MBA Required for Progression?

Howdy folks, I'm currently a 'rising junior' at a non-target school with an S&T internship for 2020. I don't have the best GPA in the world (3.5), however, I'm stoked to work in S&T and have wanted this position more than anything since high school.

My one concern is B School. Is it necessary to make Associate and progress through the ranks? How common/uncommon is it to progress without it? I'm not sure my undergraduate credentials would fly at a top 5 or 10 B School and I know how common it is on Wall Street to attend one. I'm working my tail off to get my GPA up, but I know that my undergrad isn't as reputable as Wharton or NYU for example. Any feedback or advice on this? I'm a firm believer the cream rises to the top regardless of B School, but I understand the amazing networking opportunities and career pivots it offers people. Thank you in advance!

3 Comments
 

HellenKeller, hey, look at the bright side, at least you didn't get a ton of monkey shit thrown at you...here is my best guess on threads that might be helpful:

  • Need help selecting B-schools to apply to Hi, I'm in the process of selecting B-schools to apply to in the first round (Sep-Oct 2018), ... don't care. So my current list looks like this: Dream b-schools: H, S (will try an MBA /MSx ... into the college's rowing team:) Post MBA short-term goals are: tech and/or tech consulting. As ...
  • The perception of these b-schools to employers, job prospects, and college decisions Now that I have heard back from the business schools I applied to for undergrad I am attempting to ... make a decision on college. I would appreciate input. I'm taking out student loans for undergrad ... and I was wondering the prospects for me in I-banking and accounting coming out of these schools. And ...
  • What's the use of going to a top b-school if you can get the same opportunities from a lower tier b-school? (esp Amazon) are generally the more traditional areas for MBA students to target for recruiting, ... I've seen that you can get the same opportunities from lower tiered schools as well. For an instance, ... You can get the same from M7 and maybe the numbers are a little higher than these T15 schools but, and ...
  • Another Take on Target Schools: Representation at America's Elite B-Schools college is to see how many alums end up at elite business schools (M7) since it goes to follow that in ... College: 5 Colby College: 5 Bates: 4 BYU: 3 Haverford: 3 UNC: 3 college business school prestige ... the top feeder colleges to the M7 minus MIT and Kellogg plus Tuck. ...
  • Best B-School for Dallas? and/or an MBA. For funds and AM in Dallas, where do they recruit from? Still primarily M7 or do regional ...
  • Another B-School app evaluation.. I'm aiming for are Chicago, Columbia, UCLA, Stern and UT. energy chicago business school Columbia UT ... 2 jobs during college to pay for it myself. I'm also a first generation college grad. Took 2 classes ... I should score between 680 to 720. I volunteer for a non-profit business counseling firm and help the ...
  • 2 year B-School or Combined MD/MBA? EVERY level. For the past few years, my interest in pursuing an MBA has been growing substantially, and ... self-taught and picked up by banker buddies. My school has a 5 year MD/ MBA program, but it is 3 semester of ... business school with no internship time. Would it be more worthwhile to apply out to a two year top ten ...
  • To anyone considering an MBA pursue b-school Despite the fact that I am on a partner track without having an MBA, I made the choice to ... B-school is an opportunity for people to develop this soft skill through frequent interactions with others ... attending one of the M7 schools (not H/S/W- they all rejected me). Who an MBA makes sense for First of all, ...
  • More suggestions...

If those topics were completely useless, don't blame me, blame my programmers...

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.
 
Most Helpful

As a rising college junior, I think it is a bit premature to be worrying about whether or not you need an MBA to get to a role 3-4 years out of undergrad. Frankly, most top business schools have an average of 4-5 years of work experience. Focus on bringing your grades up in your last two years, doing more than expected in your internship next summer and securing a great job when you graduate in 2021. You might think about taking the GMAT during or shortly after your senior year when you are still in student mode so you will have one less thing to worry about if you decided to apply to business school.

Susan Cera Director of MBA Admissions Stratus Admissions Counseling - www.stratusadmissions.com FREE Profile Evaluation - www.stratusadmissions.com/consult
 

Beatae et delectus illo quia dicta quisquam alias. Ipsam repudiandae nihil et voluptate est. Voluptatem enim iure atque deleniti.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (75) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (65) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
numi's picture
numi
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”