The importance of undergraduate business school
March 29 is the day wharton undergrad decides if I will be part of the school. If I do not get in to this or other undergrad b-schools, will it limit my business career and will it limit how far I can go in the business world?
nah, just go to hahvard brah
nah, just go to princeton brah
This is just common sense...the answer to your question is very obvious to anyone with half a brain.
You'll be disadvantaged, that's for sure. However, there are many successful businessmen who didn't go to top-tier schools.
WOW. Narrow minded as hell.
Please search through the forum, especially the I Made It section and see a host of non-targets. If you do think your life is over after getting a Wharton reject, then it probably is.
If you don't go to Wharton you automatically forfeit any chance at making it to Wall Street, everyone knows that
I would strongly consider quitting life if you don't get in..
semi target, 4 people going BB IBD from my school this year, b-school class of 150
difficult but not impossible. the majority of the kids don't even try for those kinds of jobs so it's not like 150 applied and only 4 got accepted.
just work hard and network, the world isn't black and white
You don't have to be a business major to get into business. Read the forums, read the backgrounds of some CEOs, and engage some common sense.
You are the only one that limit's your career, there is plenty of non-target grads that reach great success. Network and work your balls off you will be fine.
I hope he doesn't get in so he learns the meaning of hard work.
It's important but not that important. If you can go to a target school life is way easier for sure. A student at a target school with a decent GPA has companies lining up to hire them. It's a sweet life, I should have done that.
Though if you are able to almost get into Wharton you are close enough. Schools are mostly useful for their alumni anyway. You won't have companies coming to you at a non-target school but if you put in some effort to network and make a contact at a company you should be able to get your career in gear
Going to business schools is definitely an advantage. The advantage in terms of building your network and not so much as how to make a business successful.
How important is choice of undergrad college for investment & finance careers? (Originally Posted: 11/29/2012)
Let's say I want to wind up working at a hedge fund of some sort. Is the 'normal' route for me to go to an Ivy league school major in engineering, work in consulting for a while, get an IVY MBA and then ease into that world? Or is that not how it works? Is it mainly about other things. Is there a typical path? Finance/investment/trading actually interests me. Also what are important courses to take, I am a junior in high school. Thanks JC
You're still so young... it's good to have an idea about what you want to do but make sure you keep an open mind at the same time as to other career possibilities. Did you even take the SAT yet? Focus on ECs/grades/not getting caught drinking for now. Do well on the SAT and if your HS offers an intro to investments or economics class (mine didn't), take it and see how you like the material. A year from now you will still be in HS and your interests might change.
That being said, UG choice absolutely is important for having as many opportunities open to you as possible. But like I said before, focus on your work and ECs now in order to have those doors open for you later and take the process a step at a time.
I haven't taken the SAT yet, I will this winter. I currently attend a private school in New England that does offer econ. I have a pretty heavy schedule course wise. I'm taking AP micro now and will take AP micro next year. So far I undoubtedly enjoy it. I'm always open to new ideas however I spend a lot of time on the topic and am very passionate about it.
Thanks, JC
correction :: AP macro next year
jeez a junior in HS??? No conventional path. Do your best, get into the best school that fits you. Major in something you like/good at (econ), Start reading WSJ, and read through WSO---> your question has been brought up a lot, use the search function.
Going to an Ivy league school and majoring in engineering is a start, but I don't know that the rest of your "track" is really necessary. You can probably get the role you want out of undergrad if you go to the right school and get good grades.
In high school, you should be doing what you can to knock off some credits (AP courses) and taking calc/stats/hard classes to become a candidate for a top school. You should also be making mistakes, partying, and getting laid though. Don't get too sucked in just yet brah, you have some time ahead of you...
I like you guys haha thanks for the help! I always make time for the parties, but we'll keep that private. Yea take a few AP's right now for math im taking clac. things like that. Thanks Again
Your undergrad school sticks with you for the rest of your life. Best thing would be to do really well on the SAT and take the best school you can get into come senior year.
Do well in school - when it comes time to start your career, good grades are HUGE.
Finance employers hire English majors and Econ majors, as long as they fit the mold of "is smart, will work hard".
There will literally be dozens, hundreds, or thousands of candidates applying for whatever position you go after, so employers set-up GPA cut-offs. Don't screw yourself by not even being able to apply.
