Please delete
Hello,
I'll cut it short since I'm used to it. I am still on active duty. I have a wife and kid who I miss dearly which is why I am transitioning out 8 months from now. I planned on sacrificing my time and go to my local state school, It's not grand but they have every business degree there including finance which is what I plan on majoring, and they are accredited. Since it's a "non-target" ( still getting used to that term ) what should I do differently than the ivy kids? I'm very interested in PE and possibly working in an HF.
Thanks.
Lots of banks have veterans diversity programs. Make sure to apply to all of those.
The target schools love veterans especially when you are applying to MBA programs.
I have seen non-target undergrad with NROTC ==> 2nd lieutenant in navy ==> Seal School ==> Navy Seal ==> Harvard/Stanford MBA.
I think Charlie Munger skipped undergrad all together took some classes while in the military, and got into a Harvard law. But he is an exception.
You could try doing something like Munger, but the world is a different place today where you cant break the rules anymore.
I think your best option is talking/networking with other people who are currently in PE, and did not have an undergrad before military service. I am sure there are a lot of higher ups who were part of SPECWAR in finance. And they are probably looking to hire people with a relatable skillset and experience. I would make a targeted search on LinkedIn and search people (Navy Seal or Special forces) and then under current company pick (The PE firm or bank you are looking to join) I just checked and 6 people at Blackstone are ex-Seals.
I think you if go to undergrad and can get a solid GPA. MBA admissions would be relatively easy considering you worked in the military. So you probably do not need work experience. (Someone else should elaborate on this if possible as I am unsure)
Hope I could help a little.
If you have good test scores then I would not limit yourself to ODU. I mean apply there, but you might as well throw your hat in at some other places. I'm not sure what your wife does, but if she's on a $100k salary and you somehow make it PE / HF out of undergrad (BTW this is extremely difficult even from a target school), you would recoup her lost earnings in a year or two. Not to mention the possibility of online classes, perhaps you could knock out your core classes online and delay the move a year. I get not wanting to disrupt the comfort of your family, but there are target schools in every major city and your wife could likely find some work despite a possible pay cut. Another scenario is that IB/PE/HF doesn't work out, the second tier jobs at a target school are going to be way better than anything at ODU.
And to caveat the above comment, yes the example person went to a non-target for undergrad, but they were a seal and went to a target for there MBA. Recruiters don't really care where you went to undergrad when recruiting at the MBA level...
TLDR - You are severely limiting your options by focusing only on ODU.
I can't give you advice on the personal side of your life (wanting to stay with your family for your MBA), but as far as career opportunities goes, I'd advise against doing a non-target MBA. MBAs aren't about what you learn, they're all about branding and expanding your network. For that reason, you'd essentially be wasting your time at ODU, on top of severely restricting your options. Neither PE nor IB will be doable from there. I'd recommend targeting a top tier MBA, which seems very doable from the military from what I've seen (as long as you have good stats). If you want high-finance, target T15 MBAs, especially the finance-oriented ones (Wharton, UChicago, Columbia, NYU). If you want PE straight from MBA, then you have to be at Harvard/Stanford/Wharton, and even then it will be difficult
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