Post: #51

VVVV's point about military experience is a good one. If we're building an idealized American politician from the ground up, his resume would certainly include a stint as a military officer - preferably in combat arms of some sort, with infantry/special forces being the gold standard. This sort of experience gives you a certain credibility that is hard to exactly define, but suffice to say it makes you a much more respectable candidate for political leadership. Men who have commanded other men in combat are automatically (and rightfully) given a certain baseline level of respect that cannot be replicated by anything else.

I also like JohnKreese's suggestion about the JD/MBA, especially if as you say you aren't actually interested in actually practicing law as a long term career. A JD/MBA from a top program will open a lot of doors, and simply moving in that kind of circle with peers of that quality will be very powerful for building a network of contacts to use throughout your life.

So if you're really prepared to play life on hard mode and truly want to maximize your chances for political success, I'd follow a map like this:

- College at the most elite school you can get in to
- Join the best fraternity you can (meaning the most pedigreed/established active brothers and alumni)
- Be involved with student government at college to gain a feel for political operations
- After graduation, apply for Army or Marine Corps Officer Candidate School (OCS) and receive a commission
- Do 4-5 years as a combat arms officer. With an Ivy League or equivalent background people will know you're a resume padder, but if you're a solid guy who does his job well you will earn respect regardless
- After the military, apply to top-ranked JD/MBA programs. With your background you will be a shoe-in and should have your pick of the litter

At this point you finish your JD/MBA you will be sitting around 30-31 years old (that probably sounds very old to you now at 18, but trust me, it's not) and will have an Ivy League undergrad, military officer combat experience, a JD and an MBA and will have a network of personal contacts spanning through your fraternity days, the military and grad/law school. You will be supremely well-positioned in a way that very few people in the world could match at that age. And you will be entirely self-made. At that point you start to do what I suggested in my earlier post: utilize your network to get a job with a big law firm (you could also do finance or consulting with that resume) with the goal of gaining exposure to the big money power players. Your background alone would make you a very attractive candidate for a statewide office, which is a great jumping off point for a political career. With moneyed and well-connected backers supporting your candidacy, you could slide into a position as a state legislator in your mid 30's. After a few years of that gaining experience and connections at the state level, you might be able to swing an appointment to a state cabinet-level position. From there you're as well positioned as anyone to run for Governor, Senate or House seats.

Perhaps most importantly through all of this: keep your nose clean. It's very easy to fuck up your life by making bad decisions. Sometimes it only takes one bad decision to flush a lifetime of hard work down the toilet. Stay away from drugs, go easy on the alcohol, and choose the women you associate with very carefully. Also, master the art of staying in touch with old friends. Get in the habit of calling everyone you want to keep in touch with - which should be dozens - at least 2-3 times per year to catch up. At 18 you can't understand how easy it is to lose touch with your peers, but it's inevitable unless you work at it (and no, social media is not a substitute - you must actually call or even better have lunch with people to truly maintain a relationship).

Post: #52

(01-24-2016 11:58 AM)scorpion Wrote:  At this point you finish your JD/MBA you will be sitting around 30-31 years old (that probably sounds very old to you now at 18, but trust me, it's not) and will have an Ivy League undergrad, military officer combat experience, a JD and an MBA and will have a network of personal contacts spanning through your fraternity days, the military and grad/law school. You will be supremely well-positioned in a way that very few people in the world could match at that age. And you will be entirely self-made. At that point you start to do what I suggested in my earlier post: utilize your network to get a job with a big law firm (you could also do finance or consulting with that resume) with the goal of gaining exposure to the big money power players. Your background alone would make you a very attractive candidate for a statewide office, which is a great jumping off point for a political career. With moneyed and well-connected backers supporting your candidacy, you could slide into a position as a state legislator in your mid 30's. After a few years of that gaining experience and connections at the state level, you might be able to swing an appointment to a state cabinet-level position. From there you're as well positioned as anyone to run for Governor, Senate or House seats.

Perhaps most importantly through all of this: keep your nose clean. It's very easy to fuck up your life by making bad decisions. Sometimes it only takes one bad decision to flush a lifetime of hard work down the toilet. Stay away from drugs, go easy on the alcohol, and choose the women you associate with very carefully. Also, master the art of staying in touch with old friends. Get in the habit of calling everyone you want to keep in touch with - which should be dozens - at least 2-3 times per year to catch up. At 18 you can't understand how easy it is to lose touch with your peers, but it's inevitable unless you work at it (and no, social media is not a substitute - you must actually call or even better have lunch with people to truly maintain a relationship).

