Potentially transferring from UCSB to USC or Vanderbilt, need advice desperately!
Hey everyone, first time poster here!
So a little about me: I'm a current student at UC Santa Barbara, with a 3.63 avg gpa as an Econ and accounting major. My passion has rapidly transitioned to the pursuit of investment banking, and I'm worried that UCSB can't provide me with what I need to break into the industry. I've talked to alumni who managed to get into BB's, but they told me the process was long and exhausting. So it's possible to break into IB from SB, but it's very very hard.
Upon learning this, I decided to try and apply to some schools as a transfer just to see what l could get in to. I didn't get into the schools I really wanted, and would transfer in an instant (nyu, brown, Cornell, Dartmouth) but I did get into USC and waitlisted to Vanderbilt. Here lies my stress....
In your opinion, would it be worth it to transfer to USC if I want to expose myself to more internship opportunities, interviews, networking, etc? Keep in mind that I didn't apply to Marshall, because I was under the impression that an Econ degree would be just fine (I plan on doing an MBA later anyways). Also, they do not have my fraternity, which would mean an extreme decline in my social life. Would that hinder my possibilities of connections? As much as I love frat life, and all the perks that come with it, in this stage of my life I'm willing to sacrifice 2 years of extensive partying and easy lays for a brighter future.
So that's USC as an Econ major. Now about Vanderbilt: same question, would the change from ucsb to Vanderbilt economics really be worth it in terms of job prospects, alumni, education, etc? I havnt gotten a definite answer on this from stalking the forums, so I'm interested in your opinions. The frat issue is the same here as USC.
And finally, any insight on UCSB and breaking into I banking would be awesome.
If you can't tell by my rediculous rambling, this decision is killing me. And I honestly would appreciate any help you can offer. Also, I'm yet to have an internship in the field yet, and it's not looking good for this summer..so next year and senior year are crucial.
If you made it this far, thank you so much for reading!
-Ryan
USC is not gonna do you that much good either, but try to get your ass into an IVY or NYU if you want to leverage school legacy to get into a BB or any IB jobs.
My best memories of UCSB were the sorority houses.
USC non-marshall would barely give you anymore opportunity than you have now. I say enjoy yourself where you are now, finish strong and network hard. Opportunities are there for anyone who wants it. That said if you are dead-set on transferring for an easier opportunity of breaking in, Ivy/NYU/UVA or UMich would be your best bets.
Why all the monkeyshit being thrown?
You are just fine at UCSB in my opinion (not an expert though). I remember one topic where a dude who got into a BB from UCSB said some good stuff. The post that would be of interest for you is deleted now, but here are the main points that he made: There are some boutiques in downtown SB where you can intern during the summer. Most people at UCSB don't even know what IB is so there isn't much competition for those. Few people interested in finance so you can easily get leadership positions at student clubs. You can get a baller GPA since the coursework is easier than target schools and therefore get the recruiters' attention. You can do that while partying all the time.
Hope this helps.
Some USC student is butthurt that i said his school wasn't the best
Thanks for the replies so far!
To those saying to try and get into an ivy, I'm assuming you mean for an MBA. I'm gonna be a junior, so this was the last opportunity I had to transfer.
Also, I don't have an internship lined up for this summer; all the boutiques in downtown sb hired more experienced candidates Unfortunatly. So at this point, with no experience going into my junior year I'm just thinking about where i could have the best shot at breaking in.
I could potentially transfer into Marshall if I go, but I'm not even sure if it's worth it to do a business administration undergrad than an MBA after working a few years.
wot. This is very common actually. Marshall offers good recruiting, especially for the LA area. Something that non-marshall students have less access to
i think it more like west coast vs. southeast. i fucking hate Tennessee so personally i would take USC. If you are originally from cali you are going to have a hard time adjusting to the culture there, but then again its only 2 years.
Vandy has more NY IB presence than USC, so something to keep in mind. USC is decent for westcoast IB.
damn, the USC fanboys must be trolling all over and throwing monkey shit like it's going out of style.
Sorry to revive this thread but it's finals right now and this decision is making it reealll hard to concentrate on anything else!
A little update on my situation: I put in my statement of intent for USC so I could have more time to think about it, and also because vandy won't get back to me until mid July. Also, I was just informed that I received zero financial aid for SC, which would mean paying about 60,000 a year for probably 2-3 more years. My parents are supportive of whatever I choose to do, but do you think the increase in tuition will really be worth it? I've also decided that if I do attend I will most definitely try and transfer into Marshall, as well as join the Trojan Investment Banking Society and any other clubs that could help me out.
My main concerns at this point come from the decision of choosing a possible better school for opportunities (USC) or choosing an average school academically, but a school where all my friends are. I'm in a fraternity at SB and the thought of going from being on the top to being a gdi at either Vandy or USC where greek life dominates is pretty tough. I am, however, capable of making what seems like the mature decision, but it's still hard nonetheless. I'm extremely motivated on breaking into I-Banking, and I realize I may have to make a choice that might not be in my best interests socially, but I would still appreciate any insight you guys could give on the situation.
I recently read that undergrad to an analyst position is vital for breaking into IBanking, and that an MBA might not help that much without first being an analyst...which was my plan at UCSB. Is this true? Would a business degree from SC than an MBA to move up the ladder be more ideal?
If it don't have an internship this summer, that means next year (and the summers from there on out) would be imperative to my chances of getting a BB position initially out of college. As such, would it be smarter to go to USC and take advantage of the alumni network, on campus recruiting, clubs, etc and sacrifice the friendships I've built in sb? Also, since my fraternity at USC is an embarrassment and there's no way I would ever join it, does not being in a frat affect my chances of networking? considering most of the kids in the best houses there are filthy rich, I feel like I would be missing out on possible connections.
This ended up kinda longer than I expected, but any more help would be really appreciated!
If you transfer to USC or Vandy just because you think you might have a better shot at getting a IB job, you're a fucking idiot. You're by no means guaranteed a position if you go to either (especially with your current GPA and this hiring environment), so it makes no sense to sacrifice your social life and pay 60k a year just to go somewhere that still isn't a target school. If you want IB bad enough, you can break in from UCSB.. get your priorities in order, start networking and studying a little harder, and you'll be fine.
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