Transfer from University of Alabama to Virginia?

Hey Everyone,

I recently completed 2 years at the University of Alabama with a 3.85 GPA (gotten 4.0's all but the semester I pledged). I applied to the University of Virginia and got in, but did not get accepted into the business school and will not be able to. I want to go into IB, whether it be BB or MM. I would have to take another semester (or possibly 2) to graduate from Virginia and it would cost me around 25k more if I were to transfer to Virginia. I was also wondering if I would be at a disadvantage in recruiting due to the fact I would be an economics major and not in the business school. Im curious to see whether everyone thinks I should stay, or go to UVA as well.

 

I can't speak on the details too much here. But I will say that you should weigh which one will help you get into business school later on. (or law school) From what I know about most good economic programs, they are not actually within most business programs. So, this is not necessarily a disadvantage especially when you consider you are putting UVA on your resume. 25k sucks, but if you ever go to business school or law school its a drop in the bucket. Hopefully, some others can you give you more detailed advice.

 
Best Response

UA alum here, working in IB. Of course, UVA is a better school and the potential for networking/OCR opportunities would definitely open you to more opportunities within IB.

Having just come out of UA however I would be very curious as to how involved you currently are. Not including myself I can think of about 10-15 people off the top of my head working in New York at BBs and MM shops that would be more than willing to help a UA kid out (given that you're obviously a smart kid). While UA is far from a target school, there are still a ton of opportunities to get involved, network and come out with a job on Wall Street.

If you think all your resume is lacking is the "target school" at the top, then by all means transfer to UVA. It's an amazing school (part of me wishes I would've spent my college career in Charlottesville).

One word of caution however is that you could potentially go from the top ~3% in your class at UA (and thus a top pick of alumni if you networked well) to a much larger applicant pool at UVA (inherently tougher waters to navigate. More students who wanna do IB, more motivated kids, higher expectations from interviewers).

I hope this helps man. PM me if you have any more questions or follow-up. Would love to help out a UA student if at all possible.

 

Quia sed ipsum commodi sed illo cumque. Cupiditate ut quisquam officia libero occaecati. Eum eum ad qui exercitationem.

Saepe distinctio id quaerat dolorem voluptate qui distinctio. Et voluptatem ipsam adipisci eos deleniti ratione autem. Eius soluta amet at quos sunt optio est eum.

Career Advancement Opportunities

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Jefferies & Company 02 99.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 19 98.8%
  • Harris Williams & Co. (++) 98.3%
  • Lazard Freres 02 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 03 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Harris Williams & Co. 18 99.4%
  • JPMorgan Chase 10 98.8%
  • Lazard Freres 05 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.7%
  • William Blair 03 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Lazard Freres 01 99.4%
  • Jefferies & Company 02 98.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 17 98.3%
  • Moelis & Company 07 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 05 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Director/MD (5) $648
  • Vice President (19) $385
  • Associates (86) $261
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (13) $181
  • Intern/Summer Associate (33) $170
  • 2nd Year Analyst (66) $168
  • 1st Year Analyst (202) $159
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (144) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”