Wow, thank you for taking the time to write that. The JD/MBA seems like a great path; I don't really see myself actually practicing law in the long run, and consulting may be better suited for my aspirations. That being said, it may be too early to start planning stuff like this, but which states do you think would be good picks to settle down in, considering that I'm a conservative yet largely secular Persian? As of right now I consider myself to be agnostic but I'll probably have to cater to the religious right aka convert to Christianity...although, a secular conservative could win over a lot of the Independent/Democrat vote, so maybe "being myself" couldn't hurt? So maybe a largely blue state could work to my advantage...

Post: #53

Going to Law school and Med school with no intentions of practicing law or medicine is a waste of money. If you're interested in Politics, you can break in without going to professional school. Studying law to go into politics will die out like people who joined the military to put that on their political resume.

You can start getting involved and interning for political unions now. As with anything though, try to go to the best school you can and get top grades (so you can go to a good grad school if need be). I skimmed the thread so I can't really give a detailed answer but depending on what you want to do in politics, you can already start working on it. A big reason why so many lawyers are hot shots in politics is because of networking, which you can do without a JD.

Post: #54

Going to Law school and Med school with no intentions of practicing law or medicine is a waste of money. If you're interested in Politics, you can break in without going to professional school. Studying law to go into politics will die out like people who joined the military to put that on their political resume (joining the military is a better credential for politics though).

Some quick things to point out (this is assuming that this is about you wanting to run for an office, as there are many jobs in politics and you did not specify).

1) It's great that you're planning so far ahead, you busted your ass in HS and you will certainly get into one of the schools you listed. You're already far ahead, I'd think about more immediate future than what you want to do in your 30s, a lot will change for you these next 4 years.

2) If you're serious about Politics, Med School or Law school then what you study as an undergrad does not really matter. I'd study what ever gives you the best grades, which is probably what ever you're most interested in.

3) The reason why lawyers are often powerful politicians or executives in businesses is because they meet very powerful people on a semi-regular basis, you do not need a JD to network.

4) A better alternative to getting a JD would be getting an MBA from a top school, you will meet and network with more rich people, MBA is very broad so you will not need to study math (which you said you do not like, otherwise I'd recommend Finance), you will make a lot of money if you get an MBA from Harvard etc.

5) Make friends. I'd join a frat if it was prestigious enough, if not clubs are fine, just make sure you have a legit network (don't just make acquaintances either, try to get legitimate friends who will put their neck out for you down the road).

6) Become close with your professors, this matters so much in college. Unlike a relationship with your teacher as an HS student, you are now at a point in your life where you are an adult - same as the person who is mentoring you. If you become friends with your professors, not only will they help you network, but they'll also write recommendations for future schools (this matters more so in other majors than others). I made friends with my professors and they hooked it up with grad school contacts, research chances, gave me better grades than I deserved, internships etc.

7) Joining the military as an officer is not a bad idea. I'm not sure if joining the military is worth it if you don't get into officer school though (at least for your scenario). As I said before, becoming an officer will be more useful for politics than becoming a lawyer or a doctor, that gives you incredible cross over appeal and also confirms that you are a leader.

8) You should certainly look into city and state politics, there's really no reason not too. During your summers you can help with local campaigns (unless you have an internship that gives you better opportunity). I don't get how someone can be too good for a city campaign, I'm not talking about town mayor here. Apply early in the election cycles to get the best gigs, otherwise you'll be handing out flyers like a scrub. Like any profession, job experience leads to better jobs.

9) I'd look into self advertisement, as the guy with the breaking bad avatar said, I think promoting yourself via social media is the way to go. If you're profound and well spoken enough, you could just go into some type of advocacy on your own and get a following online; something to consider while you're getting your formal education.

