Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Going into Business

R

RudyGrow

macrumors regular
Original poster
Dec 12, 2009
170
0
Okay, so I plan on going in business consulting in the future. I was wondering what are some pre-requisites that universities like to see?

I don't come from a rich family, and will most likely need a scholarship to whichever university I choose (I'm aiming for the University of Virginia for a Bachelors degree, then a MBA at Tuck.)

Right now, I'm 15 years old, in Grade 10 and I have a GPA of about 3.85, getting 100% in advanced math (starting Calculus 2 years ahead of the rest of my grade). I've sold multiple domains and that's whats making me money at the moment. During the summer, I've been offered a paid internship at a computer design company punching in numbers or at the IT department of a shipping company building and programming computers. Will these have any use or should I just work at McDonald's for minimum wage?

Basically, I want to know what you did extra to get into the university/get the scholarship.

Thanks!
 
Business is a joke major. Half of them at my school party, join a frat, or eventually drop out.
 
dilbaggins said:
Business is a joke major. Half of them at my school party, join a frat, or eventually drop out.
Click to expand...

Hardly. How about you realize that the problem is the students you associate with then the usefulness of the major

What a worthless response:rolleyes:

OP: Do well in school and do well on the ACT/SAT. You need to get admitted into the business college first. I would definitly join like FBLA and DECA in HS if I were you. Once in college, be active and get internships in an asect of buisness you want to pursue career wise.

Also....talk to your counselor now and once in college, GET TO KNOW YOUR PROFESSORS
 
You don't need a degree to be a business consultant. My girlfriend did her Masters in a business area (Management I think) at Edinburgh Uni (UK) and it was the most useless common sense nonsense she could have taken. Hasn't helped my business one bit. She regrets doing a business degree now. And we're both firmly of the opinion that a business degree (an MBA to be specific) will only help our business once we have A LOT more experience under our belt and find ourselves approaching a point where we may go over our heads.

If I were you, I'd think about what area of business I'd like to specialise in. Business is a vast world, and there are a massive amount of areas execs run into problems with. Think what you're naturally attracted to, and research a business area similar to it.

As for the undergrad degree? You won't sit down with a stressed CEO charging 400 dollars an hour to rhyme off something you learned at Uni. He'll tell you where to go, I certainly would. I'd want the guy in front of me to have more experience that me in the field I'm struggling with, and he'd better have some solid examples that he himself was the centrifugal force of. You'd do just as well studying law, or accounting, or maybe something in technology or actuary related. Something that can give you an edge on top of just business that you will learn by experience.

Experience is everything in business. Start now.
 
Thanks a lot. I'm in the process of filling out application forms for the FBLA.

I forgot to mention that I am involved in various leadership roles at school (next year, I'm in line for student representative to the school board and captain of the varsity hockey team :D). Do these come in handy or am I wasting my time?

I also didn't realize that you do not need an undergraduate degree in business for an MBA. I think I might get my undergraduate in either Law or Computer Science now.
 
RudyGrow said:
Thanks a lot. I'm in the process of filling out application forms for the FBLA.

I forgot to mention that I am involved in various leadership roles at school (next year, I'm in line for student representative to the school board and captain of the varsity hockey team :D). Do these come in handy or am I wasting my time?

I also didn't realize that you do not need an undergraduate degree in business for an MBA. I think I might get my undergraduate in either Law or Computer Science now.
Click to expand...

AFAIK, Law is not offered for undergrad, it is a grad program. You can however do pre-Law
 
RudyGrow said:
Thanks a lot. I'm in the process of filling out application forms for the FBLA.

I forgot to mention that I am involved in various leadership roles at school (next year, I'm in line for student representative to the school board and captain of the varsity hockey team :D). Do these come in handy or am I wasting my time?

I also didn't realize that you do not need an undergraduate degree in business for an MBA. I think I might get my undergraduate in either Law or Computer Science now.
Click to expand...


An undergrad degree in business could come actually pretty handy. Do an MBA right after and you're set.
 
Consulting is not a business, it is getting paid to offer an opinion on a business.

If you lack the experience in a field no amount of degrees or certifications will help you.
 
RudyGrow said:
I forgot to mention that I am involved in various leadership roles at school (next year, I'm in line for student representative to the school board and captain of the varsity hockey team :D). Do these come in handy or am I wasting my time?
Click to expand...

