Just Accepted to Undergrad, Plans for the future?

Hello everyone. I just discovered WSO from another site. I was hoping for some advice.

I was just accepted into the University of Virginia as a transfer student. There are some hiccups with my prerequisites and it looks like I'm going to have to declare one major, and then change it, or double major. I am attempting to declare Economics with a concentration in Finance. I'm unable to do this for a few different reasons, mostly University rules and prerequisites. So I am forced to declare another major. I decided on Statistics, with a concentration in Econometrics. I looked, and a lot of the classes line up so that if I choose to double major, or when I am able to declare Economics after this Spring, I will be on the right track.

My ultimate goal is to get into a top 10 MBA program. I was looking at Darden, because I am in love with the University of Virginia, and Darden is in the top 10 (from what I understand, I could be wrong?), and has a decent Finance curriculum.

My main question is just any advice you can give me in achieving my goal of getting into Darden.

I plan on working for roughly 4 years after undergrad, and hopefully get an internship next summer in Finance.

I don't have a Wall Street dream, I'm just going to wherever I can get the best paying job. My only dream is a whole lot of money, for various reasons that aren't as vain as they sound.

Any thoughts?

Thanks for your time.

Edit/PS: One of my biggest interests is investing and entrepreneurship, perhaps small business, after I've achieved some capital and experience through Finance. I've also considered a DBA to academia, much much later.

9 Comments
 
Best Response

For one, learn from my mistake, DO NOT graduate without work experience. Start with whatever internships you can get (even if not necessarily in the area of finance you wanted) and then over time leverage them into internships in the area you want. Don't be mad if your not starting where you want to be because starting somewhere is key (seriously here, I wish I had someone tell me this when I was in your shoes. For some reason I thought a great GPA was all you needed come graduation to get a job.....don't do this too)

Secondly, and I'll keep this brief because this existential shit is taking over WSO, but don't chase money, chase passion. To be honest if I could go back I wouldn't of even studied business. It's just a bunch of mice chasing too little an amount of cheese to satisfy them all. Find something you love and leave the world a better place than you found it, cuz in the end you won't be remembered for the size of the bank account you left behind (so much for avoiding the existential shpeal, sry)

GBS
 

If you're transferring to UVa I would recommend that you try to get into McIntire. Econ is good, but McIntire is a great name in Finance. Also, you can't concentrate in Finance as an Econ major, its Financial Economics, which is very different.

McIntire students get preferential treatment from most consulting and finance industry companies, so I would aim for that.

 

Critical question - will you be a second year or a third year? If you'll be a second year, you should absolutely plan on applying to McIntire next spring.

If you'll be a third year, do Stat and Econ.

 

I will be a third year upon transfer. I would have loved going to McIntre, and that was my original goal. I didn't think I was going to get in, and I didn't want to risk waiting another year to go back and reapply for economics (other variables were involved in the decision). I don't have the opportunity to go to McIntre now. I'm going to attempt majoring in Economics with a concentration in Financial Economics, and get an internship next summer. More information: My resume looked really good, but I had a withdrawal in Calculus I. I got permission to skip Trigonometry, but that ended up being a wrong decision, and I was also taking 20 credits at the time. So I withdrew. I asked McIntre Admissions about the W and they said it would really hurt my application... I decided to just apply for Economics for a variety of reasons. I was sick and tired of my school. I was ready to actually be at a university. Also, my girlfriend attends U.Va, and I feel like another year of distance would've been added stress on my life. I'm happy with my decision, though I realize that McIntre would have been the more efficient route into Finance. Do I still have a chance with Econ?

 

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