In need of some advice.

College Majors Business Major
1

<p>Thank you for taking the time to come in and help me. I am in need of some serious guidance. For reference, I have asked professors, counselors, friends, co-workers, class mates, etc. on what their opinions are on my particular situation. Please allow me to elaborate.</p>

<p>Quick facts:</p>

<p>Drexel University
Finance & Accounting, Minor in Japanese
Sophomore, going into Pre-junior year (Currently on 5-yr program)
Overall GPA: 2.9
Since switching (more on this later): 3.8
Concentration GPA's: 4.0</p>

<p>Freshman year was horrible. To skip the excuses, I lacked motivation in Mechanical Engineering. A divorce between parents and other factors did come to play, but mostly it was the realization of the lack of enthusiasm towards engineering. So, I made the switch to Finance going into sophomore year. </p>

<p>I am enrolled in the 5 year co-op, so my first internship was the beginning of my sophomore year at AIG as a Finance/Accounting intern. So, they basically hired me knowing that I did not have any business courses under my belt, and a low (LOW) GPA. Perhaps my interview went well...I don't know, but luck was on my side that day.</p>

<p>My first term of classes was actually last term, to which I naturally did well on. I found every class to be exciting, and looked forward to learning. I finally found my niche. Continuing the trend this term, I should come out with a 4.0.</p>

<p>So, here is the dilemma. I want to transfer. Get out of Drexel, get out of Philadelphia. Main reason? - to go to NYC. Please do not get me wrong: Drexel is wonderful. However, I feel hindered with my opportunities here. You see, the co-op system works on your GPA, and you cannot request an interview if there are cut off's. Assumingly, the good ones are always unattainable due to my poor performance in freshman year. NYC is full of opportunities, and I am in LOVE with Manhattan. (I grew up in Northern NJ...) My chances of getting a solid internship are pretty slim, as they won't even take a look me, despite my situation.</p>

<p>If I transfer, I can get a clean slate. Fresh GPA, fresh atmosphere, more opportunities. But, in order to transfer, I need to stay in school. This means canceling the 5yr co-op program. I may score an internship with a hedge fund as an analysts (currently going for a 3rd interview), or an assistant to a trader. </p>

<p>BIG QUESTION: Do you think it is wise for me to continue with courses, or opt for the experience, a la internship? Remember, if I opt for the experience, I would not be able to transfer to a considerable school. Do you think the experience would be good, and should stay at Drexel? </p>

<p>Some schools I am looking at are: Fordham, CUNY-Baruch, Boston U, U of Chicago, IU-Bloomington, and NYU as a super reach. (I will apply to all...could you please recommend some to me??)</p>

<p>My main goal is to eventually reach the foreign exchange banking/I-banking division of Nomura Securities. Banking is obviously another goal with a top tier bank, but I'll keep my expectations reasonable. My ability to speak, write, and read fluently in Japanese, I feel it gives me an up for Nomura. (I am half Japanese...)</p>

<p>Sorry for the incredibly long question. I just feel that whenever I make a decision, I may have second thoughts later on down the road. This forum has taught me a lot, and I feel confident that you guys can give me some great advice. Please, be very harsh, and give me all the reality you can. I need to get a third person perspective. I appreciate those who read, skimmed, or even read the first sentence and ran out. It means a lot to me that there is help.</p>

<p>I look forward to your responses. (PS - Recommend some schools that you feel would be a fit.)</p>

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<p>simply put.. i would rather go to temple than drexel. anyways, i grew up in south jersey and i think philadelphia is wonderful if you attend upenn. if not, you should definitely hate it. you have great chances for fordham, baruch, and maybe even nyu if you can bring your gpa up.</p>

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<p>Thank you for your reply. It is funny that you mention Temple, as my g/f attends Temple. We have small, comical arguments all the time regarding superiority. Regarding UPENN, a close friend of mine actually attends Wharton, and he gave me a personal tour. I must say, I did like the school and if given the opportunity to attend, I too feel that I would love Philadelphia in that situation. It is not that I hate Philly, I Just feel it is not the right place for me. </p>

<p>Thank you for you encouraging words pertaining to those schools. Fordham has assured me that I am a great fit, and I plan to apply on the 12/15 deadline for spring semester. I would than defer that to fall matriculation, so in essence it would be a great safe net. I'm sure I do not need to exclaim this, but NYU is my star choice. What are your opinions if I applied to CAS Economics? I have made a spread sheet of my grades, and if I continue my trend I should have a 3.26 by the time application deadlines come. Of course, this means a B&A GPA of over 3.8, concentration GPA of 4.0. Do you think NYU would consider my situation unique?</p>

