Where to apply for undergrad? (ex-military)

Retake the SAT, get above a 700 in every section and those top schools will be falling over after you. Military man who got a 4.0 in his spare time. Shit, Harvard will love you.

Why do you want to do to NYC so bad? I think snapping out of that would be very beneficial in the long run. ^^ And I wouldn't be so sure those schools will be "falling all over you". It depends on what courses you took. If you took a bunch of upper division stats, calculus, econometrics, physics etc., that should bode well. You would have a better shot at NYU & Columbia than you would Stanford (they have one of the lowest admission rates in the country).

"Cowards die a thousand deaths, but the brave only one," Bill Shakespeare

Have you considered finishing your undergraduate degree either online or at a local college, taking the GMAT, and applying for business school?

but it is my understanding that what school plays little part in getting a SA spot or even a FT offer assuming you get into a school that is considered a target. Going to just about any of the schools you listed would give you a shot at an opportunity to work on WS but everything else depends on how well you do in your classes and in any interviews.

You need to focus on getting a high GPA, learning as much about finance and being involved in leadership positions in the ECs you do at school. Do a search online and see what SAT score is competitive for the schools you are looking at and that should give you a better idea of your chances. Good luck.

Regards

I didn't go to Columbia but I remember there being some posts about GS vs CC and they were not complimentary to GS. I'd search for those threads.

I think your list is a little skewed; iirc, Stanford is the toughest school in the country to transfer in to. However, have you considered applying as a freshman to some of these schools (it would also open up Harvard/Princeton to you)? If I were you, I'd speak to the AdComs, explain your situation, say you want to apply as a freshman but were hoping some of your community college classes will transfer in (even as a transfer student, I doubt they'd all accept all the classes). This will also have the advantage of giving you the chance to connect on a personal level with someone in the admissions office, even if they say no.

That said, you've identified most of the target schools; if you tell your story well and get a good GPA from one of these schools, you should be able to get any job on the street.

While I agree GS is knocked, I think that if you have a clear reason that you are in GS, as you seem to do, it should be fine. And I definitely would not advise going the bschool route.

Asking to apply as a freshman is worth a try I suppose. No harm done in asking. That means they will need my high school transcript, however, and the only thing THAT is going to get me is a big fat rejection letter. I coasted through high school on the bare minimum program (no foreign language, no calculus, very few AP classes, etc.) and had something like a 2.9 GPA when it was all said and done. The only shot I believe I have is to apply as a transfer with a glowing record from community college.

As for my list being skewed, I suppose I was a little confusing with the titles. I've heard that Stanford is super-ridiculous-selective, but I listed the colleges in (my perceived) order of their ability to land be an IBD job in NYC. Stanford would probably be my top choice if I were open to working in LA, but for NYC I've heard that it gets beat out by NYU, MIT etc. I realize that no matter where I go it will come down to by own personal work ethic (GPA), my ability to interview, and a little luck. I'm just drawing upon the SA lists that come out every now and then. NYU Stern always seems to be right up there with the Ivies, sometimes ahead of them.

Are there any other schools that I should add to the list?

Thanks again everyone for all of your help.

You sound like a guy who has his shit together. I'm sure you'll get something.

Good luck.

It's much more open to transfers than you'd think - if you keep up your grades in online school and re-take your SATs, I think you'd stand a good chance. Wharton is about producing people who will be effective in the workplace, and I've yet to work with an ex-military guy who hasn't been a star.

That said, consider more high quality state schools like Michigan, UCLA, UVA, or Wisconsin. They all have good placement.

I would agree with yesman and look into the schools he listed in addition to the top state schools which he mentioned.

UNC, Emory, and University of Florida are some of the ones I can think of that no one has mentioned yet although these will be tougher places to come from and break into any of the NYC BBs.

Regards

I'm reviving this thread one more time to post my updated list of potential schools. I added several of the schools that were suggested to me in the original replies to this thread. I did not add some schools, however, because I didn't feel they would set me up any better than UT Austin McCombs, which is my safety. I'll ask once again if there are any other schools I should apply to (any!), that would put me in a better position than McCombs.

Here's my current list, in about my preferred order.

Yale (Eli Whitney Program) UPenn Wharton Columbia (School of General Studies) NYU Stern Stanford Duke Cornell AEM Brown Georgetown UVA McIntire U. Chicago Booth Northwestern UM Ross UT Austin McCombs

Please do not suggest the following schools, as it will not be possible for me to apply to them:

Harvard - Doesn't accept transfers. Princeton - Doesn't accept transfers. Dartmouth - Requires SAT II subject tests, won't have a chance to take. MIT Sloan - Requires SAT II subject tests, won't have a chance to take. UCB Haas - Doesn't accept sophomore transfers. UCLA - Doesn't accept sophomore transfers.

There you have it. I can't thank you all enough for your guidance on this issue. I need to figure out which schools I'm applying to NOW, as they all have different pre-requisite courses for transfer. I need to arrange for my upcoming CTC schedule to allow me to apply to the largest number of schools possible.

Thanks again!