MBA Admissions: GPA vs Program Prestige/Major?
I can graduate this year with a 3.87 GPA and a degree in economics or spend another year pursuing a Finance degree at a top 10 undergraduate business program. My ambition is to work in Investment Management and get into Wharton or HBS for my MBA someday. I desperately need help with this decision. Here are the facts to consider:
1) I'd stay at the same University, but a higher ranked program (UNC-CH) 2) The Finance Program offers a specialization in Investment Management 3) Tuition is not a factor 4) I don't have work experience in Investment Management or Finance 5) I've only held two internships, and they're related to real estate and sales 6) I'm assuming my GPA will fall due to harder courseloads, but I can't anticipate by how much 7) The pressure and stress to maintain a high GPA have had detrimental effects on my physical and mental health these last 3.5 years. Suicide has been a serious consideration on more than one occasion. 8) I assume employers overwhelmingly prefer Finance majors, especially for Investment Management 9) Our Economics program is a Bachelor of Arts degree; Finance is a Bachelor of Science degree
Thank you for thanking the time to read this and help me with this decision.
God Bless,
Hi sye- I'm sort of in the same position as you in that I have considered extending out graduation in order to hopeful pull a better GPA or to transfer to a more prestigious program. If tuition is not a factor, which in my case it is not a factor either, then do it! I commonly had this misconception that one ought to graduate on time as it will send a bad signal to potential employers.
Just last week I meet with a 1st year analyst at Rothschild who was 26 years old!! I spoke to him and he explained to me that yes, his employer was a bit skeptical. But as long as you maintain stellar grades and demonstrate that you are serious, it is always worth taking the extra time. The worst possible thing is that you will be slightly behind your age group, but if you are good you could surpass them later on in your career past where they cap off. Hope this helps a bit in your decision!
P.S.- Don't kill yourself too much over your GPA. It's never the end of the world. If you feel as if the coursework is too much, just simply take less credits! Best of luck.
Do Kenan Flagler, get an internship in IM, work in IM for a couple years, apply for MBA in a couple years. As long as you have a 3.5+ you should be okay for top MBA. MBA admissions is a holistic application and considers your entire profile.
I think if UNC K-F is "upgrade", it's very likely that you need to do it. Top 10 biz program means top 25 at best, because many ivy & equivalents only have econ undergrad (same competition)
I did a BA in econ at a peer school in the college of arts and sciences (not b-school, which is ranked higher, and would have been a BS), and literally nobody in my professional life has ever known the difference. I'm in VC.
If school is killing you, get out.
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