I am currently trying to decide on which path to take in regards to taking supplemental courses after my B.S. degree. My course load while in my undergrad wasn't quantitatively intensive. My goal was to go to law school so I stuck to the Political Science and History path at UCSB. I am now trying to increase my business and quantitative capabilities. I am currently employed in a management program. I want to work on my finance/quantitative knowledge at a local school. I can't seem to decide the value of going to a local university, like UCLA/USC, over a community college. I am also debating on whether there would be added value if I got a certificate in finance/business at one of these institutions rather than just taking a couple of quantitative courses like calculus/statistics and some business oriented classes. My undergraduate GPA was extremely lack-luster so I want to best demonstrate my academic capabilities. I graduated my local community college with honors before transferring to UCSB. My overall GPA diminished greatly after transferring. I had a lot going on in my life. I want to show the admission offers my academic abilities that I actually have; like when I was at my local CC. I graduated with a cumulative GPA (from my CC and UCSB) of around a 2.7. My GPA at UCSB was in the low 2.3 range and at my community college it was in the mid 3.0s. This dramatic change had a lot to do with my living situation in college and the fact that I only took upper-division history and political science courses. I didn't take any fluff courses that would bump my GPA. This was a detrimental decision in maintaining a high GPA considering the rigor of these courses. I really want to attend Kellogg, Wharton, or Stanford on the high end of the spectrum. My goal is to target Yale SOM, UCLA Anderson, and HAAS.
What I have so far as pros and cons are...
Community college:
Cheaper
Not as prestigious
Local university like UCLA/USC:
More expensive
Will help me demonstrate my academic capacity at a rigorous institution
What do you all think? And in regards to getting a certificate?
What I have so far as pros and cons are...
Community college:
Cheaper
Not as prestigious
Local university like UCLA/USC:
More expensive
Will help me demonstrate my academic capacity at a rigorous institution
What do you all think? And in regards to getting a certificate?
