@WWWard Not gonna lie, I feel pretty proud of myself for instinctively guessing that. I feel that I also would get bored of one industry after a while, and consulting is one of the easiest ways to be exposed to multiple industries because you don’t need to extensively study a field to consult in it (at least from what I have read so far). Would you recommend I go for a consulting job right out of college, then wait 3-4 years before getting my MBA? I’ve read that the top MBA programs usually expect at least 3 years of work experience if you even want a chance of admission. However, if I’m not a business major, what exactly can I major in that’s interesting and can still land me a job in consulting?
It is one of my goals to visit many countries, like you have said, and to come into contact with as many different cultures as I possibly can. However, I’d rather visit 15 countries and really get to immerse myself than visit 50 but spend only one night at 45 of them. I think I now have a (general) answer to the question “what do you want to be when you’re older?” Up until now, I’ve said: “I don’t know… but some job that involves business where I can travel often, give presentations, use my language skills…”
Tomorrow, I am going to a practice interview session hosted by my school. The representative that will be interviewing me is from Franklin & Marshall (small LAC, I believe). Any tips?
Well, if you are lucky, you could simply land a role that has an inherent diversity within its assignments itself. For example, roles involving risk assessment/management, political consulting, crisis management, mergers and acquisitions, site/safety inspections, staff reductions, etc. could keep you hopping and interested long-term, because every day is likely different than the one before. It could still be better to find one industry and to grow within it. That was just not my own path.
The choice to work or to continue in school could depend on what is available to you upon graduation. You may want to apply for an MBA program while still an undergrad and then see what emerges. I have known people who continued on immediately to business school and others who took jobs and studied at night or online. Some got MBAs while working. Some got JDs that way too.
A # of people that I was in grad school with got very interesting jobs right out of college exactly because the hiring co’s were looking for people with degrees in international relations. Those included international banking groups, M&A firms, global environmental co’s and US govt jobs: the foreign service/FBI/CIA, etc. Some of the grads from the Beijing program landed very nice jobs for U.S. companies in China.
You really do sound like someone destined to end up at Georgetown, American U. or Hopkins studying international relations. I would add Columbia into the mix too… but their core curriculum could feel stifling to your aspirations. Harvard, Yale, Brown and Princeton are all good options too for International Relations, as well as for their alumni contracts everywhere. Because of your Chinese studies background… a 5 yr BA/MA program through JHU and SAIS-Beijing my really be a path to consider carefully. You could have an MA in 5 yrs vs 6 (even faster with APs, etc), and you could land a choice job in China, later transfer to Europe or the U.S. and also pick up your MBA along the way. Just a thought…
Main interviewing tip… just be true to your nature. It does neither side any good in the long run if posturing is underway for any purpose. It is fine to be forward thinking in terms of defining your own aspirations for the future, but also research some about each institution and have some good questions to ask about F&M or whatever program is being interviewed for currently. It is always a balancing act - on the one hand demonstrating the results of education and experience on you to date + how you remain inspired to learn more / still interested in what a college can offer you and challenge you with over time. Colleges really want to know two things about you… one is that you are well-prepared and will fit in there… and two - that you are someone who will make the very most out of the opportunity to attend there.
@WWWard I see. I’m not quite sure what I want to major in yet, but I don’t think it will be something along the lines of finance or international business. I’ve read that it’s unnecessary to major in those things to receive your MBA later, and that some of the top programs actually admit MORE students with degrees in science/math or the humanities.
I think the night class idea sounds ideal to me. I don’t think it would be feasible to stop working entirely for two years. Of the potential jobs you listed, I’d be most interested in working for a U.S. company in China or an international banking group.
Hopkins & Georgetown are both already on my list The more I read about the study abroad programs in each, the more excited I get. The 5 year BA/MA program at Hopkins does sound interesting… I’d be willing to self study an AP or two this year to complete the program in 4 years rather than 5. Assuming I do well (4 or 5) on all of the AP’s I listed for my senior year, do you think it would be wise to self-study US Gov or APUSH (I’m taking the regular class due to ridiculous amounts of homework & my already difficult course load). If it’s simply impossible to complete the program in 4 years, regardless of AP credits, I may still consider that option.
