Non-target undergrad + Target grad non-mba = ???
Guys,
I have a top 100 BS (3.75/4.00) and MS (3.5/4.0) both from the same university (non target) in biomedical engineering. Been lurking around the forums for awhile.
Did not know anything about IBD/Consulting until I started at Thompson Reuters in July 2009 as a market data analyst aka data entry IMO. Last year's recruiting was pretty bad so I just took the first job that was offered to me after graduating from my MS.
Recently got admits to these 'target' schools (in order of preference/exit ops):
All LSE MSc Management, Organisation and Govt (20k pounds)
Duke MMS (27k pounds)
Was wondering if its worth attending? or stick it out for another 2 years doing menial work? or attend an MBA? I have my life savings of about 15k pounds, and plan to take on a loan for the living expenses from my family. They are supportive in whatever I choose. The thing is I am not sure if I have the ability to fork out $160k (HWS) or 50k Euros/pounds(Ox/Cam/INSEAD).
Is an MBA really necessary to go beyond the associate level in IBD/Consulting? I really do not want an MBA if I plan to go for this as I will probably sound like a tool for having BS MS MFE MBA behind my name/resume.
PS: Plan to work in IBD/Consulting in the UK/EU/Asia.
Fanks,
Wannabe-chimp
bump
i'd go straight to the horses mouth...talk to some hr people at ibanks you want to work at...see which degree they'd like.
Does my Non-Target UG put me at a disadvantage? (Target for Masters) (Originally Posted: 08/11/2012)
Quick Question:
I will be graduating from a non-target as an electrical engineering major/biz minor this coming spring. For my masters I am applying to Engineering Management programs (Duke, Dartmouth, Cornell, Columbia, Case Western).
If I go to say Duke where McKinsey recruits, will graduating from UMass Lowell Engineering with high 3.5 low 3.6 (plus a good amount of EC's/Honor Societies) put me at a disadvantage for getting interviews compared to the other kids who come in?
I already realized that I have no shot to get MBB after UG so I decided to go for MEM at a Target to get a little branding and take advantage of the OCR MBB/Others will be doing at the respective schools.
I am worried however that the non-target UG will bite me even though I have a semi-decent GPA/good EC's/good internships on resume.
If someone had a similar experience, or friends who have been in the same situation, any success stories, or any advice that would be awesome! Also if anyone has a opinion they can share on MEM and whether it is a good degree for management/strategy consulting that would be great.
Thanks
Depends how non target the school is. UC Davis, GA Tech are ranked high and are very respected, but are total non targets because of location. If you get an MS at a Top school (this excludes case western and cornell) like a columbia, then yes no one will really care that much about non target undergrad. Just work hard during your masters because every legit kid gets a 3.8+ GPA in grad school.
It does, it doesn't. What difference does it make to what you are going to do to get the job?
going to a a top program for engineering may not be enough. make sure you secure a good internship in the summer of your grad program (assuming its a 2yr program) to show the firms you have interest/skills.
Target Undergrad > (Non target undergrad + Target grad)? (Originally Posted: 07/14/2011)
guys,
say u got a degree from like a no-one-in-the-world-has-ever-heard-of-non-target i.e. state university of xyz and ended up doing a MS from a target, would that be looked down upon compared with a guy who went to a target in undergrad?
what will matter is your MS from target school, how well you did. If you have a very desirable MS, they won't really care about what you did before.
I don't see why, they would look down upon the fact that you are doing an MS from a target school, clearly you got there because you worked your ass off, even if it was in a state school as you say.
People tend to exaggerate the extent to which you have to come from a target school to be sorted. True, it does help, but if you are not focused, lack of stamina, it will be useless...
At the end of the day, it all depends on you, how determined are you to get where you want to be...
this is subjective, but knowing now that i want to do finance/banking i would much rather have a target undergrad than a nontarget undergrad with a target grad (unless that target grad is is B-School).
i am currently a working professional with non-target undergrad looking to go to a top B-School.
The school where you get your last degree will hold the most weight on your resume.
now im young and definitely not in a position to hire, but i would prefer the non-t to target MS kid because that shows hustle, improvement, desire, and obvious smarts.
im a bit biased though because i am one of those kids haha.
