Shot myself in the foot?
Accepted an offer from a lower tier Bulge Bracket after a summer stint. Location was India, so it is MO, not FO. Took a hard look at what I want to do in life recently, and decided I would like to go for a top MBA program a few years down the line. Looked it up and it seems accepting a MO job is a straight ding at most top colleges. Is it necessarily true for programs like Wharton/Harvard/Booth? If yes, is switching jobs after just a year viable?
I am confident about other parts of the application - 4 GPA from a target, ECs are top of the line. My only concern is my job. Is there a way out?
Start networking, tightening up the resume and working towards moving to the front office. It's a grind, but it's absolutely possible.
Thank you for the response. I do hope to grind it out to FO as a last resort, but do you know of people who switched to fields like consulting after a year at MO? I think I should be able to leverage some alumni contacts or my target to land an interview at MBB, since they're also on record hiring sprees here. Or should I try off-cycle now, and not take up my MO job at all?
I would absolutely take the job, it's always easier to find a job when you have a job (less pressure, cashing a check, etc.). I would still network and recruit like crazy, you need a cohesive story about why you did the stop over in the middle office.
For example, I couldn't get into IB out of undergrad so I did accounting. It was natural for me since I was an accounting major, then I could spin it as I worked with some of the IB teams and realized I wanted to do that work.
You need to be relentless though, it's easy to fall into the inertia trap.
Your application will determine your chances of being accepted. Almost every college views the application holistically and assess on the following:
1) Academics - GPA and involvement in college.
2) GMAT
3) Work Experience - Type of work / Prestige of the Company / Achievements at the roles.
4) Essays and LoRs
5) Extracurriculars
These are not in order. But some schools put a higher weightage on one section than the other. Some schools prefer a higher GPA and GMAT over good work experience. While others may prefer your involvement at work/extra curriculars > GPA/GMAT. You can see this from looking at class profiles of your schools. Example: Duke and Darden are known to not worry much about GPA/GMAT but rather other aspects of your application. Yale on the other hand puts a great emphasis on your academics and GMAT.
I do not know where you heard that going into MO is automatically a ding. This is not true. If you see above, you can see the "type of work" is actually a very small aspect of your application. I will also go on to say that most of the incoming students into an MBA program do not comes from a prestigious company/traditional jobs. When looking solely at your work experience - you will be assessed on your achievements more than your actual job.
At the end - I think you are overthinking a lot. I have seen my friends get into T10 MBA from back office roles. Their careers started on the wrong foot, but they worked on parts of application that they can control. Like GMAT, Essays, getting great LoRs, working on projects at work that are important for the firm, volunteering and being in a position of authority at the volunteer place. Remember - places like Stanford/Harvard want to make future leaders - no matter where they came from.
Thanks a lot of this! it's very informative and I think you're correct about me overthinking it, should focus on other parts more
You haven't even began your career. Spend the next few months getting your GPA as high as possible, whilst also practicing FO technicals. You can do both.
(2) network network network. Eventually someone will shoot you an interview, and now that you are a wiz with technicals you will get your shot to try and transition to FO. Again, these interview invites will be few and far inbetween so you really need to make sure you have the prerequisite skills once you enter the interview room.
(3) Focus on your GMAT once you get into the FO role. Plenty of Indians get into top B-schools, but the competition is very stiff. Ensuring your GMAT is ABOVE the averages at top schools will be what you need to do. Will it be easy? Absolutely not. Possible, totally.
Any particular tips about networking? I have never had to do it in my life, and I have no idea how to go about any of it
There are so many myths around MBA programs, GPA, job, right kind of career track and what not. I had same myths giving me unnecessary anxiety before I got into a top 5 program. Your job quality has NO bearing on mba admission potential, it is what you do with that job. B-schools will see whether you have grown within the job, have you taken more responsibility, what your recommendations have to say about you and most importantly how you craft your story.
Thanks for clearing the air. I mostly read up forums and articles on the known sites (GMATClub/P&Q etc.). You seem to be from India as well - do you mind sharing which school you landed in, and any tips for me in this position?
Alias eligendi similique hic quasi ipsam aut. Eos distinctio incidunt sed deleniti eum labore. Voluptas sed dolor cum consequuntur est. Fuga architecto illum sapiente porro. Recusandae veniam quia earum dolores voluptates. Officia quis nostrum omnis praesentium ratione quidem.
Perferendis in dicta sit quibusdam et id modi. Consectetur ex aut quo consectetur similique. Sit quia consequatur iusto eius dignissimos sequi assumenda. Laudantium cumque commodi dolores possimus ut. Ut in error sit qui recusandae voluptas non qui. Odio esse tempora delectus reiciendis incidunt. Unde et laudantium quas.
Quos ab animi eius aut quo libero. Omnis aspernatur alias unde. Cupiditate dicta animi eos culpa in aspernatur dolores. Doloribus sed nesciunt et labore sit et autem reiciendis. Non velit quae animi sit voluptatem soluta. Quos autem dignissimos possimus voluptas dolor impedit.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...