Post Freshman Year Check In, Need Help Planning

Graduate School Business School - MBA
1

Hello all,

I just finished my freshman year at Vanderbilt University. I am interested in working in consulting or IB, with a specifically tailored towards the healthcare sector. I am posting this here because, should I pursue finance, I am eventually (probably) going to attend business school, and I need help planning out how to build up my resume so that that will be an attainable goal. Growing up my dream was to be a doctor, however I have since become more and more interested in the world of finance. However, I am unsure that I really know enough about the world of finance to give up on the idea of medicine. I am taking all of the pre-med requirements in addition to the requirements for the Econ Major, in order to assure that I can effectively go in either direction. To be blunt – I choked first semester, achieving only a 2.7 GPA. However, second semester I improved some and I was able to pull up my GPA some. Due to this, my cumulative GPA is only a 3.2. This summer I am working two internships in my hometown that I was able to attain through classmates parents. Both are tailored towards the finance side of things. Next fall I will continue taking both econ and pre-med classes, in addition to starting to do some medical research at Vandy, but what should I do next summer? I’m concerned that trying to keep up with both premed and econ stuff will hinder my ability to follow through when it comes time to pick my path. Are there any books that anyone would recommend for someone looking to learn as much as possible about the world of finance, specifically as it relates to IB or consulting? All advice is welcome.

Thanks

2

You have a lot on your plate with pre-med requirements and econ. Perhaps, you should choose one and follow that path. Since you are doing two business oriented internships this summer, you should have a better idea of whether you want to continue in business.

Also, why don’t you see if you can shadow someone who works in consulting or IB? Go to the career services office at your university. They can probably facilitate job shadowing.

There are post-bac programs that are tailored to people who decide they want to go to medical school and haven’t taken the pre-requisite coursework. That’s always an option if you decide that the financial world isn’t what you want.