“What are the key tips for college success, especially for USC economics majors aiming to transfer to the business school for accounting and finance? As a high school senior getting ready for college, I’m seeking advice on what to do differently and what to know in the short and long term. I have no work experience yet and I’m looking for a summer job. Any insights or suggestions you wish you had known before starting college at USC?”
#CollegeTips #USC #EconomicsMajor #AccountingandFinance #HighSchoolSenior #SummerJob #CollegePreparation #StudentLife
Figuring shit out sooner is a MASSIVE advantage. Recruiting kicks off much faster than anyone wants for a lot of competitive fields such as IB, consulting, etc. Being unsure and taking time to figure stuff out can be a nail in your coffin
Look at job postings now to see what salaries they offer (and the cost of living where they’re located), and what skills they’re looking for. This will help you determine electives and potential minors you might want to add. It also familiarizes you with companies that might be offering internships later on in your educational journey.
Knowing what career paths are available / what needs to be done to get into those careers. Also don’t be afraid to tell people you network with what you are looking for / interested in, that’s the only way they can help you.
GPA is the first screen that many firms do. Make sure you have a high GPA to ensure you get as many interviews as possible and no one is going to check on the amount of guts you took so be smart about what courses you take.
If u want to do PE/IB/entrepreneurship route you could join a search fund (search funder.com)
I am also a high school senior majoring in finance and doing one this summer part time (unpaid)
Find a mentor, be a TA for your favorite class, internships are good to have, but only for some future careers. Learn to code.
Know yourself and speak your book confidently. The number of undergrads that can look me in the eye no bullshit and tell me who they’re gonna be if I hire them is almost zero. But the rare one that knows how to speak with maturity and “own themselves” very much stands out more than a GPA or extras.
Which is not to say ignore your GPA, clubs, etc. Just know that having all those things is pretty common, but having all of those plus humility and moxy is very rare among young people.
Network your ass off. And I mean genuinely network, don’t just add people you meet on LinkedIn. Form genuine relationships with them, could be people who are assigned to the same group you are in for certain classes, people you regularly see outside or even inside of classes (as you start taking more classes focused on your major you start seeing similar people sharing the same classes you’re taking) go to Networking events. Join clubs!! Become a board member for said clubs.
Major doesn’t matter as much as you think it does. If you like economics, stay there and network your ass off from day one.
I was a political science major and now work in tier 1 AM less than a year postgrad.
If I could do it over again I would definitely have way more sex.
As a hiring manager, I will always choose the grad that has an average GPA and a job over a grad that has the perfect GPA and no other extracurricular activities. Even if that grad has involvement in a RSO but shows no progression of more involvement there, I’m not interested in hiring them.
Wished I knew more about consulting and investment banking, in the sense of how boring most of the work seems and is. Not in the sense of working in deals, but more of understanding that at entry-level, you’re always going to be an excel and ppt monkey. Besides, to become a monkey, you’d have to be a top student by mostly being a lil b for the grade, hyping up your seniors so they get u into their club and network, and wtv. So much fun shit is going on in tech like gen AI and new ventures like crypto, so why not just do this?
Unfortunately, only learned this after a gig in IBD during my second yr summer. Glad I already have a technical bg, so I did a small pivot to S&T. But if I knew this way earlier, I wouldn’t have been so depressed during recruitment and could’ve had a shot at QT.
Take your grades seriously. I had a great time in college and grew a ton but fucked up that part pretty badly. I was doing a lot of things that gave me an edge over your average candidates and went to a target school. The only thing I didn’t focus on as meticulously was grades. Long story there but it just didn’t work out that way. That cost me for sure in the long run. Some companies won’t even look at you below a certain gpa no matter what else you have.
If I could go back and do it all over again I’d take my gpa more seriously, party a little less, do one less extracurricular, and also be as proactive and strategic as possible about recruiting and internships, job applications etc. Start planning and doing research early – I.e. this winter you should be thinking about what sorts of internships you think might be interesting for next summer and starting to take advantage of whatever career resources your school has or whatever networking contacts you have
Gonna say it, but if you can benefit from nepotism then play the hand you’ve been dealt. If someone in your family can hook you up with a good internship, or even just an internship when you can’t seem to land one, it’ll make recruiting for other roles that much easier for you.
Wish i would have known how worthless liberal arts degrees are even from top schools.
People gonna be like NETWORKING!!! While it is important, you got to have some kind of “intrinsic value” in order to do that. Just go and “network” is not gonna do you too much good if you can’t show anything interesting about you, and preferably finance related interesting (assuming you want to break into this field later on). You’ll end up with a packed contacts and none of them would bother picking up.
My solution, or what I wished I have done is:
First, what Hereforchickennugget said. Figuring out shit early. Know what you would like to do. It’s quite tough here since you’re really young so go to career fairs as a way to learn more about job positions. As complex as it seems, once into the working world of Finance, there are a few big branches that I can think of. FP&A, High Finance, or the good old Big 4 Audit firms route. I think it’s a good place to start digging around. Lots of pros on this sub also, you can surf some thread and read the comments to have a clear structure of the industry.
Second, build them values. It can just be as simple as reading a book or two, preferably related to finance. I have seen a fair amount of candidates who are just not into anything. Have something you can talk about with good, solid understanding.
Third, go to career fair simply for information. I see Freshman going to career fair too ambitious and borderline bragging. Especially smart kids from great schools such as yourself. Take it slow, get to know people. Research the companies before meeting them.
I hope this helps
This is it. Your parents will be giving you money weekly or monthly. Open up a RH account. Put half of that money into stocks. Spend less then they give you and still have a great time. You will be happy you did this.
Good luck. I absolutely loved college!
I’ll bite.
