Advice for Finance major

blossom
Tue, 24 Mar 2026 19:21:02 +0000

heavyweightcollege:

, the competition is fierce for top-tier programs and it would be bad advice for me to tell you to ignore that.

The competition is indeed fierce. And that’s something that everyone on CC agrees about.

The question is whether or not “finance related EC’s” is going to be a factor (important, critical, make-or-break) in admissions to one of these schools/programs, and there is very little evidence that suggests that adcom’s at Wharton (for example) are specifically looking for the “gunner” type of HS kid who is razor focused on finance– as an EC, as an academic interest as a future career. Being focused on math as a core skill and competency is very important. Being focused on a well rounded academic program (foreign language, the three core sciences, history/social studies is very important. Having non-classroom interests and accomplishments- very important. But having those accomplishments focus on business, investments, finance, etc? Debatable. And distinguishing oneself in some other way (the example I wrote about earlier- volunteering at a homeless shelter and gaining “business experience” understanding the cash flow issues, the intake/operataing costs issues, etc.) is going to make a far more compelling application than the stuff the adcom’s see every single day.

Being a strong, exceptional student and also demonstrating a social consciousness or citizenship or awareness of people beyond your HS has not (yet) gone out of fashion, no matter how competitive these programs are. Adcom’s do NOT wish to see themselves as another cog in the “Goldman Sachs Apprenticeship program”, even if that’s what students hope to accomplish by enrolling in their university. They still (anachronistically?) believe they are academic institutions first and foremost, and intellectual curiosity– breadth AND depth, not “I’m going to make a lot of money by the time I’m 30” careerism is still in fashion.

OP’s parent wants advice- my advice is to volunteer, get a regular job, clean out grandma’s garage or help the disabled neighbor shovel snow, help organize a voter registration drive in the HS for the kids turning 18, etc. Gunning for a finance career since middle school won’t get the job done at a top program.

Happy we can disagree on this.