<p>Yes, Wall Street sends a lot of people to top business schools (and even more to mid-level business schools), and yes, Wall Street recruits at the brand name undergraduate schools (and schools like HBS attract applicants who like brand names)-but remember, if you go that route, you are competing against hundreds of sharp-elbowed peers with nearly identical credentials. It’s very, very hard to stand out. You will be ranked against the other 50 analysts at your firm when those letters of recommendation go out. </p>
<p>The easier route into a top business school (if you can’t arrange to be the heir to an industrial empire or to start a string of companies yourself) is to do something you love and get into a leadership position outside of the financial analyst and consulting world. It’s a lot easier to differentiate yourself if you aren’t one of several thousand analysts applying for a top slot. And for many of those jobs, you don’t need a brand name school.</p>