What should I do after early graduation?

I’m currently a sophomore at NYU majoring in economics and minoring in data science. Through summer classes, AP credits, and dual enrollment, I’ve managed to accumulate 75 credits so far, even though it’s only my second year. This means I can graduate a full year early if I wanted to, making me a junior right now, but there’s a problem…

I’m interested in recruiting for internships in competitive fields like consulting and PM. With those internships, I’d need to apply as a junior, however if I was to apply right now (and I’d have to, if I wanted to graduate a year early) I’d be competing with people that have a year of extra experience. Plus I’m not sure if I have the skills to be able to pass the interviews, as usually those require a few months of practice. With that being said, I’ll ideally want something after my three years of undergrad to give me the time I need to prepare. Here are the options:

  1. Graduate in 3.5 years instead of 3 years. This would make me identical to a regular 4-year student in terms of recruiting, but I’d be spending an extra semester taking classes that I don’t need. Plus NYU is notoriously expensive.

  2. Graduate in 3 years and spend the last year pursuing a one-year masters program. Since my background is in economics, I’ll probably apply for more technical masters like stats or data science. I also plan to pursue an MBA someday, so this would be a good way to get technical credentials before that. There also isn’t really any opportunity cost, as I’d be finishing my Masters at the same time as most finish students their Bachelors. The downside is that I’ll need to apply for these masters programs next year, and if I don’t get in, I’m pretty much cooked.

  3. NYU does offer a BA-MA program where you complete your bachelors and masters degree at the same time, finishing both within four years. The downside is that I’m only eligible for the BA-MA in economics, and since I already have an undergrad major in econ, I feel like it’s pretty redundant. Plus taking graduate courses along my undergrad classes might tank my GPA.

What do I do? I’ve been thinking about this decision for months now. Any help would be really appreciated. Thanks sm! :slight_smile:

Not knowing anything else about your situation, this is what I would recommend. You can work for a few years and see if you want to pursue an MBA or possibly go in a different direction. I am sure you can find some subjects during the extra term that will help you with your goals and make it worthwhile.

1 Like

Earn a master’s degree (so either option #2 or option #3) to enhance your qualifications in a very competitive market.

1 Like

I agree with Publisher, but it is an option that will cost you more money at NYU’s very high tuition rates. Another option would be to take a gap year, working in the a job that would get you the most relevant experience you can find and which would enable you to earn money instead of spending money on tuition. This would put you on track for a 4 year plan and you could pursue the internship on a normal schedule.