<p>Hello! I am fairly certain that I want to ultimately end up in a corporate business related career, but at the same time, I think LACs are the best fit for me.</p>
<p>I've talked to a few businessmen in everything from hedge fund management to consulting, and it seems like they are in favor of a LAC education followed by an MBA. I know that liberal arts is generally a good transition and preparation for graduate school, but does this also apply for graduate business schools? </p>
<p>I was thinking of Carleton College as my match LAC. Thoughts? Sorry, I probably wasn't the most clear about what I was asking, but I typed this on my phone.</p>
<p>Top MBA programs care mostly about what you’ve accomplished professionally - they are looking for those who have demonstrated the potential to become future leaders in their field. Some LACs in the NE have a reputation for sending a lot of kids to Wall Street - usually, that’s because those kids already had parents who were working there and connections matter. In truth, any solid undergraduate education that leads to a position with potential for growth and responsibility is good enough. Spouse and I are MBAs from top schools - there were plenty of analysts from Wall Street firms and consulting firms, but there were also lots of entrepreneurial types, as well as a significant number of people from non-traditional backgrounds like the military, the arts, medicine, law and education, and a good helping of former engineers. What they had in common was the potential to ‘change the game’ in their areas of interest, at least in someone’s eyes.</p>
<p>That said, I’m a big fan of LACs - lots of opportunity to learn to speak persuasively, develop personal relationships with faculty and peers, and to develop your writing skills.</p>
<p>isaiah, your undergraduate years are the time to start “resume building” for whatever career you’re heading toward. This includes securing summer jobs and interships in your field plus making connections with alumni/ae, professors, campus speakers, seminar leaders who can in turn make introductions and write recommendations for you, so that when you graduate, and seek your first real world job, you will already have your foot in the door. That to me is the wonderful thing about LACs – professors, peers, fellow alums all take care of their own.</p>
<p>I agree that working – or volunteering – for a couple of years between undergraduate and graduates schools is a good idea and what you are able to accomplish during that period will make a difference in how graduate schools view you.</p>
<p>Several LACs are known as good entrees to Wall Street, top MBA programs and the corporate world in general, but really, the process of making yourself appealing is in your hands, not the school’s. </p>
<p>I’m not sure how Carleton stacks up in corporate recruiting and MBA admissions, but I bet you could find out by spending some time with the websites of the career counseling center and alumni/ae newletters or economics department “where are they now” listings. My guess is that you’ll find that Carleton graduates have done quite well.</p>