<p>Hello,</p>
<p>In order to understand my concern, I will explain a bit of my situation. I am in the dual-enrollment program while in high school. I will be receiving my Associates in Arts degree along with my high school diploma in December of this year. I expect to graduate with approximately a 3.5 GPA. I will be attending the University of Florida afterwards. I will attempt to earn a Bachelor's degree in Finance. Let's say for arguments sake that I graduate UF with a 4.0. Also, let's say that I become a member of a few school clubs related to finance.</p>
<p>Since I wish to enter into investment banking, and since UF isn't a "top business school", would it be suggested for me to enter into a top MBA program before entering investment banking? How well are my chances to enter an analyst position from attending a local college for my AA, then transferring to the University of Florida with a 3.5 and 4.0 GPA, respectively. Would my chances be better if I decided to enter an associate position after attending, for example Wharton - to receive an MBA. For arguments sake, we can say my graduate school GPA is a 3.9 and that my GMAT scores are well above average.</p>
<p>Thanks,
Eric</p>
<p>What are you aiming for? BB, Boutique, or a smaller, regional bank?</p>
<p>You should have a good shot at a smaller, regional bank if you do well at Florida and get that 4.0 GPA you wish to get. You should also have a decent shot at getting into a boutique as long as you have work experience and a strong network of people working in finance. For a BB though, you should probably aim for getting an MBA from a school such as Wharton. BBs usually get many of their bankers from top schools, afaik.</p>
<p>Yeah, I was aiming for BB. :/</p>
<p>Tackling your questions 1 at a time: First, forget about getting into IB without the Bachelors - the Associates is not going to do it, so move right on to breaking in from UF. Moving on to your U grad, while you’ve got a chance at breaking into a BB from UF, you will definitely have much more opportunity with regional boutiques and MM shops. That said, it is possible to get into BB shops, it will just require a lot more work, networking and some luck - you should definitely try though and landing some IB-related internships with smaller shops ahead of your junior SA recruiting will definitely help.</p>
<p>Finally, regarding your MBA ideas, attending a top MBA will definitely be your best shot at breaking into BB IB - but let’s not make the mistake of assuming you will be able to get in straight out of U Grad, or even after 2 years of any-old work experience. It is very, very difficult to break into these top (not just top 5 or 10, but even top 15) schools and it is by no means a given. Therefore, while this is definitely your best bet, getting to that stage is anything but a definite at this point. </p>
<p>For now, focus on getting into U grad and doing very well - position yourself for IB and then make the big push. </p>
<p>PM me if you have any other questions.</p>
<p>IBanker</p>
<p>Thank you for your response. </p>
<p>Yeah, I understand what you mean about the Associates. I am in high school and will graduate high school with my Associate’s degree (via dual enrollment). Would a BB look down on me because I received an Associate’s degree and then transferred to a university?</p>
<p>Since I will have two years from the local college and two years from UF… would I be allowed to only include UF on my resume and no where include that I went to a community college beforehand? Even though I did the community college while in high school.</p>