Positioning for MBA

Hello everyone!

I want to ask about how to position myself appropriately for MBA admissions as that is my intended plan within 3-4 years of graduation if I don't find myself enjoying my role. I'm going to be joining a bulge bracket investment bank this year as an analyst in Sales & Trading. The bank I will be joining has a very prestigious brand-name associated with it but it isn't particularly good in the particular product of the trading desk I will be joining. Moreover, I will be joining a large non-NYC office. In terms of my background, I come from a top non-Ivy school with two bachelors in economics and engineering and a 3.7-3.8 GPA. I haven't properly taken or prepared for the GMAT yet of course but I did take a practice exam without preparation and got 690, which makes me think I could get 740+ with the appropriate preparation on the actual test. I also have the opportunity to grab a masters in my engineering degree over the next year, which means I will intern this summer and could potentially recruit for full-time investment banking/consulting roles in NY. My other alternative was to try and internally lateral to capital markets or investment banking after a year or so of working if I'm not enjoying S&T, though I'm unclear about how easy or feasible this is.

I was wondering if you guys could offer insights into what schools I should be looking to apply to after 3-4 years as a trader as a possible admit and what schools I can consider myself to be a likely admit to? I know that I could largely rule out Harvard and Stanford as schools to reach for because they don't particularly like traders. I'm also open to top MBA programs around the world, not just the US.

Also, what do you recommend I do with some of my spare time during my 3-4 years working to bolster my application chances?

Do you find investing the 5,000 or dollars in a MBA consultant to be worthwhile?

I appreciate your time and insight!

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