I don't get why it would make a difference. A lot of kids at targets are from ordinary backgrounds and showed "hustle, desire and obvious smarts" to get in from high school. I don't know how it works in the real world because I'm still a student, but the most recent degree should be what matters IMO.
Hopefully the prospects are good because I will be going this route.
I think I would also prefer a non target/ target grad school kid. I am one of them, but for some people, there is an issue of money going to a target and just because you didn't decide to go to a target when you were 17 and thinking about this doesn't mean that you're any smarter than the kid who went to a non target or state school. I think it would also weigh in is the work experience that each of the non target/ target grad has compared to the target ugrad kid.
Harvard is cheaper than state schools for most families due to the financial aid policy, 10k for tuition, room, board, +you receive 5k cash for summer international experience, so actually only 5k for the year.
So fuck you state school kid, go join a Organized Labor Ring like UAW
Pretty sure this post ended the debate. Non target undergrad--->target grad is definately the right path to go down.
HAHA, I actually go to a 50k a year private school, not public (not that makes much of a difference) and I am working an internship at a alternative investment fund. I'm dedicated so thats why I would prefer my situation, it might not work for everyone. And I was speculating in the scenario for kids who don't always receive FAFSA, and don't have 10k to drop each semester. Lots of school actually reject people's FAFSA applications (I had two denied) and the school I currently attend I earned alot of scholarship money. So maybe you should not jump to harsh conclusions dumbass.
Also, if you went to a state school, it is highly unlikely that you will be getting any work experience that does not involve manual labor (or PwC)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fox_and_the_Grapes
This thread in a nutshell.
How so?
hungry fox can't reach grapes on tree so he says they're sour anyway = guys who didn't get into target undergrad say that it's not a big deal anyway. i see your point.
Having a job + non target undergrad> not having a job + target undergrad
/thread
You probably didnt read the post above.
chances of "Having a job + non target undergrad" is very low, unless you consider working at PwC a real job.
and chances of "not having a job + target undergrad" is also very low.
for finance jobs, non-ivy schools are considered state schools for easier classification.
I will agree with all of this. Aren't some state schools considered targets though? Even though they are state, there are some that are very good for recruitment (UCLA, UNC, Michigan, etc)?
I started my college journey in community college, got an associate's degree in general studies, finished my bachelor's from a state U (it was even a "party school") with a 3.2 GPA and had my first job working as a retail clothing supervisor at a mall. I subsequently changed to a client services role in a call center for an Asset Management firm. Worked my way to an investment analyst, and I designed a patent that my firm bought for $6MM. After scoring a 780 GMAT with solid recs from our CEO and 2 MDs, I got into a target (H/S/W) and came back to the same firm as a Director. I was a bit older than my peers in the MBA, but much more experienced. I even had one of my cohort apply for a position on my team 4 months out of school. He was a target UG and target MBA, but did not get the offer. Just a perspective from the other side. :)
Any success stories about Getting into a top Graduate School from a non prestigious undergraduate institution? (Originally Posted: 04/13/2011)
I'm about to graduate from a non prestigious undergrad program with a decent GPA and good extracurriculars. I want to go to a top school for MFin or an MBA in about 3 years, after I finish my CFA and I get some work experience.
I'm looking to read about people here who went to non prestigious undergrads but then in a few years got into HBS, Columbia, Wharton, MIT, etc.
what do you mean by non-prestigious? And check out this thread: http://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forums/top-b-school-for-sub-30-gpa
I have classmates at HBS who went to state schools. It's not impossible, I just hope your "decent" GPA is actually impressive and not just decent.
What about a non prestigious (well technically best school in the country for my major but still basically unknown outside of Canada) Canadian undergrad degree in petroleum engineering with work experience with Exxon for a few years and a 3.5+ GPA? Actually what are my chances as a Canadian to begin with? Better than a state school US kid with comparable stats? Or worse?
I will graduate in a month with a 3.2 cumulative, 3.5 in the last two years, 3.8 in the last year and 3.5 in major related courses (as you can see, I fucked around in first year)
I have a full time role in PWM, a couple of internships and I'm Latin American.
tbh PWM is not a job that b-schools will look at as impressive. neither is a 3.2 from a mediocre school. youll really need to have some wildly impressive essays and 750+ GMATS to make you competitive. people can go from no name school-big name grad school, if your GPA is 3.7+
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