What are some good finance schools for undergraduates?

I'm interested in studying finance and looking for schools known for their undergrad finance programs. Any recommendations or personal experiences with college finance programs? Ideally, I'd love a combination of strong academics and extracurriculars.

It's wonderful that you're considering a study track in finance and looking for colleges that offer strong undergraduate programs therein. Here are a few institutions renowned for their finance programs:

1. University of Pennsylvania (Wharton) - Known for its top-tier finance program. Wharton's undergraduate finance program is often ranked as one of the best in the nation. They have a broad range of finance-related courses and offer numerous experiential learning opportunities.

2. New York University (Stern School of Business) - With its location, NYU provides excellent access to Wall Street and numerous finance-related internships. It's also known for its strong alumni network and cutting-edge finance courses.

3. University of Michigan (Ross School of Business) - The Ross BBA program is highly ranked and gives students hands-on experiences with organizations like the Michigan Investment Banking Club, the Wolverine Fund, and the Michigan Interactive Investments Club, which could provide pivotal in gaining practical experience in your field.

4. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Sloan) - Renowned for its focus on combining management and science, MIT Sloan offers its undergraduates a strong foundation in analytical reasoning and problem-solving skills.

5. University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (Kenan-Flagler Business School) - Noted for its emphasis on leadership development, project-based coursework, and experiential learning opportunities in finance.

For extracurriculars, you'd want to look at finance-related clubs, case competitions, student-managed investment funds, internships and mentoring programs at these schools. As you make your selection, you might also want to consider factors like school location (proximity to financial hubs like New York and Chicago can mean better internship and job opportunities) and the alumni network in finance. Remember that different schools have different strengths within finance, so it might be good to determine if you're more interested in areas like investment banking, financial engineering, corporate finance, or financial planning. Examining a school's placement rates and where their graduates ended up can also give you a good idea of the strength of their program.