I am a high school student looking for information about a possible investment banking career.?

I am 17 years old and am a junior in high school. I have straight A's and got a 34 on my ACT meaning that i have a solid chance of attending a good college. Having read a few books relating to investment banking (Den of Thieves, etc.) i acquired an interest in the subject. My main worry is that i won't be able to get my foot in the door due to my lack of connections. I would also appreciate any other advice about what college i should go to, what major, etc.

If you want to give yourself the best shot, you want to attend the best schools that have I-banks regularly recruit there. This means the Ivy Leagues (you know them), particularly Wharton and Harvard, and the other schools that have top undergraduate programs. Since you are focused on your ACT score, I'll assume you are not from the east coast as they make a bigger deal on SAT here. Stanford, Cal - Berk (Haas), Duke, UT-Austin (McCombs), UNC Chapel Hill (Kenan-Flagler), Univ of Virginia (Mcintre/Darden) regularly have the top firms come by. Recruiting on your campus will the easiest way to get interviews. Those are just off the top of my head - there are plenty more schools. Just look up top undergrad business programs.

You develop your "connections" from your successful upperclassmen friends and all the legwork you'll put in while in undergrad. Focus less on finding a person who might be able to get you an investment banking job one day in the future and focus more on getting advice & helping others (develop relationships). Search for local boutique I-banks in your town and see if you can advice from the executive management - shoot emails or phone calls. No harm in doing so.

If you go to an Ivy League school, you could study whatever you wanted as long as you took some finance courses so you don't blow the interviews. Or you could be a finance or econ major (Stanford/Harvard don't have a 'finance' major) which would it somewhat easier perhaps. Most I-banks just want someone who is demonstrably smart and a "good fit". Know that working at an I-bank straight out of college is in most cases grueling, many 80+ hrs/weeks. Make sure you read "Monkey Business" as well.

This is what you do...learn about the different types of Financial Markets, Stocks, Bonds, FOREX, Derivitives, etc. Go to Yale or Harvard or similar schools that have the best Finace programs. Write letters to the CEOs or H.R. of the major US brokers, Morgan Stanley, Smith and Barney, A.G. Edwards, etc.

I worked with a lady who started out With Morgan Stanley and became a millionare just by helping traders with their transactions. Now she is in her mid 40s dealing in Vegas fulfilling her "life-long" dream of being a Casino Dealer.