10) Do not join a Church for political reasons. Some people here are using medieval age tactics instead of thinking for the future (like the guy who listed what every President's job was, like who cares?). By the time you are in your mid 30s, the idea of an atheist being elected into office will not be a problem in many States. We are in an age where a Jew is arguably the favorite for becoming the next President, I wouldn't worry too much about being Persian (15 years from now, it might even be a strength, the world changes fast and thus the trends in politics also change fast). Our current President's name is Hussein Obama, if push comes to shove, just lie and say you're Christian and that you go to Church (just like a large amount of secular politicians do).

11) In regards to studying business and joining law school, that is perfectly fine. Law schools will not penalize you for being a business student.

12) I wouldn't count yourself out for something quantitative related. Something you will see in college is that you can push yourself to do things you thought you could not do. A lot of people go into law school because they cannot do math so they figure that they have to be lawyers, don't pigeon hold your potential.

13) You can still do things that are finance related even if you did not study finance in school. If you get into an ivy league school, you will be able to work in wall street even if you studied liberal arts.


EDIT: Could a moderator delete the above post?

Post: #55

(01-24-2016 06:52 PM)Heart Break Kid Wrote:  ...

Jesus, you guys are seriously an arsenal of information. I cannot thank you all enough for all the tips; I'll surely owe a large part of my future success to this forum.

I'll go into college with an open mind in regards to business vs. law. At the end of the day, politics is the end goal, and I know that nothing will deter me from that. A major in political science with a minor in business/finance/econ could open a ton of doors. I was also thinking that if I end up getting into and matriculating at UPenn, it would be be fairly stupid to not transfer into Wharton (I applied to the College of Letters & Sciences for poli sci). If I did that, my future would be set...look at Trump, a Wharton grad for god's sake lmao.

Thank you again for a super detailed post. I appreciate it so much.

Post: #56

I don't think law school is necessary for politics. The main benefit of law school would be to learn logic and rhetoric, both of which can be learned on your own.

You've been given a lot of good advice in this thread already, so I'll only add a few things.

-Master public speaking
-Master linguistics, ie NLP
-Start networking yesterday
-Be careful who you associate yourself with
-Find a town that will benefit you. Look up Bill Richardson former governor of New Mexico, he specifically moved to a small Indian town in northern NM to get his political career started. He started young like yourself and had a real chance to go far, but ended up in scandals and went the lobbyist route instead.
-Read 48 Laws of Power
-Watch and learn from Trump and how he uses the media to his advantage.

Post: #57

You seem driven and really serious about politics. I've always thought playing at the higher levels requires a strong stomach but kudos to you for finding your passion so early on. Tons of great advice, I'd just want to emphasize being careful about the digital trail you leave behind. This can come back and haunt you even decades later, so I'd be extremely hesitant sharing any personal details that could identify you. I'd even go as far as editing your initial post and deleting anything about your background, languages you speak, ethnicity, etc. Be as vague as you can. It might sound paranoid but it's a potential weapon for your future adversaries which they won't be hesitant to use against you.

Post: #58

Post: #59

(01-25-2016 03:46 PM)CrashBangWallop Wrote:  

I would say that that only applies to the 99.99% of the people who don't go into it for the right reasons

Post: #60

(01-25-2016 09:11 PM)Prince of Persia Wrote:  I would say that that only applies to the 99.99% of the people who don't go into it for the right reasons

Yes and you are not the .01% that is doing it for the right reasons.

I suggest you check out this Warren Buffett speech especially the part about working in jobs you love which starts at 22:00.




I don't think you have spent that much time trying to understand what you are actually passionate about. You’ve looked into three of the highest status careers in our society (law, medicine, politics) and rationalized why you are passionate about these things. Sorry if this isn’t what you want to hear but your comments seem very unoriginal with all the talk of law or medicine or politics, “Harvard is my dream school”, and how you are sure you won’t change your mind about politics even though it only took 3 paragraphs from Lizard of Oz for you to “utterly drop medicine” even though you have spent years “cultivating an interest in medicine”.

Everything you say is about building your resume both literally and figuratively. I'm not convinced that you are truly passionate about any of this. It seems like you are just seeking out the highest status universities and careers.

It’s great to be ambitious but I think you will be more successful and happy if you find something you are truly passionate about and try to be more creative than following the cookie cutter process of how to achieve the respect and admiration of other people through grades, highly ranked schools, graduate degrees, high status jobs, etc.