1.) It’s not about what you know in life, but who you know. Make connections from day one. I don’t care who it is. Whether it be Jessica with the messed up teeth, or David with the weird haircut. Introduce yourself & get some type of contact information from them to stay in touch.
2.) Work hard, play harder. Try to get involved in some extra curricular(s) that excite you. These don’t always have to be career related. Not only does this allow you to take your mind off of school, but also gives you a chance to meet people who have similar interests.
3.) Get close with your professors / teacher assistants. More often than not, the assistants will be grading assignments & exams. Stay on their radar by dropping in during office hours and asking for help. That way, when they grade your exams / homework sets, they know who you are and may even be more lenient while grading.
4.) Develop a competitive mindset. Especially if you’re considering going into Finance. You must outwork your peers in everything — from the classroom to the interview processes during recruiting season. CAVEAT: this does not give you an excuse to be a douche. You can be driven, but nice at the same time.
5.) Last but not least, have fun. College flies by. Make connections, enjoy the classes, and create long lasting memories.
Best of luck, my friend.
Do internships as much as you can cause going in there you might change your major(s) and I agree with the person who said to CHECK WHAT JOB LISTINGS PAY TODAY. I have a dual major from an Ivy League in Neurobiology & English with a 3.9 gpa, then got a job by chance that had nothing to do with either of them and now trying to do something else. EVERYTHING is asking for at least one year of experience in any field. At least do something on the side volunteering a few days a week as an Ad Min person that shows you can help them with the books or whatever. That counts!
Utilize as many facilities/teachers/clubs/groups etc on campus as possible. It’s huge for networking, career planning, resume boost, and communication. Just use them!!!
Seems obvious; start thinking about your plan for employment post college seriously EARLY. Plan your college experience based on what you want in life.
I WISH I GOT A DEGREE IN ACCOUNTING. i didn’t have much guidance and decided on business admin. i now work as an accountant but i had to teach myself a lot. i still feel like i do not properly understand accounting and i feel like this wouldn’t be the case had i majored in it.
you can get any finance, econ, general business etc job with an accounting degree, but you cannot get an accounting job with a finance, econ, business degree (unless you’re lucky like me). accounting roles exist everywhere so you’ll truly never feel like you can’t find a job. accounting degree and CPA is key
i’m a finance major and economics minor. stay on top of your credits/schedules don’t just have blind faith in advisors. do not be scared to advocate for yourself or push back at the school or profs. when you are being treated unfairly. consider a community college for your first 2 years, saves thousands. try to put yourself out there and make friends in your line of education and go to events with employers/ do internships. don’t be scared to ask or speak to profs to get their prospectives
I’m (happily) in corporate tax, but for college things I imagine the same principles I observed are also broadly tapplicable to financial careers. I’d note that finance is more competative generally, and I’ve met many finance-orientated people recently trying to compete for tax jobs thinking it’d be easier with the current market conditions (not that it usually works out, it looks desperate).
I. Networking and exposure needs to happen early. Talk to people, your classmates, recruiters, professors, everyone. Only way to know what opportunities are on the table, and evaluate what’s possible, is to talk to people. Internships, traineeships, whatever are crucial while your still in school. If you can, I’d even say delay graduation if you don’t get an internship. The “value” of graduate degrees that aren’t either a J.D, LL.M, or an MBA is the second chance at recruiting for internships/ graduate offers it gives. I regret not searching harder for undergrad opportunities beyond bookkeeper positions, personally.
II. Most “hard” requirements are bullshit. Professors, administrators, and employers are empowered to do a lot. They’ll never want to admit it though. I’ve seen friends charm prospective employers enough to get handwaived “hard” requirments like graduate degrees or standardized tests. I know people who have had their in-firm contacts stand in the room with interviewers. University administrators are particularly unreal, scheduling people in for “full” classes, massaging diploma requirements, dealing with teachers. Recently, I had a 2 day interview session, where I met a partner in the morning for a casual conversation. Apparently I made an impression because when the formal interview rounds started, the manager interviewing me started by mentioning the partner had mentioned me to him, and I recieved a strong offer from the firm. If people like you, they will bend reality for you.
III. College choice priority list should be:
1. Name recognition / known target for your field
2. What city
3. What your GPA is
4. What you major in
Where you study will determine almost everything; your alumni network, which recruiters show up to your campus, for what firms does your resume pass the automated scan? If you want to end up in a particular place, for the love of God study in that region.
You can study total bullshit (liberal arts, gender studies, political science, whatever) but if the college name, GPA, and network are good enough it can work. Former CEO of HP had an undergrad in Medieval history and dropped out of law school. Current Canadian minister of Finance has a doctorate in Slavonic fairy tales. JP Morgan’s Chairman of investment strategy has a master in International Relations. It gets easier the more STEM, law, or business focused your degree is though.
Don’t make the mistake of confusing “academic prestige” and being a target school. No one gives a fuck about academia in the business world; journal citations, research budgets, and professor rankings are even more openly bullshit than most finance jobs, which is saying a lot. More likely, if you’re going in cold to an interview, you’re getting your job based on how much the manager who interviewed you liked you, and that was half-based on his alma-maters relation with your alma mater.
IV. Know what you want to do, and specilize as much as you can as early as you can. No firm wants an entry-level Swiss army knife, they know they’re going to need to train you and that there will be a learning curve. Don’t go for a million certs. Find out the 1 best cert in your field (CPA, CFA, Series 7, bar exam) and nail it or have viable plans to nail it. Focus your internship experience, and make it make sense.
V. Don’t look desperate. Look eager, look hungry, and look as compelling as possible. Never look desperate. Desperation reeks, and that sucks when you have nothing and are trying to build a career from scratch, but it’s an unfortunate fact.
I wouldn’t call this gospel, because your mileage will vary, but this is the advice I’d give generally.
Enjoy your freshman year lmao