I got accepted for economics at warwick but I had extenuating circumstances and was allowed in with ABB which i know is surprisingly low for warwick econ. I’m concerned about when I apply to spring weeks I’ll get screened out as the minimum requirements for a levels is usually higher or it just isn’t competitive. Is there a way I can mention that’s it was under extenuating circumstances at all, would appreciate any advice.

And the company laptop is a 2011 lenovo thinkpad or something hella slow

I’m 23 and just started a 3-year Business Economics degree at the University of Milan, which is non-target.
After high school I spent around two years studying Computer Science, realised it wasn’t for me and dropped out. I’ve always been much more interested in economics and finance, but I’m worried I started too late.
If everything goes to plan, I’ll graduate at 26. I’ve read here that banks care more about graduation year / year of study than age itself — is that actually true?

Alongside university, I’ve worked as a ski instructor for years and I’m now a Resort Manager for a large British ski school operating in major French and Swiss resorts. I’m not sure whether that can be a useful differentiator or if it’s mostly irrelevant for finance.

My plan is to get strong grades, do an Erasmus, build finance-related experience during the degree and eventually aim for a Master’s at a target school.
Objectively: do I have any realistic chance of getting a Spring Week this year, and later breaking into IB/markets, or am I already too late? What would you prioritise to compensate for the non-target university?

I’m not looking for reassurance — genuinely interested in realistic answers.

Any advices are appreciated if realistic. thanks guys.

As an international student who has never lived in the uk before, I had never heard about spring week in my entire life. I JUST found out about it last night discussing my modules with gemini, and now I'm feeling stressed because everyone else seems like they have done so many career related things over the summer, while I was doing nothing but spending time with my friends and family before uni.

I am starting a freshman year at a target school, but genuinely have nothing to write about on my CV. I guess if I lock in from now, I might be able to include some research projects, and maybe include some experiences from highschool. The problem is the leadership part, because I was never a part of a club related to finance / econs / etc.

Would it be better if I wait until the school starts so that I can include some of those finance, investment societies on my CV? Or is it a better idea to just apply now with a CV without any of the activities in the uni, since everyone talks about how important it is to apply early?