Need advice about degree program and grad school (skills, degrees, MBA)

[KentuckyBlueMoon]

Okay, currently I am in a finance degree program at my third tier state school. Not much in the way of internships so ive been working in an insurance office.

I really just want to graduate. I dont know how much gpa matters. I currently have a 3.7 in the program. I would like to either get a job on the east coast or go to grad school on the east coast.

BUT....i worry that a degree from my college will pale in comparison to degrees from students on the east coast and a job will be unlikely. I also worry that graduate school will take into account that the college I did my undergrad degree at was not impressive enough to admit me to a program.

This has become a concern because a friend that double majored and had a near perfect gpa, interned at local television stations, and was involved in many clubs couldnt get into any of the grad programs she applied to. Do you think it was maybe a poor essay or could it very well be the undergrad degree granting college working against her?

Its too late in the game to transfer..im 43 credit hours away and most schools require 60 to be completed in residence.

Also, would a finance degree be more beneficial than just a business admin degree? Dropping my concentration would let me graduate earlier...I figure its less marketable...but if my degree is useless because of the school, i dont want to waste more time.

[JJingle]

Stick with the Finance degree over dropping for a business admin degree. What type of grad program interests you? If it's an MBA, you would benefit to gain some work experience. When I was applying for my MBA, a lot of the school like to see at least 5 years of work experience. (My undergrad major was finance.)

[Elipar]

Stick with the school you're with. While your friend may have had the overall package right, she probably didn't "put it together" properly. Not only do you need the right combination of academics, community involvement, and leadership, you have to tie it into a package that represents what the school is looking for. A poorly written application or subpar interview will sour even the best candidates.

[juniperbleu]

Stick with the school and program. After you graduate, get a job that will give you good experience. You won't necessarily get in a big investment bank (except, oh wait, they're not there anymore), but there are plenty of consulting firms that hire finance people. Graduate programs in general tend to like work experience since you will see real-world applications for your education, can bring your own experience to the table in class, and are also more certain that you'll stick with the degree and career field. If you're looking at an MBA, you definitely need experience, many programs won't consider anyone who worked for less than 5 years.

When applying to jobs, just make sure to laud your skills and what you can bring to them. A lot is in how you sell yourself. A fantastic candidate with a poor interview/resume/application can easily get rejected over someone someone else.

Also, try not to compare yourself to your friend, because you have no idea why she didn't get into a program. It could even be something as simple as she wasn't focused enough. With multiple majors and activities it can look like you're all over the place, unless you make it clear that you know what you want. I had a friend get rejected from a master's program because they could tell she had no idea what she really wanted to do. They told her to take a year, work on a few things, and reapply. She did, and is now in a completely different program than the one she had applied for before.

[SaratL]

IMO, you should stick with your degree/school and graduate and see what kind of jobs you can get. As you said you were from not a top school and that may help you. The big name schools are having tough time getting students placed. The big finance employers are in deep trouble. I have a friend who completed Exec MBA from Columbia in Finance hoping to join Investment Banking/VC/Hedge Funds and no one is looking at him. If you do not have such expectations, you will be fine.