From the green to investment banking: A 3/2 MBA put her on the career fairway

Morgan Dabagia, 3/2 MBA’25, came to Indiana University to compete on the Women’s Varsity Golf Team and earn a top-tier education from the Kelley School. Basically “stuck inside the student-athlete bubble” for her first two years, she missed out on the Workshops and other programs that deepen students’ understanding of potential career paths—but this changed in a big way when she participated in Honors I-Core her junior year. She discovered investment banking and Kelley’s 3/2 MBA program, where students begin their MBA their senior year so they can graduate with a bachelor’s and MBA in just five years.   

“I entered the 3/2 MBA program with no internship experience, no clear path forward, minimal experience with networking, and low levels of involvement at Kelley,” Morgan said. “I graduated from the program two years later having had two internships, two graduate assistantships, two community consulting projects, exponential growth in my network, a full-time job, and a level of preparedness I never could have expected.” 

Why did you choose Kelley’s 3/2 MBA for accounting and finance?

When I was a freshman, I chose to pursue a business management major. For me, it was another way of saying, “I have no idea what I want to do for a living.” During the Honors I-Core semester my junior year, however, I met a lot of people in what I later learned was the Investment Banking Workshop and decided this was a career for me—but my timing was off. I needed an extra year of school to recruit for investment banking positions. I also needed to change my major to finance and/or accounting (I majored in both).  

My “Why 3/2 MBA” answer would change drastically after just a few interactions with Dave Greene, clinical professor in accounting, and Mollie DeBrunner, 3/2 MBA alumna and graduate assistant when I began the program. I saw the opportunity to transform from undergrad to graduate student and from graduate student to professional. And I leaned into it.   

What was your favorite part of the 3/2 MBA program? 

It’s two-fold: the experiential learning opportunities and my graduate assistantship. Throughout the program, I had the ability to complete consulting projects for both Huntingburg Airport in Dubois County and Monroe County Airport. These were some of the most fun and rewarding projects I have ever done. Not only was I impacting the community, but I was also gaining invaluable field experience where I could apply my classroom skills to real-world problems. I would be remiss to not include my graduate assistantship for Dave Greene as one of my favorite parts of the program. Through this GA appointment, I have been able to help teach several courses over the past two years. I feel lucky to have had such a substantial interaction with up-and-coming students in the program and have enjoyed the mentorship piece the most.  

What are your plans after graduation? 

I’m an incoming investment banking analyst in the Biopharma M&A group at Jefferies in its Chicago office. I will be working directly for Chris Roop, who earned his Kelley 3/2 MBA in 2002.   

What advice would you give students considering the 3/2 MBA program? 

The most common piece of advice I give to students entering the program is to really lean into the transformation process and accept the difference between the graduate and undergraduate mindset. I have watched three classes grow throughout different stages of the program, and I am consistently impressed with the level of growth and development achieved by those who embrace the change. 

I think the difference between the graduate and undergraduate mindset can be summed up by learning to treat the program like a job, your professors like your bosses, and your classmates like your coworkers. Expectations of you are higher, so the growth process will be less strenuous if you raise the bar for yourself. Most importantly, enjoy your time in the program and take advantage of all the resources at your disposal! Enrolling in the 3/2 MBA will likely be one of the best decisions you have made to date.  

Interested in the 3/2 MBA? Kelley undergraduates majoring in accounting or finance can apply to the 3/2 MBA program as early as their sophomore year. If interested, talk with an advisor to ensure you can complete your MBA prerequisites in time to transition to the MBA program your senior year. Learn how to apply.