Finance/Accounting at Ivy League or Industrial Engineering at UF

College Majors Business Major
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Hello Everyone,

The post is long but all information is relevant so you can advise me in the best way possible. I also feel there are others with the same questions and same positions and it would help them out as well.

Just a little background:

I’m currently at Santa Fe Community College, it’s my first semester and i’ve got A’s in all of my classes so far and plan on keeping it that way. However, in the school year 2012-2013 i went to another CC and destroyed my GPA to a mere 1.3. I joined the Army after and am now highly motivated to do well in school so I come out with tons of opportunities.

My question is should I get an A.A in Engineering at SFCC and transfer over to UF and finish up with a Bachelors there or get an A.A in Business Administration from SFCC and (try) and transfer over to a Ivy League School for a Finance/Accounting Bachelors.

UF’s IE program is one of the hardest IE programs in Florida to transfer into. Last year they picked they picked 5 transferees out of 30+ applicants. I’ve been advised by the undergrad IE advisor to be competitive I need a 3.8+ in just the Pre requirements. Which is the core engineering courses. If I do not get accepted into the IE program I can be transferred into other Engineering programs there that I am interested in. (My career goals are Finance related so, any help on picking another Eng. major would help).

The other option is going the Business route and getting a degree in Finance/Accounting. I was thinking because classes that are not engineering related tend to be easier I would be able to get admitted into an Ivy League School through this Path. I feel like Ivy League Schools would rather have transferees like me come in with a Business degree than a Engineering degree. (Just my opinion, feel free to show me otherwise).

Either one I go with I will be working my butt off trying to get A’s in all classes.

I guess what i’m really trying to figure out is the route that would open up the most doors:
Networking
Future MBA
Career Prospects

Hey, You made it! Thanks for reading and helping!

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Apply to a wide range of reach, match, and safety schools and see where you get in and what is affordable.

The decision of if you go the engineering or business route should be based entirely on what you enjoy, what you want to start your career off doing, what your interests and aptitudes are etc.

As an aside, business is not an easier avenue to an Ivy than engineering – both are long-shots for any transfer student. And only two Ivy league schools have undergraduate business programs (Wharton at UPenn and Dyson at Columbia)

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^^^Correction - Dyson is at Cornell…apologies.

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I plan on it!

I do enjoy Business aspect in general but through what i’ve talked to with friends that did IE and are in the Finance field I think I would enjoy getting the process they took. I’m not really good in math, but with time spent in it I believe I can do well.

I didn’t really mean business would be an easier avenue to transferring out, I guess in comparison to UF’s IE vs Finance requirements I was thinking that.

I was dumb to say Ivy Schools, i’ll be applying to any good business programs.

Thanks for helping!