Should I take the GMAT
Hey everyone, I'm a freshman that goes to a very non-target, i.e. a large state school with a very high acceptance rate. I realize that breaking into IB is an uphill battle for me, coming from a school that garners little espect in business, so I'm trying to think of ways (aside from networking and getting a good GPA) that would help me land an IB spot in the future. I've read on many forums that it may be helpful to include scores on standardized tests (e.g GMAT, SAT, ACT, etc) on your application, especially when coming from a non-target background. So my question is this: if I intend to attend B-school at some point (likely 4/5 years after graduating college) would it be beneficial for me to take the GMAT, say, my sophomore/junior if I could achieve a high mark, so I could put it on my resume? Also, as a sidenote, the only standardized test I've taken is the SAT, and I only scored a 1420 on that, so, if anything, It may be a hinderance to getting a job.
given that you're a freshman, is transferring out of question? you can kill it this year and go to a better school with higher chances of breaking in. your SAT isn't abysmal either. I only say this because I chose to stay at my very non-target state school because my tuition is free, but SA recruiting was miserable and largely because of no connections/non-renowned school name
I suppose I could, but I’m in the same position as you. My tuition here is really cheap, and I doubt I could get much in the way of financial aid at any semi-target/target school. I’m paying for school largely on my own so I just don’t know whether it would be worth it.
I’m in the same position as you. PM me and we can chat if you’d like
Deep breath homie.
My advice transfer to a target ASAP. Take out student loans, transfer to a better good school. It may or may not be more expensive. It's not a big deal. This is a math problem, real life ROI.
Scenario 1:
Upside - stay at bad school, make 60k out of college in tier 2 city, no debt. Fast forward 4/5 years and 50k in your pocket. Admitted to great b school. Take on 200k of debt to afford it. You now have a great associate job post grad. it takes you 2/ years to pay down debt. You are now debt free 8 years into the future.
Downside - your experience is too weak, your undergrad is too weak, your GMAT is OK, but not special, you are left in scramble mode. You have no debt but you are effectively treading water.
Scenario 2:
Upside -transfer as a junior, maybe do December graduation to put yourself in a favorable recruitment timeline. You took on 200k of debt. Fast forward 4/5 years. Your loans are likely paid down via bonuses and higher post IB job salary.
Downside - you are 200k in debt and you are making 75k out of college. It sucks but you have a solid network and better b school opportunities as experience and undergrad is stronger. If you have any faith in yourself, take Scenario 2. If you don't bet on yourself, you don't deserve the job in the first place.
*Source: non target graduate, who didn't know what you do until junior year.
Please dont take out 200k on debt just to attend a target school. This is just retarded. Recruiting from a non target is harder but very doable. People just seem to exaggerate for some reason, so please weight your options carefully. There are a lot of benefits of transferring a target school, but none of them justify taking HUGE loans.
You should have no problem breaking in if you start early like you are right now, unless you are socially retarded or bomb your classes (under 3.5 gpa).
*Source: Non-target student interning at one of the best groups in banking.
Man, didn't you like ruin your life breaking into IB? From your first post:
"I Sacrificed Everything To Break In I don't know where I went wrong, two years ago, when I had nothing and had no future working late nights in a dead end job with only a few classes at a community college.; I imagined if I was successful that I would be happy. Finance was/is what interested me the most after a lot of exploring and what I excelled the most at, so logically I pursued it, aiming to reach the highest peak. Coming from an extreme non-traditional background, I sacrificed everything to break in. I barely slept studying; I alienated everyone that I thought were bad influences, I gave up everything that I enjoyed that distracted me from academia and breaking in banking, I spent every second thinking how to polish myself in every aspect to achieve what everyone told me that wasn't too possible."
You should know more than anyone, its a probability game. If you're in one of the top groups, then I'm sure you know how few non-targets are in there with you.
If OP is really this down and out, he/she should consider it. Everyone has different connections, social acumen, and geographical advantages which influence this decision. And, at the very least, its a data point.
Also, if he's planning on B school, he's going to be levering up anyway. Better to do it sooner than later.
I’ll definitely consider both options, and I appreciate the advice. I’m a bit apprehensive of taking out large amounts of loans though, as if I didn’t get an IB job I’d be ~150,000 in debt without even reaching my goal.
I know you’re trying to highlight best case / doomsday but why do they all sound so dramatic
Sacrificed word count for preachiness I guess
What do you mean only a 1420? Is that based on old results? If it’s new results that is a decent SAT score compared to most of the country.
lol 1420 is dogshit
Ya, I was fine with it at the time though; I was a lazy motherfucker in high school and didn’t wanna study or take it again.
If you are taking to get into Ivy League, definitely. Your average college will let you POUND them in the ass if you say you got a 1420
It was on the 1600 scale. I say “only” because relative to many other IB applicants it is a low score.
I'd suggest waiting to take the GMAT until your senior year. Scores are only valid for 5Y so you wouldn't want to take it soph/junior year and limit your application window. Give yourself as much flexibility as you can.
Also if you have a 3.9+ and network your ass off you can still break in to IB even without having taken the GMAT.
Ya, the way I see everything going, my GPA will probably be around a 3.75/3.8. Obviously there’s no hard cutoff and there’s a lot of other things factored in, but do you think a 3.75/3.8 from a non-target would be sufficient for getting into an IB?
Depends slightly on your major, but it won't disqualify you if you network
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