<p>Again, thank you for the help. It is nice to hear your advice.</p>

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<p>well U of C is more of a reach than NYC... but, i dunno if im missing the pt. but if you're in a co-op w/ drexel... y do you need to cancel it to transfer??
honestly if the city is that bad and that unenjoyable then do transfer... get a fresh start... BU could be a good fit if you get your grades up .. the Business program at BU is pretty competitive... but the atmosphere and feel of the city is tremendous... soo good luck...</p>

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<p>Thank you for your reply. The reason I must cancel the co-op is so I can continue taking classes to increase my GPA and track record. I plan on visiting BU very soon, so I hope to get the feel you mention of. I certainly know that Boston is rich with life. Again, I don't hate Philadelphia, nor do I hate the city atmosphere. It's the fact that opportunities are pretty scarce compared to other cities, and that Center City is really the heart of business. (Tight area.)</p>

<p>I understand that the schools I have listed are reaches, and that they are a wish list. Please recommend some schools for me that you feel are a good match. If you need to see more credentials, I'd be more than happy to oblige.</p>

<p>KG974, thank you for the kind advice. Perhaps you can give me more insight on BU.</p>

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<p>you should cancel the co-op. no need for it. just get good grades. a lot of my friends go to drexel and they do like 3-4 co-ops during their 5 years. it's not like it really matters though. they still get the same jobs as people that did only 1 co-op.</p>

<p>u of chicago will be a very high reach, but it's worth applying to if you want. BU is also a great school in an AMAZING city, but expect to pay top $$$ to go there. cuny-baruch is very very affordable, but you also have to factor in finding your own housing in nyc, which could get quite expensive and not having a real 'campus-life' and social scene. </p>

<p>i don't know if you visited fordham yet or not, but you should asap to really get the feel for it. it takes about 30 minutes to get to manhattan via the fordham bus, and the subway takes a little longer. also, it's located in the bronx -_- the campus is safe and beautiful, but once you step out the gates, it gets pretty bad.</p>

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<p>you'll get into indiana-bloomington, but don't expect much money also. i honestly don't recommend it since it's not really close to any major cities and it's nothing compared to boston and nyc. you'll definitely get accepted though since their acceptance rate is around 70%.</p>

<p>i'll recommend some safety schools, but how'd you do in high school (gpa, rank, SAT's), how many credits do you have, and what major do you plan on applying as?</p>

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<p>You should really push for nyu, just strive as hard as you can physically stand this upcoming semester. I read some were on cc that and I quote "for every six nyu students, five are unhappy." If I was in you situation I would discard the quote and do what needs to be done. BU would be a really good school for you. You also said that you liked Manhattan, maybe you should look into Manhattanville College. It's a smaller school, but I have two friends that attend, and they absolutely LOVE it, nyc is only a 30 min drive, downfall, it is pricey (to me). U of Chicago is one of those schools that everyone says is academically amazing. Have you considered Colgate? Good luck!!!</p>

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<p>P.S.- This may sound very odd but I've got to say it. CC is saturated with self absorbed, narcissistic spoiled brats with repugnant attitudes, you are the antithetical breath of fresh air in CC. Your very polite and humble, I wish you the very best in every facet of life.</p>

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<p>Thank you for the advice guys. First, I will address 'forgiven' questions...</p>

<p>I completely agree with you on the co-op. I actually have the papers signed, and ready to go. Like I said earlier, it is a matter of my second guessing.</p>

<p>Regarding applying to schools, I plan to applying to around 10-15 so I don't have any regrets as I do with the process during high school. UofC is definitely a reach, along with others. But my chances are zero if I don't apply.</p>

<p>Money is not an issue here. I believe that education cannot be put on hold due to price. I will take out loans, spend my own money, and work 3 jobs if necessary to obtain the education I strive for. When I say I would do anything to get into NYU, I mean it. My permanent home is in North Jersey, about 30 minutes on train. From Penn Station, 30 minutes more to any of these campuses, so commuting is not a problem as well as housing.</p>

<p>I have in fact visited Fordham and NYU, and fell in love with both. They are very different, and I like them both in unique ways. But to be honest, I could care less about the campus feel and layout. Also, the Bronx doesn't really bother me as I live in North Philadelphia as we speak. To me, campus feel, gyms, amenities, etc. are all irrelevant. I take more consideration to the faculty, library, and education. I am willing to sacrifice anything and everything for an education at one of these fine schools.</p>

<p>Thank you for the kind words regarding IU-Bloomington. I feel that this school is different in my mix of schools; however the Kelley business school is very well regarded. You are right however, on the fact that it is away from the big cities. I have taken this into consideration. However, they have an excellent I-Banking club and many alumni in NYC. </p>

