Please help on deciding Undergrad..
For the better part of my high school career I've swayed back and forth on what I wanted to do with my life. To cut to the chase, I fucked up when choosing the undergraduate institutions I would apply to. I was swamped with homework during the application period and was too lazy to take the SAT subject tests. Now my only choices of going to college are UF or Vanderbilt (I find out on April 1st about Vandy but I'm 95% sure I'll get in). I'm hating myself for not trying harder and applying to any of the ivies since I had a great high school GPA (3.85 from the IB program) and a great SAT score. Should I attend Vanderbilt and then try to transfer to an ivy (Cornell AEM doesn't seem that impossible) or stick with UF and then try to transfer (UF is in-state for me and I have bright futures and prepaid tuition). UF has a combined program where some people get into BB (mostly Citigroup). I think I could definitely get into the program, seeing as I've received the necessary prep from my high school. IM SO FUCKING PISSED NOW, as a lot of my friends are getting into duke, princeton, and other top 15 schools. I seriously need some advice. If i decide to go to Vandy and can't transfer, I'll be paying a significant tuition for potentially the same opportunity as I would get from UF.
How hard is it to break into investment banking (BB) from Vanderbilt? Offer you're coveted advice... I'm about to shoot myself for killing myself 4 years in the IB program and fucking up by not applying to better institutions. I know now, that IBanking is what I want to do. No ifs, ands, or buts. No more dreams of being an attorney or a doctor. Being a banker, is what I truly want from life. I know Vandy is better than UF, but considering the tuition and opportunities at transferring (after freshman year) is it worth it?
Either way I'm going to give it my all and try to get a 4.0 GPA in college freshman year and then try to transfer to a better institution.
*if there are any grammatical errors or run-on sentences, I apologize. I typed this post in a frenzy.
You need to chill out. I understand it seems like the sky is falling but it's not.
You shouldn't be going into your freshman year dead set on transferring. That's a great way to set yourself up for disaster. Go to whatever school you go to with an open mind. You can break into IB from ANYWHERE. Seriously. Read the posts on this forum. If you want it bad enough and do what is necessary to succeed someone will give you a chance.
To clarify, I'm not saying to disregard transferring. I transferred from another SEC school to a non-Ivy target after my sophomore year and am starting in MM IB after graduation this year. What I am saying is you need to enjoy your time at school, and not go through your first year or two with a "fuck this place, I can't believe I'm here, only 1 more year/6 months/whatever until I can get to Cornell/Columbia/Georgetown/wherever". Have transferring in the back of your mind, and do what it takes so that if you do decide to test the waters you will be in a position to get acceptances, but please don't go into college with your current mentality. Shit happens, but you can ALWAYS improve your situation.
Onto your school choice. I think this becomes a huge case of how much you/your parents can afford. UF is a great school and while I am usually a pretty big Vandy homer (one of the schools I turned down for transfer) I think Bright Futures/in-state is a great option if you have to take out more than 15-20K/year in loans in order to go to Vandy.
Let me know if you have any questions/comments on what I've said here.
EWWW. Do not come on a wall street forum--or ANY internet forum--to decide where to go to undergrad.
Make the choice that is right for you, and do NOT regret it before attending. Trust me, ivies are not that special, and you could certainly kick ass at a place like Vanderbilt and do extremely well and land great jobs. I do not think you should already plan on transferring before you even go to a college.
Also, a 3.85 and good SAT scores are not enough to get into a great college... Maybe you need to focus on living life to the fullest, doing some kickass extracurriculars, becoming a better person, etc. Take a year off if you need to.
Agree with the above two posters. People break in from all kinds of backgrounds. Go to whichever school you like most/makes most sense if money is a big issue. I have personally spoken with several analysts from Vandy and recently spoke with an analyst in NY at a big-name boutique (Moelis, Evercore, Greenhill, Centerview...) who did his undergrad at Florida. You will be fine.
You are 17/18 years old and are absolutely convinced you want to be a banker already? That makes me a little sad.
If your plan is to transfer, just go to UF and save money for two years.
Before your freshman year of college you've already gone through having a dream of being a doctor, a dream of being an attorney, and now a dream of being a banker? All three being COMPLETELY different academic/career fields except for one commonality in that they all have the potential to make you very rich if you're successful. The three most common things you hear people say they want to be in life because they just see the prestige in the name and salary.
It sounds to me like you just want the top-tier career in life, and you don't really care what it is as long as you can make enough money.
I want to read a post of yours about why you genuinely feel like iBanking is where you belong in life.
By the way, I want to punch you in the face repeatedly for bitching that Vandy isn't good enough for you. You sound like a spoiled little shit.
I feel like if you go to UF or Vanderbilt you'll enjoy them too much to transfer.
So... would Vanderbilt be considered on the same tier as the lower ivys and emory(in relation to BBs)? And stryfeDSP, I actually come from a very low socio-economic background (but I can understand how I came off seeming as though I was spoiled). Its just that i've worked so hard for the past 4 years that I was beyond care when it came time to start applying for colleges. I had a fuck-it attitude that resulted from family and financial problems.
Vandy is a great school. I know several guys who are in banking from there.
And its true, I want the prestige and money that comes with being a banker. And even though I don't think anyone is truly happy to be a banker, I do believe there are some people that would make great bankers based off their personality and work-ethic.
At least he's honest - half the people on here are closet prestige/money whores.
Sorry for being a dick. I go to a non target so it pisses me off hearing someone complain about the opportunities they'll have from going to Vandy, because I guarantee you'll have an easier time getting a job than me.
You haven't answered my question about how much in loans you will have to take out if you go to Vandy.
Oh sorry. It will probably be around 25,000$-30,000$ per year. If my mom didn't get remarried right before I applied, it would've been free :( . Now as it stands, after I've talked it out with my parents, I'm 99% sure ill go to UF honors, try to get into the combined bachelors/masters degree in finance, or transfer to Cornell AEM sophomore year.
Yeah, you need to go to UF. You're in a great position, enjoy Gainesville (as much as one can...), do well your first semester, and think about transferring over Christmas break.
Vanderbilt is an amazing school that places relatively well (better than Emory for sure). At least 20 kids go to BBs every year and another group go to MBB (maybe 10-15).
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