Help with Decision. Operations Analyst at Goldman Sachs

So here is my struggle. Even though I have a 4.0 and started my own business in college, I go to a non-target school and live in an area that has no financial centers near. Therefore I have been having a hard time landing a position. I have been networking with hundreds of people and even made a trip to NY but my school is what is hurting me.

Therefore, what I have been able to land is a middle office job at GS as a operations analyst on the sales and trading team. This is obviously not my long term plan, but its one of my few options. What do you think? Will I be able to move over to the front office later? Or at least is it something that could help me get into a good MBA program to "start over" with a new school?
Please Advise.
Thanks

 
Best Response

I started in ops in tier 2 firm (jumped to a tier 1 firm though), and recently got into Kellogg. Take leadership over global projects, get promoted quickly, and get a very high GMAT, you can definitely get into the MBA business schools ">M7. You need to build a cohesive story, and have experience beyond "I reconciled trades for 5 years" but it's definitely possible. Hell, my Booth interviewer was an executive assistant before he got in. The real world isn't like Wall Street Oasis, and you can show success outside working in M&A, but you do need to show success...and very high GMAT.

My GPA was below 3.5 (from a target school though) and Goldman Sachs is pretty much the "best" firm, so you're in better shape than me.

 
Nickolas-Jackson:

What number would you put on a very high gmat score?

I got 750. The average GMAT is between 715-730 at the top schools, and URM's, women, non-profit, military people, and people with gold platted resume are the people who get in with below average GMATS, So I'd shoot for 730/740 minimum if you want to do better than DUKE/Stern/UVA. That said, even if you have to go to a Top 15 school instead of M7 school, those are great schools and can get you front office IB too.

 

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