What I recommend is that you focus less on your career trajectory and on actually developing your interest subject of finance. You're only in grade 11, you shouldn't be worrying about mapping out your career path because anyways, there is no conventional path to working at a hedge fund. And you're too young to narrow your path in life so early. But if you are genuinely interested in finance, read articles about the industry, look at the different types of hedge fund strategies (also, b/c different hedge funds employ people from different backgrounds), learn and learn. Let your career form out of your interests and not the other way around.
Importance of UG school? (Originally Posted: 07/13/2015)
Hey everyone- I have been spending the past couple of days reading through this website, mainly about getting a job after college, and it is giving me extreme amounts of anxiety.
After high school, I attended a community college for two years, to avoid student loans and eventually transfer to a 4-year school. I completed my two years with a 3.75 GPA and transferred to what you would refer to as a "non-target" school, again, mainly to avoid debt. With my main plan being to work hard (hopefully maintain a 4.0) and learn relevant skills for a career in IB.
However, after reading through some of these threads about college students that are out of top schools and struggling to get jobs is making me very nervous about my current situation.
How important is the undergrad school to getting a job in investment banking? Any advice helps. Thanks in advance!
Very.
Okay, I also realize this question has been answered quite often...
So what's better...going on with a crappy undergrad school or taking this semester off and re-applying for better schools, for the spring semester? Or go this semester and still apply for transfer?
Go this semester and still apply to transfer to a better school, but keep in mind some universities may only allow a certain amount of credits to transfer, usually 60. Also the transition from nontarget to IB has been done many times before. Networking is extremely important.
How important is your undergrad school for MBA? (Originally Posted: 06/04/2008)
I'm a Junior, i go to Baruch College (nontarget for most banks/target at JPM for ibd/s&t). I will probably graduate with a 3.5 GPA. So far I've done an accounting internship, a boutique investment banking internship, and right now I'm doing consulting, where I will probably stay at until I find a job in ibanking or something better. I've been involved with a few non profits, mostly in a mentoring role, and I was the VP of the Ibanking club at my school. For what it's worth, i'm hispanic. Given all of these factors, with a tentative GMAT score of 700, and a couple of years in banking....what are my chances at a program such as Columbia or any other ivy? Or what do you guys think I could do to improve my chances? Thanks Thanks
Going to a top undergrad certainly helps, but going to a lesser name school won't automatically shut you out; yes, you'll see more kids from top schools at places like Columbia, but there's also plenty of folks that aren't from target schools - it's about the totality of your candidacy (GPA/GMAT, quality of work experience, quality of extracurricular accomplishments, career focus, etc.).
Alex Chu
If you go to a top non-US university [e.g. Oxbridge/Imperial/LSE], will this be at all advantageous when it comes to US biz school apps or should you stick to Europe where the university name is more recognisable?
Does work experience and post-university activities outweigh undergrad qualifications?
I'd be interested in knowing that as well; I graduated from the University of Manchester, which is a decent public school in the UK, but I'd reckon it's pretty much unknown in the States. Would that hurt an application or strengthen it (diversity, international exposure etc.).
Adcoms are pretty knowledgeable about schools outside the US, at least in countries like the UK, France, Germany, Russia, Israel, China, Japan, India, etc, so I wouldn't worry about it.
At top schools, the undergrad profiles of the international students are similar to the US students - a disproportionate number graduated from their respective countries' top universities.
Alex Chu
I went to a third-tier public university in the US. This was after transferring from another school where I was rocking out with a ~2.7 because I couldn't get off the beach and go to class. Now I'm heading to Stern at a pretty young age (24), so yes, you most likely will not be shut out based on your undergrad. Based on what you say above, you're doing well already.
How much does undergrad matter for IB? (Originally Posted: 12/11/2013)
I'm currently attending a community college looking to transfer within the next two semesters. My end goal is to be a quant, so I am primarily looking at math as my major and finance as either a double major or a minor. As I go through the process of picking which schools to, many things go through my mind - does undergrad really matter? What if I have excellent grades, extra curricular activities and internship and trade forex on my own as well? will it help me get a job in IB? I really want to go down to Miami to University of Miami for undergrad because I want to do business with Latin America for a period of time, but I hear it's a non target? How much does that matter? I know GS, UBS and a few other IBs have offices down there, so my question is: with good grades, extra curricular activities and trading experience, how likely am I to get hired for IB if I go to a non-target school (Miami) and also how much does undergrad matter?
