<p>I will be enrolling in Tech's BSBA program next year and am curious about how well the college places students into MBA programs. Ultimately my goal is to graduate with the BSBA w/ concentration in finance then move onto a top MBA program (Columbia, NYU Stern). Assuming I an academically successful, will I have chance of admission at these top business schools (ie. do they view Tech grads in a good light)?</p>
<p>Either way, I know Tech's BSBA program has excellent job placement (92%), so I could always work in the industry for a few years before attempting to enroll in an MBA program.</p>
<p>Also, I wouldn't mind working in Atlanta, but would there be a chance I could market my degree back up north in NYC?</p>
<p>No college has high admission rate directly into an MBA. To get into a top ranked MBA, you will need 2-3 years of experience in a high profile position (consulting, VC, i-banking, or a top industry employer like GE, Google, Microsoft, etc.) in addition to a 700+ GMAT, strong LORs, a very high undergraduate GPA, and some luck.</p>
<p>Ok, it seems like going straight into the workforce would be the better option to begin. Anything on the second question regarding job placement in NYC?</p>
<p>CFB53B is correct that it is nearly impossible to go straight into a top MBA program without 2-5 yrs of work experience (5 is the average). Top Georgia Tech grads are competitive for all business schools, and you’ll find a fair number at places like HBS. There are even two Tech grads on the HBS faculty.</p>
<p>Georgia Tech places numerous students in NYC each year, even though it is obviously not one of the most desired markets for our graduates. I personally know 3 people who will be interning for Goldman Sachs this summer, and 2 graduates who are currently employed as investment banking analysts for JP Morgan. They’re not all CoM stduents though.</p>
<p>GT also recently started an investment banking club to network with BB banks. To get into this club, and to be competitive for these types of positions, you will need to have very strong grades, leadership involvement, and the ability to network and interview well.</p>
<p>If you want to work in NYC, you can certainly get there from GT.</p>
<p>Another question: Would joining a fraternity increase employment prospects and possibly even weigh in on MBA admission? I would like to join one regardless, and I’ve heard they are great for post-graduate career networking as well.</p>
<p>Honestly, fraternities don’t really increase employment prospects. There’s the one-off story of a student going for an interview, finding out the interviewer is a brother, and then getting the job, but that’s an extremely rare scenario. </p>
<p>That said, there are some things fraternities do that will help you. First, it’s easy to get a leadership position in a fraternity, and having “president” or “vice president” on your resume is always a good thing. Second, some fraternities have mentoring programs with alumni to help you with things like resumes, interviews, and to gain perspective on careers / industries. Third, some fraternities will monitor your grades and if your GPA falls too low, they’ll have mandatory study hours or tutoring to get your GPA back up.</p>
<p>Of course, you could do all of these things without a fraternity, but if you find a fun house with a bunch of guys you like, the above things are a bonus. </p>
<p>One other nice thing about a fraternity: when you’re 30 or 40 and stop by campus to recruit or watch catch a game, you always have a place to visit, have a beer, and talk to the current students.</p>
<p>What did the people who are at the i-banking firms do to get there, especially the non-CoM students? I will be a freshman next year and am very interested in i-banking and am looking for anything that could help me get to be an investment banker.</p>
<p>They went to Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Wharton, or Stanford. Even grads from other ivies and MIT have a tougher time getting there. Their business involves selling that they’re smart, and they do that by being able to say most of their employees went to the above schools. You’ll find no shortage of Harvard history majors in investment banking. It’s not impossible if you aren’t at one of the above schools, but you have to network your way there and/or be extremely impressive in other ways (being a college quarterback would probably help you more than having a really strong academic record). Majoring in something math-intensive isn’t the answer either - investment bankers can do all of the math they need on a $1 calculator.</p>
<p>Your best shot is to do really well in school, get an impressive job, get promoted quickly, then go to one of the above schools for your MBA after a few years of working.</p>
<p>I should clarify that in the above post I am referring to the bulge bracket banks. The middle market and boutique firms are more accessible but still very competitive.</p>
<p>Here’s a website with a lot more info for you, although it’s important to note that this website sells guides and courses for breaking into investment banking, so they have incentive to make it sound a little easier than it really is if you are not from those schools I referred to above.</p>
<p>Thanks so much for the information. I’ve been to that website a lot before; it’s very helpful.</p>
<p>So in your opinion, what would be the best way to network your way there? How reliable is Ga Tech’s alumni network and how easil accessable is it?</p>
<p>I wouldn’t say there’s a science to networking, you just have to put yourself out there and figure out what works for you. I’m still trying to figure that out, although I’m not looking to go into investment banking. You have to meet people in banking in whatever way you can, earn their respect, and eventually a winning formula will either emerge or it won’t. Probably the best general tips are to be social, avoid being arrogant (while still being confident enough to put yourself out there), be genuine, and maintain all of your contacts. The problem with networking for networking’s sake is that you’re not going to have much reason to talk to these people other than to try to get a job offer or a contact that might lead to a job offer. How to get around that is anyone’s guess. It’s no easy task. It definitely helps if your uncle or frat brother works for Goldman Sachs - they’ll be a lot less likely to feel like you’re just using them to make a contact or get a job offer, and like it or not that is how the world works.</p>