They will help you come college application time. Do as many and as diverse a range of activities as you possibly can. Colleges tend to like undergraduates with a wide range of experiences, so volunteering as much time as you can and taking on different leadership roles can be quite helpful when applying to college. Also, those jobs you mentioned during the summer will look a bit better than a job at the local McDonalds.

That said, start taking AP classes and getting A's in them; many top schools, UVA included, have average high school GPAs that are above 4.0. Also, study for the SAT early, the more practice you have the easier the test will be and the better will do. A high SAT score, a strong resume, and a good admissions essay might help a little bit in overcoming a slightly lower than average GPA.
 
Ttownbeast said:
Consulting is not a business, it is getting paid to offer an opinion on a business.
Click to expand...

Sometimes yes and sometimes no. As a consultant, you may end up performing in a variety of roles for your client, such as project/program management roles, sys eng or network design roles, etc. etc.
 
Jaro65 said:
Sometimes yes and sometimes no. As a consultant, you may end up performing in a variety of roles for your client, such as project/program management roles, sys eng or network design roles, etc. etc.
Click to expand...

So if i hire a man to cook and clean he is a consultant specializing domestic duties if he has opinions--I thought that was just a butler?

Does the same go if I hire a prostitute and ask an opinion--oh wait that costs extra doesn't it.
 
rhsgolfer33 said:
They will help you come college application time. Do as many and as diverse a range of activities as you possibly can. Colleges tend to like undergraduates with a wide range of experiences, so volunteering as much time as you can and taking on different leadership roles can be quite helpful when applying to college. Also, those jobs you mentioned during the summer will look a bit better than a job at the local McDonalds.

That said, start taking AP classes and getting A's in them; many top schools, UVA included, have average high school GPAs that are above 4.0. Also, study for the SAT early, the more practice you have the easier the test will be and the better will do. A high SAT score, a strong resume, and a good admissions essay might help a little bit in overcoming a slightly lower than average GPA.
Click to expand...

I didn't realize the insanely high GPA for UVA :eek: I was also wondering what would be better: Taking a Commerce-based Cegep program (I'm in Canada, and Cegep is kinda like Pre-College, instead of Grade 12) or going into the International Baccalaureate program?
 
rhsgolfer33 said:
That said, start taking AP classes and getting A's in them; many top schools, UVA included, have average high school GPAs that are above 4.0. Also, study for the SAT early, the more practice you have the easier the test will be and the better will do. A high SAT score, a strong resume, and a good admissions essay might help a little bit in overcoming a slightly lower than average GPA.
Click to expand...

Yeah?

89% had h.s. GPA of 3.75 and higher
7% had h.s. GPA between 3.5 and 3.74
2% had h.s. GPA between 3.25 and 3.49
1% had h.s. GPA between 3.0 and 3.24
1% had h.s. GPA between 2.5 and 2.99
Click to expand...

Link

Seems like the OP's GPA of 3.85 is within top range.

OP: The internships you mentioned as well as the extracurricular activities will definitely help in the application process. For example, being captain of a sports team shows leadership.
 
renewed said:
Yeah?
Seems like the OP's GPA of 3.85 is within top range.
Click to expand...

That's all fine and dandy, but the range is 3.75 and above, what's the average? Well, according to Princeton Review it is 4.1. Which, of course, means there are going to be students above 4.1 and students below. When it comes to college, it is definitely best to at least meet their average. I know more than a few people who weren't admitted top schools (UCLA, UVA) because of GPA's or SAT scores that were slightly below average. Does that mean he shouldn't apply and that he won't get in? Certainly not, but getting his GPA closer to 4.0 certainly would increase his chances.

RudyGrow said:
I didn't realize the insanely high GPA for UVA :eek: I was also wondering what would be better: Taking a Commerce-based Cegep program (I'm in Canada, and Cegep is kinda like Pre-College, instead of Grade 12) or going into the International Baccalaureate program?
Click to expand...

