Will this hinder my MBA admissions chances?

Engineerjw
Sun, 17 Jul 2011 15:01:09 +0000

I am in college right now. Here are three options I am deciding among.


BS and MS Combined-degree MS Finance in four years. This is competitive for admission, though.
3/2 Five year program where students earn a BSAcc, MAcc, and often CPA, at the end of the program.
Earn a BS in finance and no masters degree, then get any financial job until I try for an MBA. However, I want an MS if I can get it cheaply. Placement with just a BS at my school may not be as good as with masters.


I could do either of these. I know that I definitely want to go for an MBA eventually, but I am worried that the MBA admissions committees will view me as academically “double dipping” and redundant due to either of those degrees already being business-ey. I do not want already having one of them to hinder my chances.

I am leaning toward getting the MAcc and CPA, trying to get a job at the Big 4 (which heavily recruits at my school), then working a little and going into an MBA program to switch into a financial job. I know MAcc degrees are kind of a waste, but doing the program would not cost me much at all, plus I could get a CPA. I know the CPA is great for admissions, but I do not want the MAcc to brand me as an accountant or look redundant with an MBA drive off admissions people.

Do any of these options hold merit to where I could get an MBA eventually if I wanted one? Which option do you think would be the best for MBA admissions, and eventually financial jobs (not quant, though)?

Thanks.