There are a lot of truly successful guys that took that path but there are more guys who end up with upper class incomes but never achieve their dreams, aren’t happy in their lives, and they either get divorced-raped or some other guy is banging their wife while they are working 80 hours per week.

So my 2 cents is to stay ambitious but try to find something you are truly passionate about. If you were as passionate about being a politician as you say you are then you wouldn’t be making statements like “I really want to have a graduate degree and solid career before transitioning into politics”. I also think you are more likely to become a high level politician by following this formula because getting to that high level almost always requires huge success in life and that success is much more likely if you are truly passionate about your work.

Post: #61

(01-30-2016 12:55 PM)birthday cat Wrote:  

(01-25-2016 09:11 PM)Prince of Persia Wrote:  I would say that that only applies to the 99.99% of the people who don't go into it for the right reasons

Yes and you are not the .01% that is doing it for the right reasons.

I suggest you check out this Warren Buffett speech especially the part about working in jobs you love which starts at 22:00.




I don't think you have spent that much time trying to understand what you are actually passionate about. You’ve looked into three of the highest status careers in our society (law, medicine, politics) and rationalized why you are passionate about these things. Sorry if this isn’t what you want to hear but your comments seem very unoriginal with all the talk of law or medicine or politics, “Harvard is my dream school”, and how you are sure you won’t change your mind about politics even though it only took 3 paragraphs from Lizard of Oz for you to “utterly drop medicine” even though you have spent years “cultivating an interest in medicine”.

Everything you say is about building your resume both literally and figuratively. I'm not convinced that you are truly passionate about any of this. It seems like you are just seeking out the highest status universities and careers.

It’s great to be ambitious but I think you will be more successful and happy if you find something you are truly passionate about and try to be more creative than following the cookie cutter process of how to achieve the respect and admiration of other people through grades, highly ranked schools, graduate degrees, high status jobs, etc.

There are a lot of truly successful guys that took that path but there are more guys who end up with upper class incomes but never achieve their dreams, aren’t happy in their lives, and they either get divorced-raped or some other guy is banging their wife while they are working 80 hours per week.

So my 2 cents is to stay ambitious but try to find something you are truly passionate about. If you were as passionate about being a politician as you say you are then you wouldn’t be making statements like “I really want to have a graduate degree and solid career before transitioning into politics”. I also think you are more likely to become a high level politician by following this formula because getting to that high level almost always requires huge success in life and that success is much more likely if you are truly passionate about your work.

Politics is what I am passionate about. I'm not in it for the "prestige", and politics certainly isn't "high status" in my eyes, considering that most of the country imagines that politicians are just parasitic crooks. Frankly, I don't think one can accurately judge the intensity of someone's lifelong interest through a few messages over a computer screen.

Further, I want to attend a great college and obtain a graduate degree because I value higher education. I don't see how that's a bad thing.

Post: #62

That's cool man and I sincerely wish you the best of luck. I'm just calling it like I see it and everything looks to me like your primary motivation is achieving status.

Politics is very high status regardless of people viewing politicians as "parasitic crooks". It is a rationalization to say that it isn’t high status.

You say how passionate you are about politics but you don’t really explain why. You also want a graduate degree, a solid career before politics, and to make a lot of money…..so maybe politics is just 1 of the top 4 things you are passionate about. It isn’t really that important is it? Your interest in medicine is a red flag because it has nothing in common with politics other than being high status…what’s up with that? Your dream school is Harvard…..how original…..can you even explain why? Honestly I think you are full of shit.

I know I'm being a dick but I’m doing it on purpose only to prove a point. When you apply to top schools, your first real jobs, and graduate schools then the people interviewing you are going to be thinking the same thing. They get thousands of applications with great SAT scores and “I want to be a doctor/lawyer” and “Harvard is my dream school” but they want to hear things more specific and more unique. You need to do a better job of answering those types of questions and you need to be showing them how you are different. If you want to be a politician who earns his job through votes then you need to be especially good with answering difficult questions. What are you saying in your application essays and interviews that other people aren’t saying? How are you unique? Why are they going to remember you?

Obviously I don’t really think you are full of shit but most of what you have written seems very unoriginal to a guy who has interviewed other ambitious young guys before. Achieving status is a very important thing for you whether you admit it to yourself or not. It is deeply rooted in human psychology so don't dismiss it. If you can understand it then you can better harness the emotional energy that comes with it. And seriously watch that Warren Buffett video. Good luck.