I can't answer your last question, but being from Canada might help your chances. Colleges tend to encourage diverse viewpoints and international experiences, so definitely apply to UVA. You have fairly strong credentials, so go for it. Keep in mind cost, however. It might cost you a lot more to come to school in the U.S. than it will to go to a comparable college in Canada.
 
rhsgolfer33 said:
That's all fine and dandy, but the range is 3.75 and above, what's the average? Well, according to Princeton Review it is 4.1. Which, of course, means there are going to be students above 4.1 and students below. When it comes to college, it is definitely best to at least meet their average. I know more than a few people who weren't admitted top schools (UCLA, UVA) because of GPA's or SAT scores that were slightly below average. Does that mean he shouldn't apply and that he won't get in? Certainly not, but getting his GPA closer to 4.0 certainly would increase his chances.



I can't answer your last question, but being from Canada might help your chances. Colleges tend to encourage diverse viewpoints and international experiences, so definitely apply to UVA. You have fairly strong credentials, so go for it. Keep in mind cost, however. It might cost you a lot more to come to school in the U.S. than it will to go to a comparable college in Canada.
Click to expand...

Ya, the cost part is steep, but apparently financial aid in the US is 100x better than that in Canada...
 
I would do the Law degree with a minor in Finance.

Even if you never practice law a day in your life, that degree allows you more flexibility than you will ever know.

The combination of Law and Finance will really take you places.

Unless your going Ivy league, it doesn't really matter where you go to law school.
 
pilotError said:
I would do the Law degree with a minor in Finance.

Even if you never practice law a day in your life, that degree allows you more flexibility than you will ever know.

The combination of Law and Finance will really take you places.

Unless your going Ivy league, it doesn't really matter where you go to law school.
Click to expand...

This is a nice move. Law and Finance, or Law and Economics if you can, while being busy setting up some business venture, maybe e-commerce in your spare time and making that grow. Learn a language as well.
 
niuniu said:
This is a nice move. Law and Finance, or Law and Economics if you can, while being busy setting up some business venture, maybe e-commerce in your spare time and making that grow. Learn a language as well.
Click to expand...

I'm working on a website and my mother tongue is French, and I can get by in Spanish, so no problems there :D

Also is McGill considered a decent university for Law? Or are there other Canadian Universities that have decent Law programs?
 
RudyGrow said:
I'm working on a website and my mother tongue is French, and I can get by in Spanish, so no problems there :D

Also is McGill considered a decent university for Law? Or are there other Canadian Universities that have decent Law programs?
Click to expand...

Nice on the language part, that will give a advantage later. As for American and Canadian Unis, I'll bow out here.. I'm a Brit :D
 
RudyGrow said:
I didn't realize the insanely high GPA for UVA :eek: I was also wondering what would be better: Taking a Commerce-based Cegep program (I'm in Canada, and Cegep is kinda like Pre-College, instead of Grade 12) or going into the International Baccalaureate program?
Click to expand...

Try contacting UVA now and ask an admissions counselor what they look for (actually, wait a couple of months, this could be their "busy" season). In Maryland, UVA has a reputation for being a real b*tch at taking people from outside Virginia. I believe they like taking kids from schools they already know, so if your school has alumni that went to UVA, you're in a better position than not. But ask UVA and get the answers from them.

... and the States have lots of good business schools [Go Terps!]

mt
 
dilbaggins said:
Business is a joke major. Half of them at my school party, join a frat, or eventually drop out.
Click to expand...

That was my undergraduate degree and for some, because the lack of heavy reading (I was also an English major), and the lack of engineering math and sciences, the business major allows for more free time than any major in college.

That being said, you can use that extra time to be an exceptional student and really study business, or party and just cruise through school with C's.

With higher grades, you are more likely to get into an MBA program. If you did fairly well with a bachelor's in business, then there's probably no need for the MBA. Generally, a 3.5 GPA from a place like University of Virginia should set you up to where you want to go.

Many, if not most people who go for an MBA fall into two groups: 1) students who don't want to enter the working world right away 2) students who didn't have business as their undergraduate degree.

And without at least five years of working experience, preferably senior manager experience, what you learn in MBA school will go over your head since you can't apply it.

MBA school is not like law school or medical school where the only experience you need is a bachelor's degree. The MBA will assume, especially in the case study method and many oral presentations you have to make, that you have real world work experience. You can learn medicine and law from the confines of a large university, but business is something that is largely learned off campus.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back