Investment banking vs. Accounting @ a non-ivy/target

Hi guys/gals, I will be starting college at Saint Joseph's University in Philly this fall. Not the greatest school, I know. But I was lackadaisical in highschool and this is my punishment. Now I have given thought about trying to transfer to Wharton after 2 years, but I think that would be difficult but not impossible. I have also thought about Wharton for graduate school. Now, I understanding accounting is kinda near the bottom of the barrel in the business world. But I fear that trying to break into IB from SJU will be hard and if I cant I will end up selling insurance. I thought about double majoring in Finance and Accounting so that i could have both career paths open.

Thoughts, advice, comments?

Thanks.

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Best Response

Im currently a senior Finance/Econ double major at Saint Joes. I previously had an internship for multiple summers during my time at Saint Joes at Barons ranked top 10 Hedge Fund, as well as at a Broker-Dealer/Investment Bank on the Street. I will say the reputation of Saint Joes is tough, I am the same way as you and wish I did better in high school to avoid this problem by going to a school that has a big feed to The Street, but my family weren't alumni at anywhere great and my SAT scores were poor. While I could've spent my time concerned with transferring, I met a lot of great people here and met what I now consider my closest friends. If you feel no connection to Saint Joes, a program like Wharton or even a lower level program between Wharton and Haub will give you an easier road to IB, Private Equity, or whatever your financial services industry endeavors may be. But if you grow to love SJU, you can certainly achieve your goals by dedicating yourself to networking, boosting your resume to its full potential, and of course a high GPA. Good luck.

 

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