<p>I am a senior majoring in finance and will graduating in May from a ranked university. My school is ranked 22nd in the nation for undergraduate finance but is not recognized at all from big prop shops and ibanks.</p>
<p>I will begin applying for positions come September and I was wondering how can I differentiate myself from the ivy-leaguers that I'm competing with? I will be taking the hardest finance courses offered this fall to better myself with quantitative finance. I have been self teaching myself C++ through various books and the internet. I will be taking a C++ course this fall as well. I have also had some experience with Java, VB, and VB.NET. How can I show the prop shops that I am just as hard working, intelligent, and motivated to learn as my competition?</p>
<p>Would it be advisable to stay in school and go for a masters in finance/programming/stats if I don't find the type of job I'm looking for?</p>
<p>Also, does anyone know the top prop shops in Chicago? I already know some of the best ones but I want to know if there is ranking of sorts.</p>
<p>Any advice would be helpful, thanks.</p>