove” that you Made A Terrible Mistake By Not Applying To HYPSM. OK, so let’s assume that you are right. What exactly do you want from the people here?
Do you want validation? Do you want people here to tell you “yes, you made a terrible mistake, you ruined your life by not applying to HTPSM”? That’s not going to happen.
LOL. You know there are students at those schools that drop out every year, transfer, regret their choice, regret too much debt, etc etc etc? Don’t cherry pick one statistic and drive yourself crazy over it. Driven successful well educated people bloom where they land. There’s plenty of data that indicate this. Maybe spend some time reading some Malcolm Gladwell. I know a number highly successful IB grads from public institutions in flyover states (spouse worked for firm in financial district in NY).
Please go to campus with an open mind and don’t go in thinking you are above everyone there and should be somewhere else. Give yourself a couple days to grieve the what ifs now and then let it go. Seek a therapist if you can’t so you’re prepared to focus when you get to campus. Find yourself some positive outlets other than googling data that serves to verify a false narrative you have created.
Seriously, this is some immature thought processes you have going with the grass is greener syndrome. When you graduate, employers/grad schools are going to want to hear how you jumped in head first and embraced every opportunity in front of you. Not how you would have, should have, could have had things been different. The world is truly your oyster and right there at your feet. Grab it.
The advantage of being old and having lived through multiple business cycles is that you remember Bear Stearns and Lehman and Archegos and Long Term Capital and Enron and Amaranth and Pequot and Galleon (I’ll stop before it gets too exciting). Everyone parrots the whole “The point of financial institutions is to accelerate the business and innovation cycle beyond the market’s natural speed” line when they are hauled before a Congressional sub-committee… or when the handcuffs are going on at 5 am and FBI agents are running around the house looking for your raincoat.
OP- best of luck to you. I hope when you aren’t busy grinding away for a shot at a high paying job on Wall Street or adjacent, you pay attention to your philosophy professors or history professors or poli sci professors or psych professors- all of whom will bring some context to the megalomania which runs rampant through the “bro culture” which runs many of our financial institutions. Or maybe have time to read a newspaper to catch up on next year’s version of Gamestop, WeWork, Theranos, etc.
This hasn’t just been a few days, this feeling has been building since February.
Obviously I didn’t, I could have taken the opportunity to attend/apply to a top 5 school. When an employer hears non-HYPSM ivy, they think “wasn’t good enough to land a HYPSM.” All of my friends are going to HYPSM and I have a similarly strong profile to them.