Undergrad school matters a lot for IB, more than almost any other entry level position.
have you done any IB? @cst
Networking is key, as people break in from all kinds of schools. (Note: Transfer ed from a CC to a non-target during undergrad and now a First Year IB Analyst).
I see. I really want to go to University of Miami because I want to eventually do business in South and Central America, but I don't want to sacrifice job opportunities because I went to a non target. Thank you for the advice JBanksohn
You want to be a quant but you also want to do IBD? Those are two very different career paths
How important is UG? (Originally Posted: 05/26/2010)
Hey guys, I've been lurking and this forum is by far one of the most useful sources I could find.
I just want to know what type of job opportunities are available for me and in what fields? I'm still a sophomore so I'm not yet quite sure what I want to do. But is it even possible for me to get into Investment Banking considering that I go to the University of Tampa? I also would be interested in other jobs though, I just want to know whether Investment Banking is a possibility because I have a feeling like it's the hardest field to get into and my school is not that well-known. So I guess my main question is how important is UG?
Stats University of Tampa GPA 3.8, still sophomore (trying to raise it) Top 10% (maybe top 5%? I haven't checked...) Major: double major in economics and philosophy Bunch of club extracurriculars, hopefully I'll have leadership opportunities by the time I graduate. Not much work experience yet since I'm still a sophomore, but I got an internship this summer.
If you graduate at the top of your class, anything is possible. I've seen many people who went to non-target schools but were at the top of their class (summa cum laude, validictorian etc) who were able to get BB IB jobs.
Further, look for some regional firms that hire in the South. I believe Raymond James recruits a lot from Florida schools.
You have two options:
1) Network hard and try to get an internship at a boutique or Raymond James (for junior year SA)
2) Transfer to a better school in that region (think: Emory, Duke, UF, etc) if you want to stay in the south.
I will guess that you are a rising junior, so transferring is probably out of the question. Raymond James is your best bet. RJF is headquartered in St. Pete/Tampa so you should start networking with those individuals. Track down alumni from your university in the investment banking industry and go meet with them.
To answer your question though, UG is important to a certain extent. At the end of the day, going to a top target will not get you the job but it will certainly get you into the door. That is the issue that you face = getting an interview.
What type of firm are you interning at this summer?
Sorry, I wasn't so clear. I am a sophomore (as in I just finished my freshman year), and I'm taking 6 credits of summer courses right now. After summer, I'll have a 2-4 week internship. I'm not interning at a firm though, I'm interning in Belgium for the government over there (I am an international student). The reason for that is because I am still unsure of whether I want to go into business or law, and basically was just looking for some work experience and something to do during the summer.
Since I am still a sophomore, I am still trying to discover my options and see what career path is best. I know that I will probably be able to go to a Top 14 law school since all they care about is GPA and LSAT, but I don't know if I will be able to get a good job in business that will land me into a top MBA program later on. Whether I go into business or law, I still intend to go to grad school for a JD or MBA, and I know that in order to get into a top MBA program, I need good work experience. So I was basically wondering if I could get a job good enough to secure me with a top MBA program (top 20 or better).
I can transfer, but I don't really like that option very much and have already contemplated that option many times. The reasons I don't like it other than the obvious ones (inconvenience, have to make new friends, not sure how much harder it might be) are that I have to take some prerequisites in order to transfer and I might not be able to complete my double major if I do transfer. However, I guess I could look into it again and check out their major requirements and see whether I might be interested again. I wish I had studied harder in high school so that I could put myself in a better position, but nobody ever told what was required to get a job that would lead to a the lavish lifestyle I pursue, so i was never very academically motivated until I came to college.
Other than that. I realize I don't know much about business at all, so I'm really sorry for my ignorance. So if anyone has any sites or stickies that could point me to what different jobs in the business market do the requirements to get them, that could be helpful. Also, if anyone knows of any books that cover specific industries in business and what the requirements are, then that would also greatly help.
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