Real World Experience vs Academics

In the past week I have thought a lot about the difference between Real World Experience vs Academics. I have been comparing and contrasting the two seeing which one is worth dedicating more time to overall. As both are very time consuming I have to give and take and prioritize one over the other. The goal in my life is to get to Wall Street and become a trader for a top firm before I venture off and start up my own Hedge Fund. Two weeks ago I was in New York meeting with various investment bankers/traders finding out everything there is to know about the industry and most importantly how to get my foot in the door. From what I have heard is that networking is the most important aspect to get an internship and ultimately land myself an opportunity to showcase my skills. What many of the folks in New York stressed was the fact that since I do go to Arizona State University and not an Ivy League most will not even take my education into account therefore consider a 4.0 at ASU not the same as a 4.0 at an Ivy League. Biased, obviously yes but this is the way it is. What they did say is that if I have the extras and the contacts then that would give myself the strongest opportunity to succeed. As a result, I have decided to lax a little bit on school overall to put a 100% effort into networking everyday. Being an Investment Banking Industry Scholar at ASU I have learned the ins and outs of Networking and have become very proficient in finding contacts. As a result, now I do about two cold calls to Wall Street professionals a day to get my name out there and sell them on why I am qualified. So far my contact list has expanded to around 180 with the goal of getting it to around 500. In the lines of work, I also have several other projects in play that should make me stand out as I go through the interview process yet its too early to share those details.