I need to make a decision!
Hey guys, new member here. I've been lurking around these forums for quite some time now. I was in the process of applying to graduate schools and there was always some valuable information to be found here. I have now been accepted to Michigan State Eli Broad College of Business as well as Texas A&M Mays Business School. I am looking to break into IB after obtaining my MBA and I was wondering which school you guys would recommend in order to make my goal more feasible. My interest in Michigan State is primarily with their FMI Institute and their FAL lab (http://finance.broad.msu.edu/fmi/). However, there is also a very attractive program at Texas A&M as well, the Aggies on Wall Street (http://mays.tamu.edu/department-of-finance/aggies…). Both programs seem great with the potential to possibly help me break into the field of my choice (sell-side analysis). I would really appreciate some input from you guys on which school you think would be more beneficial for me and my career goals.
Thanks!
EDIT: Sorry I also forgot to mention that I am receiving 50k in merit scholarships from Michigan and 43K in merit scholarships from Texas.
Not trying to stir the pot.....but if you are wanting to be on wall street...why would u pick those colleges as ur top picks.... Or is it just Investment banking in general? if so which area would you want to live afterwards??
I was kinda thinking the same thing ... it's going to be very difficult to break into IB from those 2 schools. It sounds cliche, but you will need to network your ass off. I would decide on Houston/Dallas vs Chicago and then go with that school because neither have a strong presence on Wall Street.
Gun to my head, I say go to Michigan St. and find every spartan working in Chicago in IB, start setting up meetings as soon as you arrive on campus.
Edit: Just read OP's 2nd post. I would not concern yourself with rankings. Outside the top say 20 schools they really don't mean anything. Also, banks don't hire MBAs as Analysts so you need to secure a Summer Associate role very early, which as I mentioned will be very difficult. I don't know if you took this into account, but ease of networking is very important, you don't want to be hours from the people you'll need to be setting up meetings with in the finance cities. If your at an M7 that doesnt matter but at schools on the level of Mich St and Texas A&M it def does.
if you get that much from MSU, could you get into U-M? at least much better chance than MSU
last year MSU Broad sent somebody up to NYC IB, and they were even "honored" enough to write an article about it...... U-M and other schools does that every other day...
I applied to UM and got rejected =/. I did see that article on MSU's website and it did get me a bit worried that they made such a huge deal about it. With my application as a whole, I don't think I will be getting into any top tier schools (I have received many rejections) which has led me to these two options. I wouldn't mind working in either Michigan or Texas for a while, right after graduation. However, ultimately I would like to move back to NYC. I would essentially like to work for a bulge bracket bank and enter as a 1st year analyst. My main concern is if these schools combined with their particular IB programs will help me achieve that. By no means do I assume that it will be easy, it will take stellar performance from me, endless networking, and a truly awesome internship for me to stand a chance. I would just like to know which school do you guys think will give me somewhat of a better chance. Texas is currently ranked 10 spots higher than Michigan so i'm already leaning in that direction, I just want to make sure that there's nothing i'm missing or not seeing in Michigan. Thanks for your help guys, I appreciate the feedback. I have to make a decision soon so any further feedback/comments will be greatly appreciated!
Networking into a job relates to competition, and that's on location and your alumni power. lots of people aim for chicago, but true that probably less look at Texas locations. MSU probably has a wider alumni power being a huge state school after U-M.
If you stay status quo, probably A&M (a school with excellent statistics department), is not as diversified as MSU. Plus I like more scholarships, I wouldn't mind that if I can transfer anywhere better....
or if you think you can make STRONG changes to your profile, then you could risk the offers and just apply another year. But you sure know your profile / projectory more than us.
What background did you come from pre-MBA?
OP what are some of your stats (if you don't mind sharing). Just trying to gauge my chances when I apply.
Neither, brush up your profile and apply again to a top 15 program. You are not going to get into a BB from those two schools. You're going to have a very hard getting into anywhere on Wall Street from those two programs.
Thank you guys so much for the solid advice. I think I am going to go with MSU and take advantage of their Financial Markets Institute as well as their FAL (Financial Analysis Lab). I am also looking for PE MBA internships for this spring/summer before I even start classes. Right now I am working at RBS Greenwich Capital in risk control and reporting for equity capital and derivatives. Hopefully my work experience, combined with an internship this coming summer, as well as my internship while at MSU will help me out a bit. Of course I will have to do a ton of networking, which I have already started. Thank you guys again for not sugar coating anything and giving me solid advice, I really do appreciate it!
I forgot to mention this, I'm pretty sure i'll be receiving offers from Boston College and Boston University. I'm not sure if either of these would even be considered with MSU on the table.
Boston College may be hidden gems!
Boston College, a hidden gem? That's actually the third time i've heard someone say that to me! Care to elaborate?
I hear that BC is strong in networking. but I'm not from Boston. honestly, if it's the 3rd time, shouldn't you take it more seriously and find out?! I'm not going to decide your MBA. it's your path.
Hah, yes that's what I keep hearing. The networking available at BC is supposed to be great and it is overall, a solid B school. Then again, I hear the same about Michigan. So it still makes the decision a bit tough!
Hey guys, I've finally received word from Michigan and Texas regarding their respective programs. Apparently at Michigan, MBA students do not have access to the Financial Markets Institute :( it's reserved for undergraduate students only. At Mays in Texas, MBA students DO have access to their Aggies on Wall Street program. The admin director for Mays has informed me that it will be a rigorous program and would include additional coursework/credits. I don't really mind the difficult curriculum or the additional coursework/credits. I just want to make sure that I'm making the right choice with a school that has programs which are actually available to me as a graduate student. I know these programs won't necessarily place me into IB...but from the looks of it, the Aggies on Wall Street program would provide some awesome networking and exposure that might make the journey a little easier. Any thoughts??
If you cant get into a top 25 MBA then Id go with texas. Ive heard their network is very strong within Texas so you probably would have a shot at IB. Itll be tough but I imagine a better shot than Michigan state.
Thank you for the input greekmyth! Anyone else care to chime in?
The deadline for Texas is this Friday. I think I will be leaving a deposit with them :). I did some research and found quite a few listings for IB internships specifically for Mays students. I don't think I've ever come across one for Michigan State yet :/. Also I spoke to a MSU alumni and even he mentioned that A&M might be better if I'm pursuing a career in IB hah!
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