<p>It's not just about going to a top school like UCLA, UCB or UCSD. When top firms come they only interview the best of the best. The better school you go to the lower the threshold of accomplishment you need.</p>
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You can go to Harvard but a 3.0 GPA there will not cut it, 3.5 maybe with other areas being strong
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<p>Yeah, but the truth is, it's not that hard to get a 3.5 at Harvard, because the grading is inflated. I believe that the average GPA of Harvard has been reported to be around a 3.4. </p>
<p>Note, that is the average. With judicious avoidance of difficult classes (i.e. not majoring in a natural science or math), a person can conceivably get a 3.5 at Harvard without doing that much work. </p>
<p>The truth is, the hardest part about Harvard is getting in. Once you're in, it's not that hard to pull off decent grades, especially if you avoid difficult majors.</p>
<p>It's strange considering how much people love to diss McGill on this site, but Canadian I-banks (RBC, CIBC, etc.) as well as hedge funds, private equity, and venture capital recruit very heavily at McGill. U.S. banks don't recruit much, but there is a good alumni network that allows those who are truly interested to seek out interviews w/u.s. firms. My friend has a job at UBS in Conn. as an analyst, and he's only 21. I get emails all the time from the McGill investment club telling me a McGill alumini at Morgan Stanley is looking for 2 positions at their NY office, etc. Recently Goldman Sach came and recruited engineers for quant trading positions.</p>
<p>Unlike the Ivy's, you can't major in a something "soft," though. It has to be accounting/finance, econ/finance, math/comp sci./mechanical engineering, etc. Ideally, you should be in the "honours" program, which is easier said than done, and maintain a ~3.5 GPA. This highlights the fact that McGill is all about what you do when you get in, since getting in isn't that difficult. The McGill Investment Club has been a great way to network with others.</p>