<p>I am just looking for some advice on what I should do....Currently I am a freshman at UW-Madison. I want to major in Finance, and potentially become a trader for an IB, hedgefund, or work at the CME. I am from Chicago and plan on staying in Chicago for my career. I realize that becoming a trader is very difficult, and thats why I am asking for advice. What will benefit my chances for reaching my goal. Internships? Connections? Is UW-Madison Business a good enough education? Should I major in finance? Any help is appreciated.</p>
<p>I’d visit wallstreetoasis.com. There are a lot more IB types that hang out there. This board seems to be a lot of accounting experts, but not many that are IB.</p>
<p>UW-Madison is decent. You have a shot from there, but it will be more difficult than if you were at Michigan, Northwestern, or UChicago for Chicago offices, but not impossible. As for major, I would do a double major in finance and math because math is more important than finance for trading nowadays. Actually, CS + Finance would be really good as well.</p>
<p>And yes, keep your GPA WAY UP (like 3.8+ to even have a shot) particularly in finance/math classes and network like crazy. Try and get into boutique shops during your freshman and sophomore years (search WSO for a list of boutiques by city), get a good GPA, network and you should be able to do a BB your junior year. Good luck</p>