Post: #63

Hey guys, I'm bumping this thread with updates.

So, the college admissions process is not working out for me. Out of 22 colleges that I have applied to, I've been rejected at every single one but 4: waitlist at U Wisconsin Madison, and acceptances at UC Boulder, San Francisco State, and San Diego State. I'm still waiting on U Michigan and the Ivy League, but I have 0 hopes of getting into any after getting wrecked by what I thought would be realistic options. I'm confused, pissed, depressed, and really lost. Barring some miracle, I'm most likely going to San Diego State in the fall. I'm trying to hype myself up and get excited, but it's fucking HARD. I have a goddamn 99th percentile SAT score and I'm going to my safety school. Its plain embarrassing, especially considering how all of my teachers had such high expectations for me. I could really use some advice right now.

Post: #64

You have nothing to be embarrassed about. That's how you feel. Always remember that feelings aren't facts. If you choose to be embarrassed, then you will be. But you put in the work during high school and got excellent results on all the tests. If you had been lazy or non-nonchalant, that would be one thing. But you weren't.

Post: #65

(03-25-2016 09:30 PM)PartManPartMonkey Wrote:  You have nothing to be embarrassed about. That's how you feel. Always remember that feelings aren't facts. If you choose to be embarrassed, then you will be. But you put in the work during high school and got excellent results on all the tests. If you had been lazy or non-nonchalant, that would be one thing. But you weren't.

I'm embarrassed because all of my friends and classmates know how ambitious I am. They've heard me talk about elite colleges all four years, and now they're celebrating their acceptances while I have gotten over 10 rejections in a fucking row. I didn't think I was lazy until all my "accomplishments" blew up in my face. The fact that schools like Stanford turn away over 95% of applicants is just mind-blowing, but I truly thought that I had a chance with my genuinely-held passions and dreams. I'm sorry for ranting, but I just feel like a failure and a fraud. I don't know why this is happening, or what's worse: a freak accident with my applications, or whether I'm just not good enough. Never mind the uber selective schools, I'm just dumbfounded over BU and Tulane.

Post: #66

Nobody cares where you started school. It is all about where you finish and get your degree. Look into which of those schools is easiest to transfer to and how to do it.

Post: #67

(03-25-2016 09:47 PM)Prince of Persia Wrote:  but I truly thought that I had a chance with my genuinely-held passions and dreams.

In the real world, outside your house, t almost nobody will give a shit about your "dreams" unless it overlaps with their own or provides them some sort of benefit. What you need to do from here on out, is PROVE that your passionate about what you want to do so that you EARN society's trust when gifted a position of power.

How do you do this? Extremely simple. Get involved in any way you can in spheres that cater around your passion. Take internships, join/lead clubs centered around that topic, do research with a leading faculty member....if you do these things you're set.

It'll probably be easier to stand out in SDSU anyway if you really apply yourself, and faculty/school will appreciate this (if you become successful, SDSU can boast about how you were educated there, and therefore get a higher rate of student enrollment which in turn increases their net revenues).

Post: #68

(03-29-2016 07:23 PM)Gyro Wrote:  

(03-25-2016 09:47 PM)Prince of Persia Wrote:  but I truly thought that I had a chance with my genuinely-held passions and dreams.

In the real world, outside your house, t almost nobody will give a shit about your "dreams" unless it overlaps with their own or provides them some sort of benefit. What you need to do from here on out, is PROVE that your passionate about what you want to do so that you EARN society's trust when gifted a position of power.

How do you do this? Extremely simple. Get involved in any way you can in spheres that cater around your passion. Take internships, join/lead clubs centered around that topic, do research with a leading faculty member....if you do these things you're set.

It'll probably be easier to stand out in SDSU anyway if you really apply yourself, and faculty/school will appreciate this (if you become successful, SDSU can boast about how you were educated there, and therefore get a higher rate of student enrollment which in turn increases their net revenues).

That is a great point. I guess I just have to get over my ego and the preconceived notions of "prestige" and "opportunities" being plentiful only at top schools. There are opportunities everywhere, and the political climate is changing as we speak. Ivy League-educated leaders with their polished 15-point plans have plagued this country, and Trump's rise signals a new age. It just sucks to work really hard for something and to then fall down flat on your face, but that's just life. Maybe this is a blessing in disguise.

