<p>I would definitely do the same. It’s in the ivy league after all.</p>
<p>This is a message to all juniors and RD Engineering Applicants.
If you want to be an ‘engineer’ - go by ranking.
If you want to make the big bucks and go into Finance/Investment Banking (after MBA) - go by University name and class, not by rank.
Your Undergraduate college defines your life even more than Graduate school in some cases. Chose wisely.
OMGMIT - i don’t get why someone would not 
!!</p>
<p>Decision: Accepted</p>
<p>College and Program: College of Engineering</p>
<p>Stats:</p>
<ul>
<li>SAT I (by section): na</li>
<li>SAT IIs: 780 Math 2, 780 Chem, 800 US History</li>
<li>ACT: 35</li>
<li>APs: Calc BC-5, APUSH-4, macro-5, micro-4; taking AP Bio, Latin, Eng Lit & Comp, AP Euro this year</li>
<li>IBs: none</li>
<li>GPA (UW, W): 4.0 UW, 4.6 W</li>
<li>Rank: 1 of 140</li>
<li>Other stats: National Merit Semifinalist</li>
</ul>
<p>Subjective:</p>
<ul>
<li>ECs listed on app: Varsity Tennis (competed in state’s), student council president</li>
<li>Job/Work Experience: Tennis club instructor, parking attendant at music venue</li>
<li>Community Service: lots, hospital, camp counselor in inner-city, several missions trips abroad</li>
<li>Essays (subject and responses): Good, but nothing spectacular</li>
<li>Teacher Recs: Didn’t see, but hopefully good</li>
<li>Counselor Rec: Good</li>
<li>Hook (if any): none</li>
</ul>
<p>Location/Person:</p>
<ul>
<li>State or Country: Ohio</li>
<li>School Type: Private Christian</li>
<li>Ethnicity: White</li>
<li>Gender: M</li>
</ul>
<p>General Comments/Congratulations/Venting/Commiserations,etc: I’m waiting to see what financial aid I’ll get. I’m deciding between Purdue, UM and UICU - unless, of course, I get into MIT regular decision!</p>
<p>chelsearox’s advise for non-Wall Street types is spot on:
[Recruiters</a> Favor State Colleges & Universities for Job Hiring - WSJ.com](<a href=“Recruiters Favor State Colleges & Universities for Job Hiring - WSJ”>Recruiters Favor State Colleges & Universities for Job Hiring - WSJ)</p>
<p>I think I’d rather enjoy my job and get a lower pay than hate my job, sell my soul to financing corporations, and make bank. In all seriousness though - why major in engineering to become an investment banker? To show the recruiters you are smart? If you know you want to become an investment banker, why not just major in Finance?</p>
<p>DENIED
ACT 26, GPA 3.0</p>
<p>Well good luck to all you accepted, UIUC is an awesome school, visited in October :)</p>
<p>Well, you could always sell your soul, make bank, then retire early…</p>
<p>what part of working for an IB is selling your soul??
You earn great cash, you get to travel a lot and your perks are so comprehensive that the only thing you ever need to buy is food. Exposure at an IB for 10 years gives you enough smarts and cash to start your own consultancy firm or hedge fund. And its then that you enjoy life while a 20 year old UIUC/(and the like) grad works 100 hrs a week for you.</p>
<p>A person’s life should be based on one maxim.
‘Get rich or die trying’
the $ rules the world; not ethics and all that pretentious spiritual stuff.</p>
<p>SLightManifesto - Theres no logic behind it. Its a trend. Majoring in Engineering just proves that you are smarter than the rest, your brain is analytical and empirical, you can handle long work hours etc. There is no point in doing an under-graduation in finance/management and the doing as Masters in it. It just leads to redundancy. Whereas with Engineering you prove to recruiters that you have a diverse and eclectic education.</p>
<p>Remember, to do this you must pick a college which is VERY open and lets you study anything freely. After all you must know some Finance and Econ to get that 3 year work experience before your MBA.</p>
<p>I guess I don’t know enough about Investment Banking now, b/c I only knew the exaggerated stereotypes of 100+ hr workweeks, no life, no family, etc, but now you have me a little bit interested in it, and the Citadel Group apparently recruits from UIUC School of Engineering.</p>
<p>From what I can see it’s a lot of math, and that IS my favorite subject without a doubt. I’ll read into it a little more.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>For your sake I hope you were kidding. It makes me sick that some people have attitudes like that.</p>
<p>Also, 100 hours? really? lol</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>What? Engineers typically work the standard 40 hour week. IBankers no doubt work way more than engineers.</p>
<p>of course i was joking!!
But you have to admit that it is pretty important.</p>
<p>I was referring to the difficult nature of graduating from engineering. The work hours refer to the long study hours which engineering juniors and seniors regularly put in. I apologize if I wasn’t articulate enough.
That tiresome regime prepares engineering grads for the arduous nature of IBs.</p>
<p>SLightManifesto - I am glad I could help.</p>
<p>Chelsearox, you’re a self-absorbed ■■■■■■.</p>
<p>good to know.</p>
<p>Yeah I’ve been reading into IBanking for a day. It’s just not for me? Would I like to make $1M a year at the age of 35? It’d be wonderful, but a wife + family are two things that you just cannot put a price tag on. That said, there are other positions in Finance open to smart engineering grads from UIUC that aren’t anywhere near the same culture as IBanking that interest me, so it’s still a great option to have. Engineering really is a great degree - very versatile, very low risk/guilt (at least for a Computer Engineer as opposed to a Civil who has a high risk/guilt), fairly low stress (relative).</p>
<p>When I’m a Junior, I could decide to get an MBA, I could go into finance, I could use the engineering degree working for a corporation like IBM or Intel, I could do management - it’s definitely brings about a lot of excellent options.</p>
<p>Just one thing. You can’t get an MBA when you are a junior. You can only apply for an MBA after 3 years of work experience. Which is only possible after you finish your undergrad. </p>
<p>But the management post at Intel or IBM would be VERY hard to land and is usually for people who have 20+ years of work experience. You can only land those jobs when you are 40ish. Till then you have to work a consultant or an engineer. Both of which will give you relatively short work hours so you can spend time with your wife+family. However, the pay is in the region of $70,000 - $130,000 a year. Thats the hard choice to make, family vs money.
This is just food for thought. I don’t want to bash anyone’s life aspirations. Please don’t construe me as ‘self-absorbed ■■■■■■’. I just want to help.</p>
<p>Well I was being hypothetical. You could land a management spot at Joe Schmo’s Computers for all I care - it was hypothetical. And you can make the decision to go for an MBA when you are contemplating your future and there’s nothing stopping you, whereas other majors would find an MBA as useless.</p>
<p>I think we can agree it’s a versatile degree.</p>
<p>
Just a heads up… some schools offer 5-year BS Engineering/MBA degree programs. Having summer internship jobs beginning at least after your 2nd year are usually required.</p>
<p>Washington University in St. Louis, Carnegie Mellon, Purdue, etc. have these programs.</p>
<p>I totally agree with you SlightManifesto. Engineering is the most kick ass degree in the world. </p>
<p>Wow I did not know that JiffsMom. Thanks.
Just one thing though, shouldnt one do an MBA from a top top school like Wharton/HBS/Kellogg etc etc ?? I understand its not possible for everyone to do so but by finishing of your MBA in ‘Washington University in St. Louis, Carnegie Mellon, Purdue, etc.’ you kill a future possibility.</p>