Becoming an I-Banker + Help

Graduate School Business School - MBA
1

<p>Lately, I have been reading on careers in the business field. I previously thought myself as a premed but I am starting to like the business field a lot more. Of all of the posts and different things I have been reading over the last couple of days, an investment banker seems like something I would want to become. So can any of you recommend any books on becoming an investment banker, or what it all entails. I have read that **"Running of the Bulls"<a href="I%20think%20thats%20what%20its%20called">/b</a> is a very informative book on this subject, but I think it covers the lives of people in Wharton, and since I won't be attending there, does it still hold relevance? There are some other books I have heard mentioned in posts around CC so any help in naming them would be greatly appreciated.:)</p>

<p>Regarding the problem I have, it seems to be more of a problem as I read more threads on business. The problem is that in high school, and in fact my whole school career, I have tailored all my classes towards to becoming a doctor. I have taken all the science classes in my school, plus some extra ones, but only took the minimal computer classes and business classes. (I do know a lot about technology though)As a result I applied only to places where I thought I could excel as a premed, so I could get into med-school. (Maintain a high gpa by not going to an overly competitive school, plenty of extra-curric opportunities, hospitals nearby, etc.)</p>

<p>From reading posts I have come to realize that prestige holds HIGH importance in the business field, and if you don't go to a top school you will have trouble being recruited into a top internship, if even at all. And in this lies my problem.</p>

<p>I will most likely be going to either the: University of Hawaii, Loyola University of Chicago, or Michigan State University. None have that much prestige, if any at all. So what do you guys recommend I do so I can still get a top internship. MSU seems to have the most prestige out of all of them and is the only one that has a ranked business school. Its business school, Broad has been ranked 29th this year and I have heard that in some cases it has been rated as high as 13th. Business Week has also given its recruiting an A. But I don't know how much to make of this information. Does it get an A becuause a lot of its students got into internships or because a lot of its students got into top internships.</p>

<p>Or should i just try to transfer after my first 2 years to a school with a better business school such as: UNC(Kenan-Flagler), Berkeley(Haas), Virginia(McIntire), Emory(Goizueta),Wake Forest(Calloway), or Wisconsin Madison. How possible is this scenario? Oh yeah, I would also like to have a specialization in international business. I was going to try to double major, by also majoring in Japanese, and take advantage of MSU's largest study abroad program in the US to go to Japan in the 1st Semester of my sophomore year. Would this make me stand out or not.</p>

<p>**So this all comes down to reference materials I should read in my situation, and what I should do in my situation. PLEASE HELP ME. I am very new to this and guidance would be, GREATLY APPRECIATED.</p>

<p>Thanks to everyone that read even the first sentence and then left or read half of it and then left, I know I kinda sound like a idiot, but your time is greatly appreciated.**</p>

2

<p>I'd try to transfer after one year, try again after two if not successful the first time around. But even then, prestige is not everything...who are you? why should a firm hire "you"? I go to a top LAC (on the bottom of the top rankings) and yet I secured offers from several Ibanks--while some of my friends at Harvard, Yale and Dartmouth were not able to. I wish I was going to one of those places, however, I fared better (despite the odds) in the recruiting process. </p>

<p>Advice: use the search button and read all you can re Ibanking on this board. Then make your own analysis and reach your own conclusions. Read stuff and barnes and nobles if you can't afford to buy. network. talk to people. be scrappy. it's ultimately up to you. Don't sound desperate, though...</p>

<p>Good luck.</p>

<p>Ps. your classes don't matter, per se.</p>

3

<p>^^^^
Thank You, i'll do exactly what you said. Any more advice from someone would be greatly appreciated.</p>

4

<p>Why do you want to become an investment banker? With the three schools that you listed it will be incredibly tough to get into an investment bank. If possible I would try to transfer to (Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, Berkeley, UCLA, Duke, MIT, Columbia, NYU, UVA, UNC, U of Michigan, Georgetown, Top LACs, Dartmouth, Brown, Cornell, Penn, Chicago, Northwestern)</p>

<p>By the way it doesn't matter what you major in. As long as you have a high GPA. They actually prefer more quantitative majors (Math, Physics, Statistics, Computer Science)</p>

<p>If it makes you feel better I was on the pre-med route until mid-sophomore year of college.</p>

<p>Some good books to read:</p>

<p>"Monkey Business: Swinging Through the Wall Street Jungle"
"Liar's Poker"</p>

5

<p>I'm thinking about it because after going through a program for 2 years where I was around doctors everyday, I'm not sure if I care enough about people to become a doctor. I also recently took an economics class and I LOVED it. It was the most interesting thing I have ever studied. Thats when I started looking into careers involving that and S&T or I-banking seemed just like what would fit my personality. I know to get into that I would most likely HAVE to change my school. MSU (where I'm going) is more known for placing students in the big 4 accounting firms than in i-banking or S&T. </p>

<p>What gpa do you think I would need to get into those schools you listed, should I apply for transfer my freshman or sophomore year. Is majoring in japanese stupid.</p>

<p>Answers to these question would be greatly appreciated.</p>

6

<p>I'm not sure how transferring works, but I would assume at Michigan State you should have atleast a 3.9 GPA. How is your SAT scores? I think majoring in Japanese or Chinese is a great idea!</p>