Post: #69

(03-29-2016 11:02 PM)Prince of Persia Wrote:  It just sucks to work really hard for something and to then fall down flat on your face, but that's just life. Maybe this is a blessing in disguise.

You say you worked hard in high school "for nothing", but this is not true at all and you will only get more angry/sad framing it that way.

As long as you applied yourself in high school, you have already accumulated skill in self-discipline, quantitative analysis, etc. You're leagues ahead of 80-90% of your HS class who probably spent the time smoking pot & playing video games. They need to NOW develop these skills whereas you have a framework.
Don't throw it out the window, don't let these skills get rusty, don't give in to "senioritis"...finish strong.

It is a "blessing in disguise", b/c if you're passionate/dedicated enough you will find a way to spin this to your own advantage. Instead of being an average or below-average student at a school like UCLA, you can now thrive and demolish at a school like SDSU (fuck it, you can even go for two degrees in a four year frame). Besides, the girls @ SDSU are ridiculous compared to liberal shitholes like the Ivies or upper UC's like Berkeley and LA.

Post: #70

(03-29-2016 11:19 PM)Gyro Wrote:  

(03-29-2016 11:02 PM)Prince of Persia Wrote:  It just sucks to work really hard for something and to then fall down flat on your face, but that's just life. Maybe this is a blessing in disguise.

You say you worked hard in high school "for nothing", but this is not true at all and you will only get more angry/sad framing it that way.

As long as you applied yourself in high school, you have already accumulated skill in self-discipline, quantitative analysis, etc. You're leagues ahead of 80-90% of your HS class who probably spent the time smoking pot & playing video games. They need to NOW develop these skills whereas you have a framework.
Don't throw it out the window, don't let these skills get rusty, don't give in to "senioritis"...finish strong.

It is a "blessing in disguise", b/c if you're passionate/dedicated enough you will find a way to spin this to your own advantage. Instead of being an average or below-average student at a school like UCLA, you can now thrive and demolish at a school like SDSU (fuck it, you can even go for two degrees in a four year frame). Besides, the girls @ SDSU are ridiculous compared to liberal shitholes like the Ivies or upper UC's like Berkeley and LA.

True as hell. Thanks a lot man, that is great advice. The work/life balance will be a lot easier at SDSU than those other schools anyways. Plus, SD is one of the few conservative areas in California...political campaign opportunities galore.

Post: #71

(01-24-2016 04:33 PM)Prince of Persia Wrote:  

(01-24-2016 11:58 AM)scorpion Wrote:  At this point you finish your JD/MBA you will be sitting around 30-31 years old (that probably sounds very old to you now at 18, but trust me, it's not) and will have an Ivy League undergrad, military officer combat experience, a JD and an MBA and will have a network of personal contacts spanning through your fraternity days, the military and grad/law school. You will be supremely well-positioned in a way that very few people in the world could match at that age. And you will be entirely self-made. At that point you start to do what I suggested in my earlier post: utilize your network to get a job with a big law firm (you could also do finance or consulting with that resume) with the goal of gaining exposure to the big money power players. Your background alone would make you a very attractive candidate for a statewide office, which is a great jumping off point for a political career. With moneyed and well-connected backers supporting your candidacy, you could slide into a position as a state legislator in your mid 30's. After a few years of that gaining experience and connections at the state level, you might be able to swing an appointment to a state cabinet-level position. From there you're as well positioned as anyone to run for Governor, Senate or House seats.

Perhaps most importantly through all of this: keep your nose clean. It's very easy to fuck up your life by making bad decisions. Sometimes it only takes one bad decision to flush a lifetime of hard work down the toilet. Stay away from drugs, go easy on the alcohol, and choose the women you associate with very carefully. Also, master the art of staying in touch with old friends. Get in the habit of calling everyone you want to keep in touch with - which should be dozens - at least 2-3 times per year to catch up. At 18 you can't understand how easy it is to lose touch with your peers, but it's inevitable unless you work at it (and no, social media is not a substitute - you must actually call or even better have lunch with people to truly maintain a relationship).