<p>My Stats in HS were as follows:</p>

<p>GPA: 3.5
Rank: 15/210
SAT: 790M, 410V = 1200 Total (I know...)
SAT II: 800 on Japanese
EC: Studied at Princeton Japanese Language School my whole life
Kendo (Japanese Budo) 3rd place in national championships
Piano from 2nd grade.
Varsity Tennis 3 years
Varsity Soccer 2 years - made counties
Continuously held jobs during all of high school</p>

<p>Credits thus far: 88 quarter system credits after this term. (Translates to 59 semester credits. This is only counting courses, not co-op.)
Overall GPA: 2.9 (Hopefully a 3.2 by the time I apply)
B&A GPA: 3.0
Concentration GPA: 4.0
School @ NYU: CAS - Economics, minor in Japanese or Math</p>

<p>I will continue my response in the next post...</p>

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<p>I will continue with 'jr03'...</p>

<p>Thank you very much for your kind words. I too agree that this forum can be filled with wrong attitudes, but I know there are people that are wiling to help and be a positive influence. </p>

<p>To address your encouraging words on NYU, I greatly appreciate your input. I too feel that if I push myself, I can perhaps pull the unthinkable. I suppose 5/6 students may be unhappy; however you are right in suggesting to ignore this statement. I am not applying to NYU to attain happiness, but to get a great education while staying close to the vicinity of NYC. Perhaps, you may classify my satisfaction once accepted as happiness!</p>

<p>I will take a look at the schools you have mentioned. It is a never ending process for me to explore and research schools, and I will take your advice into consideration. I have heard of good things about Colgate.</p>

<p>I wish the best of luck to you too with Temple and the other schools you have listed. You have great qualities, and I'm sure that they will shine come application time. If you ever have questions regarding Temple, please feel free to ask as my g/f goes there, and I literally live 5 minutes from their campus. </p>

<p>Also, thank you for your continued responses, forgiven. I appreciate the efforts you have put forth thus far.</p>

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<p>i agree with jr03; you are very polite and humble!
anyways, you're aware that the maximum amount of credits you can transfer to a new school is 60 right? just wanted to make sure you knew.</p>

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<p>Definitely we'll come to you about TandD, once again thanks and good luck!!</p>

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<p>Well, thank you very much. And, yes I am aware of the 60 credit limit. Fordham actually requires a 2 year core curriculum, and most of my credits could be applied there. But I will have to take introductory courses that would push me back. You do raise an interesting point, and I will try to research more on which credits would transfer, and if so how many.</p>

<p>You two should get your rest. I look forward to speaking with all of you again tomorrow.</p>

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<p>He's sooooo right :)</p>

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<p>wow</p>

<p>this is the best thread that I have ever seen in this Business Major section where many talks about how good their Lamborghinis will be after ibanking....</p>

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<p>Good Morning everyone,</p>

<p>Thank you for your positive input. I was unsure when initially writing whether or not the first post may be too long and boring. However, I was more than ecstatic to see numerous responses that are in fact helping to direct me. </p>

<p>I am going on a third interview today with a Hedge Fund, than possibly with a trader from Oppenheimer Funds. These will be the deciding two factors, and seeing how they best fit my goals. Unfortunately, I may have to decline both to pursue my dreams.</p>

<p>Just a tidbit, I prefer Porsches more than Lamborghini's. You cannot parallel park a Gallardo as efficiently. Believe me, as I was a valley parking attendant for a while.</p>

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<p>Re: transferring from Drexel---remember Drexel is on the trimester basis and if you are applying to schools that work on semester basis, that may impact the exact number of courses(& credits) that you may be able to transfer to the new school. You should check this out carefully with the transfer counselor at all the schools to which you are applying.</p>

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<p>Certainly. Drexel is actually on a quarter system, and my credits will only hold 2/3 the weight. So, it eventually balances itself out, as I will take 4 terms of courses. Thank you for noting this, however. </p>

<p>To update, I went on the third interview today. I figured out that I was the only Drexel student that made it to the 'final' stage. All other students are UPENN students, I'm assuming from Wharton. This makes me think twice about rejecting this offer, especially since it is at a hedge fund as an analyst. There entails a lot of responsibilities, and intense experience. I would be on conference calls, meetings, important information, etc. They are within the top 200 funds in the nation, and are well known in the area. (Supposedly.)</p>

<p>Do you think this experience is worth staying at Drexel? Remember, if I take this co-op, I won't be able to take classes to up my GPA, and thus reducing the chances of a good transfer.</p>

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<p>Business Schools look for "Quality" work experience...now if this place is as cmopetive/ intense as it sounds.... it may be a good idea to stay w/ the co-op.. but this is of course up to you.. honestly if i were you, id wait and see if you get this co-op, then make your decision... also if you transfer to an "average" school b/c of your gpa.. you'll still have your work experience which will hopefully open the door for you if you position yourself where you want to be ( Boston/ NYC/ where ever)... any good luck</p>