The direction of my life

Applying to College
1

<p>I am just a kid. </p>

<p>I am 17 and a freshman in college. I am not sure what I want in life in yet. I got to a medicore school; large state school. One of those steroptypical large southern State schools. </p>

<p>Everything about me is pretty normal. The only deviations that when I was 15, I start a business with 200 bucks that is probably worth 120k now; I take ikn about 8 grand a month in revenue. Then people start to give me oppotunities and I excelled in them. I did internsips where it would never been possible if it wasn't for the business. I worked for companies that accepted who I am and sort of fostered my entreprenuerial spirit. My current job is with a company that takes 500k a year, and basically, I get a budget, a time frame, and a goal, and I get paid well to do things for them and I guess I am okay in that. I am also the minorty partner. I conduct mostly marketing campaigns. </p>

<p>But I do not excel in the classroom. After I started my business, I just had such a stronger desire to challenge the real world and as a result, I pretty much put my school work on the back burner. I am not a dumb kid and I maintained medicore GPA in high school and so far in college. </p>

<p>I applied to several top schools in the country out of high school. A combination my ECs and several good recommendation letters from people I worked for; hedge fund mangaers, business school profs got me on-site interviews with a few of them. I live nearby to the schools I applied so 2 of them granted me informal interviews with an admission office. It wasn't really an interview but rather a talk to get to me better. Eventually, I was rejected/waitlisted from all of them due to my grades and SAT. An admission director told me that I had the ECs to go to anywhere but just not enough SAT. </p>

<p>So I ended up in a state school with a scholarship in their honors program. I am not really happy here since the business prgoram here is not given enough attention. I want to transfer but then again, I dont know if my grades will cut it and I didn't really think of transferring until recently and I do not meet the basic course requirements for a lot of school's business program. </p>

<p>So I am not even sure what I want to do? I even thought about dropping out; I am doing horrible in an entreprenuership class even I manage employees and grow a business in addtion to working as consultants to companies. I do a lot of things in free time relating to business but I just can not excel in school and I have no idea why. I work hard but I just totally blows in all my business classes. I guess the stuff on paper just dont make sense to me whereas the real life stuff does. </p>

<p>So in the end, I am still unsure and unclear where I should do. I am not happy here; in school, no one gives a crap about me. But outside, everyone gives me a chance. I dont know why: I always considered myself lucky just to be where I am. I remmeber applying for random internships over the summer and people, wether I am even remotely qualified or not, always give me an interview and sit down and talk me and encourage me to update them on my progress.</p>

<p>I guess I can try to transfer but if a school were to accept me, it would probably largely based on my ECs as my grades are generally medicore so are my test scores. Then again, reading the transfer booklet where they say, "our average transfer GPA is....." really discourages me.</p>

<p>I have done 2 internships so far since HS( 1 at a PR agency and 1 2.5 yr internship at a top 5 biz school), runs a business, works for a real estate developing marketing plans( think I will get a license soon, taking classes for that now), and serves a minority partner(marketing consulant) in the 500k business I was talking about. My HS UW GPA was something like 3.1 and weighted pushes me towards 4, something close to 3.9 I think. My first semster college GPA is prolly around 3.0-3.5; it took em a really long time to adjust to college and the new enviroment for some reason. For the first month, I couldn't sleep at night for some reason and that totally screwed me over. And my SAT is 1250(highest score Math+ English)</p>

<p>And I apologize for the long post, I am just really confused as to where I am headed. </p>

<p>Please advice. </p>

<p>Thanks. </p>

<p>Ben</p>

<p>--- Also posted this in the parents forum....</p>

2

<p>Okay, if you are that successful, and you aren't interested in academia, nobody is forcing you to go to college, let alone get a prestigious degree. You could easily succeed without a degree.</p>

3

<p>A degree is not necessary, especially when you're building a resume where the degree will be the last thing an interviewer will look at in the future. However, with that being said, I would still stick it out, and stay in that 3-3.5 neighborhood of grades. Right now, you're still like a cute little puppy to interviewers - let's help the successful teenager by giving him this internship. In a few years, should you have a setback, without a degree and a job, you could find yourself in uncomfortable waters where you are no longer looked at as being unique. </p>

<p>Evenso, I have friends without degrees who are a whole lot more successful than I am. And, if things get sticky, you could always go back later. I have a feeling though that you wont need to, and may never really have to interview, as you will be doing your own thing. </p>

<p>Lots to consider - it's not an easy decision.</p>

4

<p>Hmmm. There is a great debate going on about how useful a business degree actually is. There was a study (I don't have it, unfortunatley) a couple of years back suggesting that an MBA was no more useful than any other degree in predicting success in business. It caused a great uproar at the time.</p>

<p>I think there are certain discrete skills one can take away from a business program. One of them is accounting, which will come in handy when you run your own business. Another is finance, which will give you insights into financing options, as well as means to evaluate financing through equity vs. financing through borrowing.</p>

<p>Beyond that, if you really want to be an entrepreneur, then I'm not entirely sure that a school will help you do that. I know a man in Mobile who didn't finish high school who is a multi-millionaire because he did well in the garbage disposal business. He's a completely uninteresting human being, but he's a rich human being.</p>

5

<p>Hi guys, thanks for all the awesome responses. </p>

<p>Here are just a few of the concerns about my current school, </p>

<p>First of all, it is a great school but maybe not right for business, its business school is very new and unproven. We have a very limited selection of classes. As a honors student, I have more oppoturnities for advancement through some honors seminar classes. </p>

<p>But overall, I just feel like the classes selection is inadequate. It also a technical school and its liberal art core is not good either. But it is really good for the tech majors. </p>

<p>Also, I feel like it is too close to home, that never really occured to me until my parents causally drove over on a week night and we go out to dinner. I live within, I guess easily drivable distance, within the school. It is also walkable. </p>

<p>So the concern over the school's liberal arts/business cirrulum and its location bothers me somewhat, but I am not sure if I have a better choice if I do transfer. </p>

<p>So will I actually get in anywhere better? I have never been too familar with the college admission procees so I am not sure. </p>

<p>Thanks again, </p>

<p>Ben</p>

6

<p>Ben,
I am a business owner. I would urge you to consider a transfer. Can you look at schools with a more hands on program? Northeastern comes to mind and there are lots of others out there.<br>
The reasons I think you should stay in school: </p>

<p>At 17 you will not be taken as seriously in the business world as you will be at 22 and with a degree. </p>

<p>You need the time to mature social in order to truly succeed long term in business. The economic climate we have been in is shifting. When times get tough, you will need the skill set you will acquire with a few more years of schooling. </p>

<p>As mentioned above, you can learn accounting and some principles that will serve you well down the road. Not everyone who is an entreprenuer with that set of skills: vision, salesmanship, drive is succcessful long term in business. </p>

<p>I am married to a guy like you who finished school. We did start our own business but he is the first to admit our long term success is due in large part to my accounting, finance, and other skills that simply aren't his strong suit.</p>