Hi everyone, I hope the feverish pursuit for greatness is going well.
Some b/g: I’m 21, I attend a low-tier state school and am an Ohio resident, I’d have 70 credit hours earned by the end of next semester (theoretically), and in most cases that means I’m a Junior. Currently I have 52 credit hours earned with a 3.65 cumulative GPA as a Finance major.
Some unfortunate (I know, ironic) circumstances managed to afford me the chance to transfer out of state, and I really have my eyes set on Chicago’s consulting industry - so, naturally I’d like to go to Northwestern. UChicago isn’t targeted by McKinsey and I’ve heard some people having trouble landing an offer graduating from there with Bachelors, and with this much money in the air I’d rather not take that risk - their MBA is of course still in consideration in the future.
My predicament is, most of the private universities are very strict with transfers, with acceptance trending down as the university’s student body does, also. There are two other barriers that are looming, also - most of those universities almost (or do) stipulate you must complete half of your coursework for their degree at their institution - and with my hefty credit load, I’m not in good graces in that regard and may be rejected outright. The other barrier is that they only accept transfer students for the Fall terms, and it’s too late now to apply for next fall, so I’d need to wait.
I also am considering Ohio State, just because it’s more “realistic” and has a relatively higher chance at sparking an internship or career with consulting than where I currently go. But with the preceding data, I don’t think I could realistically start a Spring semester there and get accepted to somewhere like Northwestern. The primary dilemma is, I could totally withdraw from one or two classes next semester, retake classes in the Spring where my grade wasn’t an A or A- (I think two?) and apply to Northwestern and Ohio State for Fall 2017, and just continue like so. But Ohio State doesn’t have comparably strict requirements and I can transfer for Spring 2017, and hem and haw my way into an Ohio office, where I could eventually get my MBA at one of those institutions and transfer to Chicago, plus I wouldn’t be wasting a semester sitting on my hands… waiting.
But there’s a part of me that’d be wondering “What if?” if I never tried the former and settled for the latter. I guess I’m looking for some outside perspective and maybe some experience regarding private universities and the career track to being a management consultant. I think it should go unmentioned, but I’ll mention it as reinforcement, I’m very ambitious and anything I’ve ever wanted I had to work my tail off for it, and at this point, anything is possible, it’s just the limits I set on it that determine my dream’s manifestation into my life.
Thanks everyone!