The interview is in about 2 hours… very good insight about the “balancing act.” I feel that at the moment, I would focus too much on what I have already done, since I am more confident in that than what I plan to do with my future. I have some questions prepared about F&M (even though this is a mock interview). I’ll let you know how it goes!
You have plenty of time to ultimately decide on a major. I cannot really speak to MBA programs or what they may be looking for… outside of outstanding applicants.
Hopkins & Georgetown are both excellent schools. While at Hopkins, I used to road-trip down to D.C. and the Georgetown area about twice a month too. I also road-tripped north to Atlantic City, NYC, etc. I was not much for sitting around if I could find somewhere more interesting to go on any given day.
I am not sure about self-studying for US Gov or APUSH. If you have managed to successfully do it before, I am sure that you could succeed again. Most colleges cap the # of AP credits that you can come in with though, or which can actually replace a GE requirement, etc., so you may want to research that a bit too.
At Hopkins, it used to be possible to complete the 5 yr BA/MA program in 4 years. It was simply a matter of having all the credits. I do not see why that would have changed. I do highly recommend studying abroad… at least for a semester at a minimum. Just pick a safe destination. The world has changed a great deal since I was in college.
@WWWard Did you have a car while in college? I would think that public transportation can get pretty expensive if you’re travelling that often… I am a similar way though. That’s another thing that excites me about Princeton; I’ve got Philly, NYC, the shore, & even DC within a reasonable distance.
I self studied Microeconomics (& technically World History, as my standard modern history class not only covered only 1453-present, but also neglected a majority of the material and focused almost solely on the IR). I feel that US Gov might be a bit trickier though. I’ve looked at a few schools’ AP credit policies and they seem to be quite stingy…
The mock interview went really well. The F&M rep said that I have a wonderful presence about me, great articulation, & a positive outlook on everything. He said that I was able to seamlessly make connections across seemingly disparate ECs, and enjoyed that I gave specific examples when talking about my experiences abroad. He also pointed out that many students who are “undecided” seem nervous or stressed, but I was composed and was still able to communicate what my interests, strengths, & weaknesses were.
He gave me his card, so if I ever seriously take F&M into consideration, I can contact him. I feel a lot better about college interviews now!
@doschicos Thanks! It seems that most of the alumni that come in for the mock interview also went to my high school, so I guess that’s how we are able to set those up. I agree that it was very helpful and certainly put me more at ease. While the colleges were randomly assigned, 5-6 kids got to interview with someone from Penn… wish I had the chance to do that, as that’s the type of interview I’m going to be dealing with most of the time.
I see, thank you for clarifying. Would you say zipcars are more expensive than public transportation, if one were to head from Princeton to NYC two times a month?
Depends on the distance and time. Zipcars charge by blocks of time. Also, if you go places with other people, chipping in and getting a zipcar with some friends could be cheaper. For NYC, however, parking is crazy expensive so you wouldn’t want to drive your own car or a rental.
Also, if these reps from the colleges are alums, there is no reason you can’t reach out to them away from the structure of the mock interview to ask questions about the school and their experience. Utilize those alumni connections.
I did have a car while in college. Freshmen were not allowed to at JHU, but I ignored that. It allowed for the flexibility to get around (and actually made me somewhat popular - as the guy with a car)… but the car was also broken into twice there in Baltimore. Hopefully things are better there now. Eventually I learned where to park and where not to park. My daughter does not have one out in L.A. though now and really has not needed it. In reality, I do not recommend it… but I know that could sound hypocritical… as I did have one. As @doschicos mentioned… zip cars, uber, etc really make it unnecessary. Zip even offers one-way trips now. So save the $$$ and use it elsewhere.
