A Bit Of An Intro

Sorry this has taken so long to get to...let's just say a certain bank that has been performing poorly has kept me busy!  Anyways...I'm 26, I live in Ohio, and I'm ready for a change in my life.  I graduated from a top-20 undergrad business school in 2004, and since then I've been doing direct marketing for one of the largest banks in the US.  The past year or so, I've come to realize that I want more out of my career, and that doing what I'm doing, I'll never be happy.  I'm looking to change careers, start fresh, and be challenged on a level I haven't been.

My journey thus far has got me beginning preparations for the GMAT.  I bought the Kaplan 2007 book last year, and as soon as I hit the quant section, I realized just how much work I needed to do.  I had done well in the "soft" business classes, but the quant ones challenged me.  I ended up buying a book that goes back to the basics, then the Manhattan GMAT books for each quant subject.  I will soon begin taking actual practice tests to gauge my score, and see where else I need to improve.  Like most people, I'm striving for a 700.  With my GPA (just under 3.0), I'll need all the help I can get.

As far as my school choices, I see two paths I'd be happy going down.  First, entertainment or sports industry.  The schools I'd look into are USC-Marshall, UCLA-Anderson, NYU-Stern, or Arizona State.  The other path would be to get into investment banking, and I'd look at UNC-Kenan Flagler, Duke-Fuqua, Wake Forest-Babcock, or UVA-Darden.  Are these reaches?  Yup.  But I believe in shooting for the highest possible school.  I'm realistic to know that Harvard/Stanford/Wharton are out of the question.

Anyways, I'll be sure to update this as I continue my journey towards my MBA.  I'm striving to apply in the fall, to begin my studies in the fall of 2009.  I've got time on my side, which is a good thing.  Any advice anyone has, I'm all ears!