My goals are to eventually transfer into a target school for investment banking. I am a highschool dropout who is currently attending community college and have a few questions.
Cornell takes a lot of transfers from the NY state community colleges, so it is reasonable to apply there.
What were your grades like before you dropped out of high school? How long ago was that? What did you do in the time between dropping out and enrolling at the CC? All of that could play in to your decisions about when and where to apply for transfer.
Take calculus at the CC. Your class will be smaller and it will be easier to get individual attention if you need help with the class. When you do transfer, if you need to take it again you will have a stronger background for the new class.
@happymomof1 After dropping out I started hanging around bad influences and eventually landed myself in jail. Jail saved my life and has truly helped me turn my life around for the better.
Congratulations on getting your life together. That is a hard thing for many people to do.
My advice would be for you to finish your full AA or AS degree. Transferring before finishing that degree means that the places you are looking at will want to look at your old high school records. Transferring with the degree will mean that at least some places won’t look at your high school records.
I am currently doing associates in business as the economics classes do not apply to the AS. That is the only difference would this hurt my admission chances?
If you’re planning to go to a 4 year university, you don’t want to get an associates in business at CC. Those credits are going to be worthless when you get to a university, and you’re going to end up spending 6 years for a bachelors degree instead of 4. If you’re going to spend 6 years in college, you’re better off with a masters degree. You want to focus on general education classes, because those are the ones that transfer. I would go to your advising office at your CC, because they can put together a university transfer plan.
Here’s my advice about the investment banking idea. It’s not a good idea. Investment banking is one out of literally thousands of occupations you could do with a business degree. I would NOT advise you to put all your eggs in that basket, especially for a school as expensive as Cornell. First, you couldn’t get the financing, unless your parents cosign massive student loans over to you. Second, chances are, you’re going to find out the occupation is a poor fit (most are out of college), and you have a mountain of student debt to deal with.
I would make an appointment to see your advisor to get a 4 year 2+2 transfer plan.
Don’t do an AA in business, even less an AS.
Are you attending a SUNY CC? If you’re interested in Cornell or btop university, that’d be your first step (especially one near Ithaca/that has a preferential agreement with Cornell). If aiming for UVA, aim for a Virginia CC (etc.)
Being part of the honors program at your CC (or your new CC) would be a big help toward your goals.
Your current or previous CC courses should include the following: Precalculus, Calculus 1 (or business Calculus 1&2), Calculus based Statistics, Micro Economics, Macro Economics, Foreign Language 1-3, English composition.
If possible, add speech/communication, history, literature or philosophy, psychology, a lab science, CS or Informatics.
Then Principles of Management or Introduction to Management, Accounting, Intermediate Economics.
But the Math and Gen Ed elements are the most important.
Try to be as close to 4.0 and get involved in something where you can show leadership (your honors program probably has opportunities; meet with your adviser).
You’re likely an independent student (24+) - run the NPC on your state flagship, Cornell, and any other universities pure considering.
Look into Baruch college in NYC (especially Baruch Honors).