As AP test taking has gotten to be more common… yes - they have gotten more stingy in terms of what they will accept/allow.
Good to hear the interview went well. It sounds like you have that process down cold… which is why I previously encouraged you to try and seek out such interview opportunities.
I know that you are thinking east coast only… but since you are also thinking about studying abroad, here is another multi-campus program to consider:
At USC… the World Bachelor in Business: This program involves a year each at the USC Marshall School of Business in L.A., the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and Università Bocconi in Milan, Italy.
@doschicos Thanks, I didn’t really know about zip cars. I guess if I’m going somewhere with a group of friends it’ll be worth it, otherwise I’ll just use public transportation
You’re right, except I’m not sure if the Penn rep was an alumnus. Didn’t want to risk it…
@WWWard Makes sense about APs. I will have taken 10-11 by the time I’m finished high school, and that’s not incredibly uncommon among kids at my school, so I wouldnt’ expect most of them to count as college credit.
That program does sound enticing… I will add it to the list. Thanks.
Also, I have finished rewriting my Common App essay. It is sort of personal, and 703 words, but I would love if you two could give it a read. I can share it with you on Google Drive if you PM me your emails. I would welcome suggestions/questions/advice on what to cut. It is about self-confidence issues I had in middle school, and how I got rid of them and began pursuing the things that I love. I’d be happy to share it with either of you if you’d like. Thanks!
Hey! Reopening this thread with a few updates and a few questions. I’ve applied to my early schools.
Updates:
I now have 3 SAT subject test scores (780 Physics, 750 Math II, 730 Lit).
I did indeed get NMSF
I received the Brown Book Prize & Confucius Award (awarded to the top-performing Mandarin student).
My senior year GPA, as it stands right now, is exactly equal to my cumulative GPA.
I moved my street performance/service club higher on the list, as we’ve seen tons of success in our first two months.
My additional letter of recommendation ended up coming from the CEO of the small business I interned at, and it is very personal, well-written, and succinct.
If anyone has any input on my current list, please let me know! I’m thinking of adding some schools for RD if I don’t get into Princeton SCEA.
EA: Princeton, UVA, UNC Chapel Hill (OOS)
RD: Harvard, Brown, Northwestern, Georgetown, JHU, Vanderbilt, Boston College, Fordham
I really like schools with access to a major city (but not necessarily ones located at the heart of one) that are medium sized (4,000-10,000 undergrads). I’d prefer to stay on the east coast for reasons mentioned before. On campus housing is pretty important to me as well. Also, I know this will almost certainly change, but I’m interested in management consulting at the moment as a potential career.
*Yes, I know that these schools don’t fulfill all of my requirements. However, they are great schools that I am pretty confident I will be accepted to (based on my school’s Naviance) and it would be nice to go into the RD round knowing that I still have some great options if nothing works out.
If you have any more suggestions, I would be happy to give them a good look!
Hi, this is gmanhax again. I am locked out of my first account, but I thought I would still post my final admissions decisions for those who would like to use this thread as a reference point in the future. Here’s the list
Princeton: Deferred SCEA --> Admitted RD --> Will be attending next fall
UVa: Admitted EA
Harvard: Denied RD
Penn: Admitted RD
Georgetown: Admitted RD
Vanderbilt: Waitlisted RD
Northwestern: Waitlisted RD
Boston College: Admitted to Honors College RD
Closing thread. Thanks for the update and congratulations. However, making an account while the first is temporarily blocked for ToS violations is not allowed.
The more I read about the study abroad programs in each, the more excited I get. The 5 year BA/MA program at Hopkins does sound interesting… I’d be willing to self study an AP or two this year to complete the program in 4 years rather than 5. Assuming I do well (4 or 5) on all of the AP’s I listed for my senior year, do you think it would be wise to self-study US Gov or APUSH (I’m taking the regular class due to ridiculous amounts of homework & my already difficult course load). If it’s simply impossible to complete the program in 4 years, regardless of AP credits, I may still consider that option.