Wow, thank you for taking the time to write that. The JD/MBA seems like a great path; I don't really see myself actually practicing law in the long run, and consulting may be better suited for my aspirations. That being said, it may be too early to start planning stuff like this, but which states do you think would be good picks to settle down in, considering that I'm a conservative yet largely secular Persian? As of right now I consider myself to be agnostic but I'll probably have to cater to the religious right aka convert to Christianity...although, a secular conservative could win over a lot of the Independent/Democrat vote, so maybe "being myself" couldn't hurt? So maybe a largely blue state could work to my advantage...

Here's a powerful argument in favor of a JD/MBA: It's EXTREMELY flexible.

Having a background in business law with an MBA will make you highly sought after for investment banking jobs and other M&A focused jobs(which are gateways to the "Mitt Romney" path to politics). It will also ideally equip you to go into biglaw advisory firms which are excellently connected and are a very common stepping stone into regional political office, which in turn leads you to national politics.

Also I'd advise being geographically flexible. It's very common for people to move to a less contested state to run for office...E.g. how Hillary Clinton hails from Arkansas but ran in New York for senate due to her connections in Manhattan.

Post: #72

(03-29-2016 11:02 PM)Prince of Persia Wrote:  

(03-29-2016 07:23 PM)Gyro Wrote:  

(03-25-2016 09:47 PM)Prince of Persia Wrote:  but I truly thought that I had a chance with my genuinely-held passions and dreams.

In the real world, outside your house, t almost nobody will give a shit about your "dreams" unless it overlaps with their own or provides them some sort of benefit. What you need to do from here on out, is PROVE that your passionate about what you want to do so that you EARN society's trust when gifted a position of power.

How do you do this? Extremely simple. Get involved in any way you can in spheres that cater around your passion. Take internships, join/lead clubs centered around that topic, do research with a leading faculty member....if you do these things you're set.

It'll probably be easier to stand out in SDSU anyway if you really apply yourself, and faculty/school will appreciate this (if you become successful, SDSU can boast about how you were educated there, and therefore get a higher rate of student enrollment which in turn increases their net revenues).

That is a great point. I guess I just have to get over my ego and the preconceived notions of "prestige" and "opportunities" being plentiful only at top schools. There are opportunities everywhere, and the political climate is changing as we speak. Ivy League-educated leaders with their polished 15-point plans have plagued this country, and Trump's rise signals a new age. It just sucks to work really hard for something and to then fall down flat on your face, but that's just life. Maybe this is a blessing in disguise.

Also take the advice given. There's very little stopping you from transferring to a top-tier school. Even if you don't a well known, regional private school (aka Emory, Duke, or Georgetown) is more than good enough to get you into an Ivy League law school or MBA.

Keep up a 4.0 GPA and actively get involved in fraternities or other social clubs.

Post: #73

(03-30-2016 04:45 PM)Easy_C Wrote:  

(01-24-2016 04:33 PM)Prince of Persia Wrote:  

(01-24-2016 11:58 AM)scorpion Wrote:  At this point you finish your JD/MBA you will be sitting around 30-31 years old (that probably sounds very old to you now at 18, but trust me, it's not) and will have an Ivy League undergrad, military officer combat experience, a JD and an MBA and will have a network of personal contacts spanning through your fraternity days, the military and grad/law school. You will be supremely well-positioned in a way that very few people in the world could match at that age. And you will be entirely self-made. At that point you start to do what I suggested in my earlier post: utilize your network to get a job with a big law firm (you could also do finance or consulting with that resume) with the goal of gaining exposure to the big money power players. Your background alone would make you a very attractive candidate for a statewide office, which is a great jumping off point for a political career. With moneyed and well-connected backers supporting your candidacy, you could slide into a position as a state legislator in your mid 30's. After a few years of that gaining experience and connections at the state level, you might be able to swing an appointment to a state cabinet-level position. From there you're as well positioned as anyone to run for Governor, Senate or House seats.

Perhaps most importantly through all of this: keep your nose clean. It's very easy to fuck up your life by making bad decisions. Sometimes it only takes one bad decision to flush a lifetime of hard work down the toilet. Stay away from drugs, go easy on the alcohol, and choose the women you associate with very carefully. Also, master the art of staying in touch with old friends. Get in the habit of calling everyone you want to keep in touch with - which should be dozens - at least 2-3 times per year to catch up. At 18 you can't understand how easy it is to lose touch with your peers, but it's inevitable unless you work at it (and no, social media is not a substitute - you must actually call or even better have lunch with people to truly maintain a relationship).

