Hi All,
I graduated from UC Berkeley (Go Bears!) in 2008 with a major in music. I originally had a double major in Chemistry, but I was miserable and dropped it after a long and difficult battle. Because of this, my grades are very polarized: A’s and B’s in music and general courses, but averaging C’s and D’s (with some B’s and one F) in my science classes. These classes comprised of more units, so my cumulative GPA is somewhere around a 2.8 (though I could be mis-remembering).
I was forced into pursuing science through my chemical engineer father. While I love him dearly and wanted to please him, I just didn’t have the motivation to apply myself in those classes. The more miserable I felt about chemistry, the more I delved into music. Since graduation, I have had a successful music career - I have sung all over the SF Bay Area, southern California, Seattle, and Europe. I have been a featured soloist in concerts and sung leading roles in operas.
However, music is not a lucrative career. The pay is dismal and health insurance/retirement is non-existent. Because of this, I worked day jobs in arts administration/management. I have had success with small non-profit companies and have experience with bookkeeping and management. However, I am very unhappy in this line of work.
I have always excelled in Math and have been interested in going back to school to pursue Finance and go into the private sector (maybe even investment banking). I can still pursue music on nights and weekends, but at least I can have a job that is fulfilling and makes money.
After a lot of research, I think my best option would be to try to get a 2nd Bachelor’s in Finance/Economics. Without any prerequisites fulfilled, I doubt I could get into a good Master’s program. I figure that I can finish my 2nd BA in 1.5-2 years, get excellent grades, and apply to a top-tier school for graduate school (most likely for an MBA).
I currently live in California, but would like to start fresh in NYC. There are many reasons for this, but mainly because I can continue to study with a specific teacher at Juilliard that I met in Europe. My husband, who is a UC Davis alum and is in finance, is 100% ready to move and look for a new job on Wall Street.
I am writing to get your input on my chosen path. I have done a lot of research, but I’m scared, nervous, and need a second (and third, and fourth, etc) opinion.
And lastly, the schools I am considering applying to are:
Columbia School of General Studies (reach)
CUNY Baruch/Hunter/Queens/Brooklyn
and perhaps Pace or NY Institute of Technology
Any input on those schools is MUCH appreciated. Thank you for reading my long-winded story. 