Merits of an MBA

Hi- long time lurker, first time poster.

I landed in Equity Research out of undergrad at a firm ranked between 5-10 in the Institutional Investor equity research poll covering an energy subsector. I am studying for the CFA level 1 right now and have almost 18 months of sell-side experience. While I am not in any particular rush to make my next move, I am starting to lay the groundwork. I would like to move to a energy/infrastructure P/E fund (ideally) or alternatively to a deep-value hedge fund with an energy bent. Culturally, I would prefer a smaller fund which would give me more responsibility over a more prestigious mega fund.

Should I get an MBA? or will the CFA be sufficient? Personally, I would be reluctant to leave my job for business school for anything outside the top 5 schools/Columbia/NYU (I live in NYC and love it here).

A bit more about myself:

I went to a good non-target in the tri-state area. Made close to a 4.0 my first two years and then began interning full time and taking night classes. I leveraged one of these internships into my current role, but my GPA suffered tremendously my last two years and I graduated with a 3.4.

My SATs were good (1510/1600) but I havent taken the GMAT.
My current role has given me the opportunity to interact with clients a lot, and take ownership of models and reports for about 8 companies under coverage- so i think i would interview well.

Am i a competitive applicant for a top 5 business school?

Thanks in advance!

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