Wow, thank you for taking the time to write that. The JD/MBA seems like a great path; I don't really see myself actually practicing law in the long run, and consulting may be better suited for my aspirations. That being said, it may be too early to start planning stuff like this, but which states do you think would be good picks to settle down in, considering that I'm a conservative yet largely secular Persian? As of right now I consider myself to be agnostic but I'll probably have to cater to the religious right aka convert to Christianity...although, a secular conservative could win over a lot of the Independent/Democrat vote, so maybe "being myself" couldn't hurt? So maybe a largely blue state could work to my advantage...

Here's a powerful argument in favor of a JD/MBA: It's EXTREMELY flexible.

Having a background in business law with an MBA will make you highly sought after for investment banking jobs and other M&A focused jobs(which are gateways to the "Mitt Romney" path to politics). It will also ideally equip you to go into biglaw advisory firms which are excellently connected and are a very common stepping stone into regional political office, which in turn leads you to national politics.

Also I'd advise being geographically flexible. It's very common for people to move to a less contested state to run for office...E.g. how Hillary Clinton hails from Arkansas but ran in New York for senate due to her connections in Manhattan.

The JD/MBA indeed sounds great. My math skills are a bit rough (only went up to Algebra II, although I'm doing pretty well in AP Statistics right now) so I'll try to fit in some math-heavy econ courses in college to test the waters for the MBA.

And yeah, I'm very flexible in terms of location. I'd be happy living in (almost) any state. I'm not too attached to CA and don't see myself living here; the South sounds especially nice. Thanks for the tips!

Post: #74

(03-30-2016 04:47 PM)Easy_C Wrote:  

(03-29-2016 11:02 PM)Prince of Persia Wrote:  

(03-29-2016 07:23 PM)Gyro Wrote:  

(03-25-2016 09:47 PM)Prince of Persia Wrote:  but I truly thought that I had a chance with my genuinely-held passions and dreams.

In the real world, outside your house, t almost nobody will give a shit about your "dreams" unless it overlaps with their own or provides them some sort of benefit. What you need to do from here on out, is PROVE that your passionate about what you want to do so that you EARN society's trust when gifted a position of power.

How do you do this? Extremely simple. Get involved in any way you can in spheres that cater around your passion. Take internships, join/lead clubs centered around that topic, do research with a leading faculty member....if you do these things you're set.

It'll probably be easier to stand out in SDSU anyway if you really apply yourself, and faculty/school will appreciate this (if you become successful, SDSU can boast about how you were educated there, and therefore get a higher rate of student enrollment which in turn increases their net revenues).

That is a great point. I guess I just have to get over my ego and the preconceived notions of "prestige" and "opportunities" being plentiful only at top schools. There are opportunities everywhere, and the political climate is changing as we speak. Ivy League-educated leaders with their polished 15-point plans have plagued this country, and Trump's rise signals a new age. It just sucks to work really hard for something and to then fall down flat on your face, but that's just life. Maybe this is a blessing in disguise.

Also take the advice given. There's very little stopping you from transferring to a top-tier school. Even if you don't a well known, regional private school (aka Emory, Duke, or Georgetown) is more than good enough to get you into an Ivy League law school or MBA.

Keep up a 4.0 GPA and actively get involved in fraternities or other social clubs.

It's actually surprising that some top tier schools have higher acceptance rates for transfer than they do for freshman admission. If I had known how much easier this back-door way was than I would have relaxed a lot more in high school haha. I'll start putting together a rough list of schools I'm interested in this summer to make sure I hit all the transfer requirements. Do you think I should try to transfer after the first year or second (it's more customary to transfer as a junior)?

Post: #75

Don't relax. It just might mean that GPA/test scores aren't your problem. You need to be able to clearly articulate both the benefits you see in an ivy league education(they want to know that you understand, and that understanding marks you as upwardly mobile) and the benefits that you bring to the program.

Incidentally if you can find ANY hispanic, native american, or other such genetics in your family lineage it may help you exponentially.