Parents want me to graduate in two years, need advice.
I am an incoming student at Rutgers Business for Finance and my parents found that RBS takes all AP credit towards graduation, meaning that I will have 55 out of 120 required credits for graduation. Because of this, they are very adamant on the idea of me graduating in 4-5 semesters, applying to a deferred MBA program at a target, and working any finance role to get me to my MBA as soon as possible.
To be clear, their reason for this is not because of money, they just think it would be "a waste of time for me to sit around" for 4 years. I have seen from past posts that people heavily advise against graduating in 2 or even 3 years. I have provided said reasoning to them but they are still insistent.
My original plan was to graduate in 4 years and take my shot at the traditional IB recruitment track, but I am not sure if I can talk them out of graduating in 2 years considering they are paying my tuition and the final call is up to them.
Also, this is just me, but thinking about rushing college just sucks, I want to enjoy my time here but that seems really hard to do if my time is cut in half. I'm not sure if I should continue trying to convince them to let me graduate in 4 years (or what I should even say to try and change their minds) or if I should just suck it up and graduate in 2. Any advice is appreciated. Thanks.
TLDR: hardass parents want me to graduate in 2 years to work/get deferred mba asap. help.
Based on the highest ranked content on WSO, I need to give you some real talk about this situation - your parents' plan has some serious flaws that could actually hurt your career prospects.
The Deferred MBA Reality Check:
The deferred MBA programs at top schools (Harvard 2+2, Stanford GSB Deferred) are extremely competitive and have specific criteria that work against your parents' timeline:
They want unique career paths - These programs are designed for students who will take risks and pursue non-traditional careers because they have admission security. Simply rushing to any finance role doesn't make you stand out.
STEM preference - While 20% of admits are Econ majors, the programs are primarily aimed at STEM students who wouldn't normally pursue MBAs.
You need a compelling "why now" story - Admissions committees want to know what risks having early admission allows you to take that you couldn't take in 4-5 years.
The Recruiting Timeline Problem:
Here's where your parents' plan really falls apart - traditional IB recruitment happens during your junior year for senior year internships. If you graduate in 2 years, you'll miss this entire cycle. You'd be competing for off-cycle roles or trying to break in as a full-time analyst without the traditional SA pipeline, which is significantly harder.
What You Should Tell Your Parents:
The math doesn't work - Graduating early actually reduces your chances at top finance roles and elite MBA programs, not increases them.
Deferred programs want students who can take risks - Being in a rush to follow a traditional path is the opposite of what these programs seek.
Network building takes time - The relationships, leadership positions, and experiences that make strong candidates can't be rushed.
You'll likely need to reapply anyway - If the deferred MBA doesn't work out (which is likely given the competition), you'll apply again in 4-5 years anyway, making the rush pointless.
My recommendation: Push hard for the 4-year timeline. The traditional path exists for a reason - it works. Your parents' accelerated plan could actually set you back years in achieving your finance career goals.
Sources: International Student - Chance of getting an IBD internship in London?, Chances Of GSB Deferred / HBS 2+2 MBA Programs?, An old man looking for advice, flunking out with SA offer, Deferred Admission Advice for Rising Senior
Dumbest most brain dead thing I've ever heard. How do you expect to get a SA gig at any shop after your freshman year? Recruiting timelines are not going to work in your favor.
The reasons to not do this go on and on. You'll ostensibly be two years into your career before the friends you made in college years 1-2 graduate. You'll have limited social skills compared to someone that went to college for all four. No idea how you'll attempt to recruit but doing an MBA at age 22 (assuming graduate at 20 + 2 years of work) is so dumb. You'll have no experience compared to your peers.
Do you want to study abroad? Join a fraternity? Even taking three years, you could hit Prague or Florence and bang some broads while abroad.
Maybe if you want to go into basic FP&A at a F500, do this. But any higher finance role is probably shut out from your opportunity mix.
Agree with everything above. Not worth it man. Do a semester early at most (stretch it to a year if you get an offer & are bored of school). Was in a similar position. Went to a state school, got a good job in banking, but wasted a lot time writing inauthentic applications, ultimately getting waitlisted for top deferred MBA programs. You’re young man. I can tell it’ll be difficult to convince your parents that prestige is not everything. But you need to explain to your parents that graduating in two years, just because you have AP credits (which tons of candidates will have, just their schools wouldn’t apply it) just breaks you out of a standardized cycle for little to no value.
Many top MBA programs heavily weigh your work experience. That is not to say they never accept students right out of college, but those are few and far between. You could score very well on the GMAT and not get admitted to any T15-20 schools because you have zero real world experience. I think many employers will feel the same way, why would they hire someone who is 20 years old, 2 years out of highschool, versus someone who is 22 years old and 2 internships + club activities under their belt? Unless you are a actual rocket scientist genius graduating from MIT at age 19, this makes no sense.
So you would be shackling yourself in terms of what MBA programs will be available to you and what jobs are available to you, especially in IB. You should be pursuing investing clubs (if your school has any) and internships, and recruiting a long the same timeline as everyone else.
I would understand if this was a financial issue for your family, but if money has nothing to do with the decision then it is a bad choice by your parents. Maybe see if they will pay for 2 years of school and you cover the last year or two through scholarships and jobs?
Also, aside from all of the above. The relationships you form in college will stick with you for the rest of your life. You learn how to live on your own (to some extent) and mature. Rushing to graduate in 2 years takes all of that away from you and you gain nothing in return.
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