Which B-school?

Best,

Hill

my, my the idealism of youth!!

I passed up the chance to go to LSE and have never regretted it.

That sort of investment just will not pay back if you do not get a scholarship. MBAs are waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy overrated. So are top tier schools.

I know at least 3 people who went to the local universities, worked in audit firms here in kenya and ended up at the ivy league schools that you are talking about for their MBAs. My assumption has always been that they either paid their way or scored high in the GMAT. My point is that if that is what you want, it is quite easy to achieve. A friend did his BA at the UON, and left for an MA at Bowling Green. He dropped midway to do his CPA exams which he completed and joined Deloitte in Illinois. 4 years down the line, he was attending the same business schools that you want to attend. There are many ways to go about it and btw networking is a talent that not many people have. The advice advanced by others to live within your means for now and work your way up to achieve your goals is quite sound. You may want to look for Kenyans in Goldman and JP Morgan to get a first account of how it is to work in those firms. From all accounts, you will have to put in extremely crazy hours and be prepared to burn out in 2-3 yrs if you are to earn the kind of money you are expecting. Some people thrive in that kind of environment but others never recover long enough to take charge of their lives. It also appears that the days of human traders are long gone. A PHD in maths + programming looks like the surest ticket to wall street.

Don't listen to all this people, great schools give you big opportunities and a foot into the door of great companies, walk into these big companies and see if no-name school is represented!

@nabwire lol. I opted to learn and did my LLB right here. That's my profession but capitalism is my occupation.

WRONG.

You are in the US, so just get a degree from ANYWHERE, as long as it's accredited and not for-profit, and get your series 7 and 65. Look at my other posts for tips on how to talk, act, and work.

There's no use paying big coin to a highly-regarded school in the US unless you also have the connections to go with it, which are far more important. Sure, it looks good to go to Harvard, Yale, or Princeton, but it guarantees nothing. I know guys that went the Ivy League route that are teaching, and guys that went to state college that are making huge fees on desks. You could always move to Ohio and go to Ohio State... who doesn't love the Buckeyes? It's cheaper if you are a resident, and living there is cheap, easy, and safe. And JP has desks there that you could start on. It's also only a 6.5 hour drive or 1 hour flight to NY and DC, where you will eventually land once you get on.

Work your butt off on a trading desk while living poor (but wearing Brooks Brothers suits; that's a must); you can make at least half a million dollars in 5 years if you put in the work. Put all that money in an EQB account via Citi. And if you can't make at least that much in 5 years with a 7 and 65, you aren't serious anyway and need to cut your losses and leave.

It doesn't HAVE to be Goldman; hit ALL the investment banks, funds, etc up until you get into one where you can make some money. You don't get into the investment banks by visiting the tents they set up on campus. You do it by hitting the pavement and knocking on doors, or by working in a crap branch and performing very well- then transferring to a real desk. Get that 7 and 65 and start making calls. Start on something like JP Morgan Funds's phone desks or a smaller house that does well if you have to. How many languages can you speak? That's important.

Once you return to Kenya (rich or at least affluent) you can go to any school you like and start your own shop, like you are Tubby Burnham.

Best,

Hill

Hey, I would love to bet on your future earnings, but, I would probably wait. But I love your drive and I can see that you're probably heading in the right direction. I went through business school and I majored in Finance Bsc Finance and Msc Finance mathematics, I understand why you wanna work for Goldman Sach, afterall who would go through business school in USA and don't want to work for Goldman or JP or UBS or suiss

My advice to you is get an internship before you graduate and if you're in a no name schooL, Pass CFA 1 exam and get an internship before you graduate, most Kenyans in USA are all talks but no action if you ever meet anyone who tells you good school don't matter, ask them to show you their resume or payslip, series 7 and 63 alone will not earn you half a million is 5 yrs and there is a difference between a stock broker and a trader. Otherwise Good luck.

By the way Drunkard, that was not a good call. I offered 13% interest plus 5% future earnings, assuming upon graduation I get a $100k job, thats $5,000 in your pocket, plus I didnt specify a time period, so it could be ad infinitum. As I grow with the company, so does your commission, I think I just found another venture, finance broke students.
And why did you choose to go the math route for your Masters? So whats your job title? CFA? Baby steps, im still learning all this jargon!!

Wow Quicksand talk about a well thought out response, kudos for looking at the whole picture. Ok, rough estimate, I'm not at Harvard yet, I'm in a private University that costs $40k/year thus $80k to finish my undergrad. A state university on the other hand costs around $15k/year thus $30k to finish the undergrad. Seems like an obvious choice until you see the differing job prospects. People in my school are basically begged by employers to work for them, in a State, its you and your God. You get the degree then hit the road, they dont have an Alumni network, where someone who went to your school will basically employ you before a State person. They have annual mixers where the Alumni come and advise students on their careers, they even have mentorship programs where I can search the network, find an Alumni working at Goldman Sachs and ask him about employment opportunities and tips on how to get in.He/She will meet me for coffee and basically groom me into an ideal candidate. You are basically 10 steps ahead of a State person even before graduating. The major companies come on campus and hold info sessions on reasons why you should work for them, its really amazing to see. If a bank gave me the tuition money, I wouldnt even think twice, its a lifelong privilege that you pass on to your kids, they will be admitted into the school coz of you, as long as their grades are upstanding. About different US laws, the beauty of my major is I would not have to be in the US. Once I graduate, I can opt to work for myself or I can work with the same big banks that are fast expanding in Africa. I like your way of thinking.

Oh ok! About baby steps, I didnt mean CFA is a baby step, I meant talk baby talk to me....hahahaha. Ubaya ni you assume I know all these terms, thats what I meant. So CFA is one step higher than MSC Finance, so just skip MSC fIN and go straight for CFA, or even better do MBA? So where does that leave the series 7? By the way Prudential approached me, but they wanted me to do I think that series 7 and sell alot of insurance, hope that series 7 is not for making cold calls. Now whats Quants? Quantitave analysis? Quantitative easing, Quantitative investing? Where did you do your undergrad and Masters at?