Hi,
I’m looking at going into investment banking (currently a Junior in HS) and I would like some help. I don’t know what schools I should be looking into, and I don’t know if I am shooting too high or low. Anyway, I’ll provide my stats (through 2 full years plus 1/4 of Jr. Year):
UW GPA: 3.75
W GPA: 4.18
ACT: Likely 32+ (I test well and I take Princeton Review Classes
I am a white male at a medium sized public school in Central NJ.
ECs:
Eagle Scout
1 Term as Boy Scout Senior Patrol Leader (Highest Position)
Order of the Arrow (Boy Scout Honor Society)
National Honor Society
FIRST Robotics Marketing Team won entreprenuership award at world championships
Lacrosse (Played every year)
I am currently looking into these schools:
Notre Dame
Georgetown
UNC-Chapel Hill
UCLA
Michigan
Princeton (long shot, but I live so close)
Georgia Tech
Yale (another long shot)
Duke
You need some safeties and match type schools. With what you have provided, the schools listed are all reaches. Closest chance is probably Ga Tech. Also really hard to chance without scores. Even with a 32 most are reaches.
UCLA, UNC, Michigan & Georgia Tech are all out-of-state publics. As a general rule, out-of-state publics are very, very stingy with financial aid… there are exceptions, of course, but while you have a very good/solid record, it is not so super exceptional that out-of-state elite publics are going to shower you with financial aid.
You need a lot more matches than you currently have.
Rutgers should absolutely be on your list.
You have two Catholic universities on your list… so I imagine you might also look at Boston College.
Also consider: Cornell, Vanderbilt, Emory, Tufts, Lehigh, Northeastern, George Washignton
Investment Banking is a career more so than an academic program. If you are interested in either business schools or solid economics departments, they would be easier to identify.
Eagle Scout goes a long way; you probably have a better shot at these schools than your UW GPA alone would indicate. Your list is still reach-heavy though.
Look on Wall Street Oasis for information about target (and semi-target) schools. I think (but could be wrong) that UVA is more of a target than Chapel Hill for instance, but this is the kind of thing you need to research. You’ll have to apply to some non-targets as well for your low matches and safeties. You may want to consider schools such as Fordham, where OCR isn’t great but physical proximity to Wall Street may come in handy if you can hustle.
All the schools you are considering are elite, but not all of them are targets for Wall Street firms. I would consider UCLA and UNC semi-targets and GT is not a target.
The others are all targets to varying degrees.
I would replace UNC and UCLA with UVa and NYU Stern as the latter two are bigger target schools than the former two. I would also check out Villanova and Boston College.
Why are you considering Yale and Princeton but not Wharton?
harvardandberkeley, Michigan is no longer stingy with aid to OOS students. It has in fact improved significantly on this front and will continue to improve on that front. UNC is also not stingy, neither is UVa. That being said, I agree that the OP’s list may not be optimal if he requires generous aid packages.
Since when did this become a chance me thread for investment banking.? This is not a chance me tread for HS students who have no idea what they are talking about.
Just try to get into a solid business school with a strong finance major and good placement at investment banks. I am working at a BB investment bank and majored in Finance at Villanova.