This is my first post on WSO so please be gentle on me :) I need a little help on choosing school and program. Any thoughts are welcome!
Background: GMAT 770, GRE 1350 (old test score and expired). Engineering MS degree from top 20+ School. GPA 4.0
Worked as reserve engineer for 2+ years, not in bank though. did a lot of work on (oil and gas) asset valuation. Career goal post MBA or MSF: Hopefully IB, PE, consulting, corporate finance or anything that suits.
- Based on the info, what ranking of programs should I be looking at, is there a chance of getting into top MBA program with my background?
- Based on my goal which program is better for me? a MBA or a MSF.
I know this topic has been discussed so much here. But my situation here is a little different because I am looking at a total change of career.
Thoughts anyone? Thanks in advance!
what is ur goal??? Ur background is in engineering but do you want a leadership role? where is the MF coming from?? IMO you are a good fit for MIT and Berkeley
Thanks for replying, my goal is getting into IB, PE, or consulting, not necessarily want a leadership role, but intend to break into finance. Which degree might suit me better? MBA or Mfin?
Thanks!
quick answer, but I personally favor the MBA for a career change.
Your numbers look strong, but that's really only a part of the picture. The real question for a decent school (and to get into investment banking, it doesn't have to be Harvard, Stanford or wharton) will be about your leadership experience on the job. That is, what kind of projects have you initiated or led, what kind of challenges have you overcome, and how have you influenced the environment of your team and/or your company. They are looking for your overall impact in being at your firm, not just the day-to-day of what you do.
As for choosing which schools, go ahead and research schools! Have fun with it, figure out where you think you would fit, what part of the country you want to be in, who recruits from where. Most of the big investment banks and consulting firms recruit fairly broadly (contrary to popular assumptions). I think the most interesting and useful part of the graduate school journey is trying to figure out where you see yourself. The schools put a lot of effort into their outreach, hoping to educate students on what they offer, and how they differentiate themselves. Take advantage of the fact that they are as interested in presenting themselves to you as you are interested in learning about them.
Thanks for your opinion, I personally agree with you that MBA is needed for career change (engineering -> finance), what do you think of MSf ? Will it do the same as a MBA?
Thanks again!
I think there are a number of posts here on WSO about the value of a MsF -- for a career change. I think @TNA" or IlliniProgrammer can tell you more about the possibilities. I do think, though, that the change from engineering to MBA isn't super-unusual. There are transferable skills.
I do encourage you to rethink your comment "not interested in a leadership role" -- I think you do want to be a "leader" and that could mean team leader or project leader, or thought leader. Someone who is worth following. Business schools do concentrate on those kinds of skills as well as allowing you to break into finance, so that might be something to think about.
Yeah, I just don't think that I have sufficient experience (less than 3 years) right now to undertake leadership roles. But as you said, I do want to be a leader in terms of team leader or project leader.
I will do more researching, seems that WSO has huge amount of info on this topic.
Thanks again!
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