<p>Currently I am a freshmen who is going to a school that isn't known for producing kids for IB. So is it possible for someone with very high GPA (3.9+), amazing letter of recs, and lots of extracurricular to get job offer or even an internship at a top firm (JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley etc)? Or should I just try my best to transfer to a better school (Penn, UChicago, Cornell etc)?</p>
<p>Thank you very much for your time.</p>
<p>Possible, but difficult since you won’t have access to OCR (On Campus Recruiting)</p>
<p>Oh okay, thank you very much for your feedback.</p>
<p>It depends on a number of factors.
<ol>
<li><p>Will someone believe you could have gone to a top school, but for whatever reason didn’t (financial aid, wanted to be close to family, …)? When applying, particularly if applying online, you will be asked for your SAT scores, GMAT scores if you’ve taken them, sometimes even high school grades. The average SAT score in one of the groups where I worked I believe was somewhere around a 2200 and it is at a slightly less well regarded bank than the ones you mentioned. If you scored well on your SATs (2250+), this will work in your favor. If you scored poorly (less than 2100, this will be another mark against you). Obviously, if you are in this range, you should retake the SATs and possibly the gmats, if you believe you can score in the 720+ range.</p></li>
<li><p>Does your school have any alumni at these banks or do you have any contacts at the above bank?
If the answer is no, your chances are very close to 0.</p></li>
<li><p>What kind of experience do you have? If you can get a summer internship at a reputable investment bank your sophomore year (doesn’t need to be a bb), you will be in a much better place for junior year recruitment. If your only experience is in boutique consulting or personal wealth management, it will be very tough to get that junior year internship.) Without a junior year internship at the particular bank you plan on working for, your chances are basically 0.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Finally, give up on the idea of working just at a three you mentioned.
Culturally, none of these may be the best for you.
Even people towards the top of their class at Princeton will apply to more than just the top BBs and elite boutiques. The difference between say Goldman and Credit Suisse are so minimal that choosing to work at one rather than the other often comes down to group placement or culture.</p>
<p>angryelf, thank you very much for your very detailed and informative response. </p>
<p>I currently go to Tennessee State University which isn’t ranked among top 50. I don’t think its even ranked in top 100 to be honest. One of the reasons that I decided on going there is because they offered me the presidential scholarship along with a membership to the honors program. The school was also close to my house and I didn’t really have better options due to my high school credentials.
High School credentials:
3.2 GPA (took most challenging curriculum, but started slacking off)
President and founder of math club
President of forensics club
Head fund manager of HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America)
Varsity Soccer (3 yrs)
Varsity Cross Country (2 yrs)
Varsity Track (2 yrs)
SAT I: math=720, reading=520, writing=480 (Didn’t care much for the writing section since the schools that I was considering disregarded it)
Volunteered at local hospital 500+ hours. </p>
<p>As you can see there wasn’t anything impressive, so I just decided to attend TSU.
I still want to transfer to a top tier school. This whole winter break I have been practicing SAT tests and have managed to consistently score around CR:650-700;M:750-800;W:700-750. I think that I can still do better and have registered to take the January SAT. </p>
<p>The teachers at my current school really like me and from what I’ve heard there are only about 4 students that have gone to do IB at a BB in last 5 years.
So far I haven’t had any experience in banking. I am trying to get an internship but since I am only a freshmen it is difficult. </p>
<p>What schools do you think I should apply for?
College Credentials:
GPA:3.667 (2 Bs’:chemistry and english both 8:00 am classes and I had missed too many days)
Presidential Scholarship
Honors Program
Honors Program Freshmen Representative
Co founder of the Soccer Club
Current Extracurriculars:
Soccer
Forensics (extemporaneous speaking, impromptu, and informative speaking)
Peer Tutoring (20 hrs/week)
I can also get really good recommendations from my Calculus and Economics Professors. </p>
<p>Do you not think that I have a chance of transferring at UPENN, UChicago, Emory, Cornell, Vandy, Carnegie Mellon, NYU (Stern)? I really want to go to UPENN (1st choice) do you think it would help waiting and applying as a sophomore?
Or What other schools would you suggest?</p>
<p>Thank you so much for your feedback.</p>
<p>Emory and Vandy are semi-targets at best … and that’s a huge stretch (imo). Carnegie mellon is in this boat too but its better than emory and vandy. </p>
<p>I know cornell, stern, penn, and chicago place decently (all semi-targets or targets)</p>
<p>Plenty of people on the street from Emory and Vandy. You wont get a penny from Stern as a transfer so dont bother. Add dook to your list, and good luck with the process.<br>
ps No one can tell you your chances, unless they are a professional in the field of college admissions. However - colleges wont look at your HS transcripts, they want to know what you are capable of in college. Go for it. Applications are due soon if you want a sophomore transfer.</p>
<p>Yeah I was thinking the same about Stern too. I will definitely do that. I thought that if you’re applying as a freshmen (to attend school as a sophomore) you’re high school credentials do play a factor? </p>
<p>Thank you everyone for your feedback. I really appreciate it!</p>
<p>Penn is definitely the top in terms of IB recruiting, but that doesn’t mean you can’t break in from elsewhere. There was a guy from some state school in Wisconsin interning at Blackstone last summer.</p>
<p>Look at UVA, UNC or UMich with that GPA. Stern and Penn would be really hard to get in.</p>
<p>@SSK 91 yeah I was also thinking of adding few top public colleges too. I think I would have a better chance there. Thank you!</p>