Grad School: Wait or Work...help?

Graduate School
1

<p>Basically, I am about to graduate from UGA, and I'm lost as to what to do. I'm about to finish a Finance degree with barely a 3.06 (B-School GPA of 2.1 and Finance GPA of 2.1), I hated studying it (for the most part, I loved learning about how to be financially responsible and how to make portfolios and such, so I guess I don't really hate it that much), and I need help on where to go from here. The career fair is coming up on the 29th. I am preparing well (meeting my career counselor) and don't doubt that I can find a summer internship/fall job (I graduate in Summer). However, I want to go to grad school in the future. I do NOT want to study Finance. I want to study French and maybe pair it with an MBA. I am developing a tiny subinterest in Economics, but have never performed particularly well in it. I got Bs in Micro and Macro, but alas, I am lost. I also wouldn't trying for an internship where I am an RA, or even a job as an RA (Such as at the Fed in Atlanta) to prepare me.</p>

<p>Please excuse my ramblings. I know it may seem incoherent at time, but that is how my brain is spewing them out.</p>

<p>Some of the reasons my grades are low are because of the following:</p>

<p>Up until I transferred to UGA, I had an extremely emotionally abusive stepmother. This kept me from doing well in my transition to UGA as she controls my dad's every thoughts. This made my dad see my education as a waste of money. He pushed me to take 6 classes a semester here, hence the extremely poor grades. I never made a smooth transition from my CC and thus, my grades suffered. </p>

<p>My French grades in the higher level classes are as follows (1000 level=freshman/beginning,2000 level=sophomore or junior/intermediate,3000=senior/advanced:
FREN2001 Intermediate French I (Community College): A (4.0)
FREN2002 Intermediate French II (Community College): C (2.0)
FREN3010 (Conversation and Composition): A (4.0)
FREN3020 (Advanced Conversation and Composition): A (4.0)
FREN3090 (French Linguistics): B (3.0)</p>

<p>As far as I know for graduate school, they only look at 3000 level classes. I took the same teacher for all 3000 level classes and was her favorite student (I have a glowing recommendation waiting for me). I also took the equivalent of 6 years in high school (I was the only one in French 6) and will probably be accepted into the French Honor's Society at UGA.</p>

<p>Are these courses enough for a French graduate program, should I decide to pursue it? Would I even have a shot at a remotely decent school?</p>

<p>And as far as employability, with me speaking French, could I find a job overseas (or perhaps in Canada)?</p>

<p>I love languages and don't want to be a miserable pencil pusher for the rest of my life stuck at at dead end job. Maybe I should have just chosen to be a Management major.</p>

<p>If you would like more information, please let me know.</p>

2

<p>You are part and parcel of the generational vortex. Fortunately for you, your grades are not good enough for any grad school worth going to, so you won’t have to endure the humiliation of finding out just how saturated and valueless being an intellectual is. </p>

<p>I can’t in good conscience advise you to buckle down and be a pencil pusher either. What kind of life is that. </p>

<p>Godspeed you, I guess is what I’m saying.</p>

3

<p>I appreciate the good luck. I figured my grades were pretty ****ty. I was at least hoping of some remote chance to study at a state school down the road for something, but sadly, that thought seems to be slowly fading away.</p>

4

<p>You would only want to pursue a graduate degree in French if you were interested in research in french literature, culture, etc. If you just want to become fully fluent in the language, move to France, or just keep studying and reading French material. Graduate school isn’t the right fit for what you want to do.</p>

<p>An MBA is a great idea, however, and is highly applicable for a number of paths and professions. Your grades are probably too low to get into a reputable program (program reputation is going to be VERY important for MBA degrees), so I’d just get out there and work a few years, build up your experience, make really good networking connections and reapply later. </p>

<p>If I were you, I’d start aggressively looking for work (in the field) in France at a company that either is US or UK based and has a field office there, or just generally speaks english primarily in the office. This is the right time in your life to do something a little crazy and interesting like that, and it will give you the experience you need to get a professional degree in either country.</p>

5

<p>Getting a job in a French-speaking country would be difficult for you. In the EU it is very difficult to get a job if you are not an EU citizen. You might be able to work in Francophone Canada, but you’d be competing wtih actual Canadian citizens who speak French natively for jobs and with a general business degree you don’t really bring much to the take. Francophone West Africa might be an option, depending on your goals.</p>

<p>What do you even mean by a “miserable pencil pusher”, and why do you think you need a French degree to avoid that? There are millions of people out there with enjoyable jobs and lives who have bachelor’s degrees, even less. A degree is not a magic bullet for avoiding a life of drudgery; you finding a job that you love is what’s going to do that. If you want to work in Francophone areas, you don’t need a degree; you need to speak French fluently.</p>

<p>Perhaps you should apply for a Fulbright to teach English abroad in France, or try to work in a consulting firm with offices in France or Brussels and get placed overseas (usually after 1-2 years of working here first), or perhaps try to get into the foreign service.</p>

6

<p>I know this is a bit late, but thanks for the advice.</p>

<p>I do, however, have to correct you juillet and say that I did study Finance, not general business. For me, it was a bit more complicated than choosing something easier like Management or Marketing.</p>

<p>I’ve got an interview to teach English in China. I’ve also got some interviews here to work with, I just need to find something that fits me.</p>

<p>Thanks for the help.</p>

7

<p>A friend of my daughter’s spent a couple of years teaching English in China and really enjoyed it. Now is back stateside and quite fluent.</p>

8

<p>I meant the general business degree that you were aiming to get - you discussed getting an MBA in your original post. But even with finance you are still competing with Canadian citizens (who will be easier to hire due to the lack of visa requirements) and native French speakers in Quebec and Montreal who also have studied finance or some other quantitative field that can be easily substituted for finance. I’m not saying it’s impossible, though! Just competitive. But most things in life worth pursuing are competitive and difficult.</p>

<p>Also, have you considered doing financial/monetary policy analysis for an international NGO like the World Bank, IMF, etc.? Also competitive, but could be right up your alley and may require your language skills. There’s also the potential to get transferred to Switzerland :smiley: I also thought maybe you’d be interested in doing consular affairs/applying for the U.S. foreign service. They usually try to place you somewhere your language skills will be in demand - although with French that could very well be Francophone West Africa.</p>