Hi MustBeDaMoney! Welcome to BTG - you've come to the right place!
And, this is also the right time for you to be thinking about grad school. It's a LOT easier to get ready for bschool -- at least, with some preliminary steps like the GMAT or GRE - while you're still in college.
We're going to point you to a few recent exchanges that we've had about some others who have somewhat similar profiles to yours -- everyone is different, but these threads might be worth exploring for you, to get some initial questions answered:
1. There are a number of bschools with specific programs for applying straight from college. The most well-known is Harvard's 2+2 program; Yale has one called Silver Scholars, and there are also one or two at European bschools. Check out these posts where we explore what they're about and which might be good choices for you to research:
a)
https://www.beatthegmat.com/high-gmat-an ... 94723.html
b)
https://www.beatthegmat.com/profile-eval ... 93486.html
2. The Consortium is an organization devoted to increasing the number of US minorities (African-American, Hispanic, etc) in business, specifically by helping them with bschool strategy and access -- and yes, your ethnicity will be an advantage, because there just aren't enough minorities in bschool and the upper echelons of the business world. Here's a few posts to start with about this:
Someone just starting out, just like you:
https://www.beatthegmat.com/forward-look ... 93897.html
Someone specifically asking about The Consortium:
https://www.beatthegmat.com/applying-thr ... 93382.html
We'll be having a series of posts about HBS 2+2 on our blog in December. For now, you might want to check this one out, that talks about whether or not to take the GMAT, or the GRE:
https://essaysnark.blocked/2011/06/ ... makes.html
Finally, to respond directly to what you asked about:
- Congrats on majoring in English!! That's actually quite rare these days - and believe it or not, some of the bschools REALLY appreciate the straightforward liberal arts education!! Because so many people come to bschool from a finance or econ major, the English degree will actually help to set you apart from the competition (at least somewhat).
Your current GPA is fine but do all that you can to continue to improve. Grades matter A LOT at these top programs, particularly if you are applying to HBS 2+2. You'll also want to start putting some thought into exactly what your career path will be - you don't have to have it fully defined when you apply, but knowing the general target and a trajectory will be really important. You need to show the adcom why you want/need an MBA, and that all comes down to professional interests and aspirations. These programs for current college students are designed to help you navigate your early career, but still, knowing what you want to be when you grow up
will help.
Also there are a variety of Master's of Management programs you can go to straight from school - these typically have a MAXIMUM work experience requirement of one year - in other words, you're only qualified to apply if you have a very LIMITED amount of professional experience. Duke has one, so does LBS in the UK, there are more and more every day.
Whew! That was a long post! Hope this helps you get started - and please continue to ask if there's more we can do to help!
EssaySnark
