<p>Hey guys whats up. Here's the problem. I was born and raised in a small Montana town and around there it is considered an accomplishment to go onto any post secondary learning. Despite having ambitions to work on Wall Street, I decided to attend UMontana. I thought naively that the school I attended wouldn't make that much of a difference for my career after graduation. After doing research on this website and other sources, I found out that I was wrong. So now I am thinking about transferring. Here are some of my stats.
Education: Sophomore at UMontana majoring in Econ, minor in Comm. Studies.
College GPA: 3.97/4.0
ECs, accomplishments: Peer Advisor, RA, intramural sports, HS sports, HS student body pres, Eagle Scout.
Work experience: Not much, two summers at a local country club golf course in the pro shop.
Test Scores: 24 on ACTs</p>
<p>I know the test scores are not good, but will they keep me form admission? I have 44 college credits, including AP, which puts me well ahead of where most students enter their soph. year. If I transferred, I would be looking for a good UG program like IU, UT or Michigan. What do you think my chances are at these places? Sorry about the length of this post. Thank you for your help.</p>
<p>Barrons, thank you for your advice. The dilemma is a little more complex than what I wrote in my initial blog. At UMontana I will be attending school for free the next three years because of scholarships and a Resident Assistant job. What is your assessment of this opportunity cost? Dollar wise, it will be about a 20K swing a year. Like I mentioned earlier, I would like to work in a metropolitan environment, at least initially and I want to pursue an MBA from a top program. Do you think the price is worth it? Thank you</p>
<p>Another option I am looking into is working a two year analyst gig via consulting or banking and then going for the MBA. Two years at Goldman versus two years at some Montana or Idaho regional firm is quite different. While one can advance faster in a regional firm, it will be tough to impress MBA admissions people with these kinds of jobs. At UM, we are targeted by only a handful of these firms, so the choice is pretty limited. Besides IU, what other programs do I have a good chance of getting into? Also, I noticed that these schools have separate admission for their undergrad business departments and the deadline for acceptance has come and gone. Will I have to just go and do gen Eds for a semester and then apply for their business school? I am really sorry about all these questions. I am just really confused right now and there is no one in Montana I can talk to. Thank you all again for your help.</p>
<p>The analyst jobs are very tough to get. Probably 10 good applicants for every slot. If you can keep a high gpa and get 700+ on the GMAT there are lots of good MBA schools you can get into without working at GS. The IBs are due to cut back soon anyway.</p>