large state school + regional bank WE --> top MBA?
What are my chances at a top MBA program? I'm currently a senior at a ~100 ranked state school.
Projected Final GPA: 3.97
WE: I worked at a nonprofit in Washington, D.C. the summer after my freshman year (all expenses paid). For the summer after my sophomore year I worked at a mid-market commercial bank as a lending intern. I was offered a job from the bank that I'm thinking about taking.
Perks of resume: I'm graduating in 3 years with ease. The University pays me $5000 per year because of scholarships (National Merit, Byrd, etc..). The only EC in undergrad was one year as President of the largest student organization on campus.
GMAT: I'm a good test taker and made a 33 on the ACT in high school so I don't think 750+ will be hard to do.
Is it possible to work as a credit analyst in the middle-market lending group for a few years at a regional bank and jump to a top MBA?
Would it help my chances at H/S if I devoted some serious time to community service during the upcoming 3 years of WE? Or is H/S even possible?
Thanks for any help.
If you're trying to craft your career to whatever you think the ideal H/S/W would be for the sake of H/S/W, chances are good you're going to fail, dude. Go out there and do whatever feels best for you. Do what you like, man. If that's really what you want to do ("Do I need to volunteer for a few years?"), then do it. But make no mistake man, nothing is worth doing it just for the MBA. The MBA doesn't make you man. It facilitates things. If you really think you're good enough for those schools, then it shouldn't matter what you've done when you apply, because it will be stuff you've enjoyed, stuff you've excelled at, and most importantly, something you can talk about.
Again, just my two cents. Do whatever feels right. Just don't wake up four years from now and realize you've been letting some school with a name behind it control your life.
Agree with what Alpha said, but if you do choose that working towards a prestigious MBA is worth it (I am starting to contemplate the same decision) then check out a few books.
"How to Get Into the Top MBA Programs" (Montauk) and "65 successful Harvard Business School Application Essays" are pretty informational. Montauk's book is more about the process/school reviews and what seems to be required. The HBS Essay book gives you a more in-depth look at individual candidates and the various ways they got accepted to HBS.
Edit - When you say H/S/W I'm assuming you mean Harvard/Sloan/Wharton. Correct?
H/S/W = harvard/stanford/wharton.
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