Lost And Need Advice

Hi. 

I really need some advice regarding my situation and would appreciate any insight. I'm 21 so tell me if I'm being delusional lol. I'm based in the UK so would appreciate UK-specific guidance.

I did terribly in my A-Levels and ended up at a complete non-target university, so unsurprisingly I was constantly rejected for internships and was rejected from countless graduate roles. I graduated with a first class degree in economics, although this doesn't mean much since it was from a really low ranking university. I did manage to get on an accounting/tax graduate scheme and I'm currently in my first year of the graduate scheme where I've been completing the ACA as part of my role. 

I have received an offer for Imperial's MSc Economics and Strategy for Business programme and although this may not be the most elite programme out there, I'm really pleased that I've got an offer since it is a trillion times better than the terrible undergraduate university I went to. 

My long term goal is to get into IB in the US after having completed a M7 MBA as a post-MBA associate. Obviously I'm not going to get into Harvard/Stanford/Wharton, but that's okay since as long as I get into Columbia (which is known for it's IB post-MBA placements), that's more than enough. Obviously Columbia would still be a challenge to get into, but as long as my overall application is good I should have a chance. I'm currently in a competitive grad role that pays over £43k at a global advisory firm. I've got a first class econ degree albeit from a low-ranked uni, and have great extra-curriculars so as long as my GMAT is competitive and I have a good story to tell in my MBA applications and interviews, I should hopefully have a chance at the lower M7 schools. I'll also apply to NYU since it also has a decent IB placement, but if I don't get into any of the M7s or NYU I'm not going to bother with an MBA. As an international applicant (which I would be since I'm British), only a limited amount of banks would sponsor so I would have to go to the most prestigious MBA programmes to increase my chances of getting offers.

As for the visa situation - I believe if you choose the STEM option you get 3 years to get lucky in the visa lottery, but even if I didn't get a visa the bank would just send me to their London office.

Although IB is one of the post-MBA careers that is experience agnostic, it is preferable to have relevant skills especially if the job market is extra competitive. I'm currently in a decent role in my ACA grad scheme and have some deal exposure, but I would like to get a role in corporate finance or consulting which would give me an insightful experience and would also provide decent pre-MBA work experience. The ACA is irrelevant in the US and having an accounting background may hold me back in my MBA applications when I'm up against applicants from more prestigious sectors.

I'm basically in a situation where I want make the optimal decision to benefit my long term goal (M7 MBA) and short term goal (corporate finance/consulting roles) and I feel the Imperial Master's will help satisfy both goals since it will look a lot better on my MBA applications over my complete non-target undergraduate university, and it has a high placement in consulting/corporate finance. The biggest problem I had in applying for roles during my undergrad was being constantly auto-rejected because I was at a shit non-target uni, and having an Imperial Master's should help overcome that to a certain extent.

In the worse case scenario where I don't get the offers I want after the Imperial Master's, I can always just get onto another training contract/ACA grad scheme since I already have 7 first time passes, and if people who fail exams still get onto new training contracts it should also be possible for me since I've passed everything first time so far. In this situation, I will still have the Imperial Master's which should help my MBA applications.

So basically my plan currently is:

Leave ACA grad scheme -> Imperial ESB Master's -> Consulting/Corporate finance role -> M7 MBA -> Post-MBA IB associate role 

Alternatively, I could also:

Try to transfer into a Big 4 role -> Qualify with ACA and try to transfer into boutique IB in London -> If unsuccessful do a MSc Finance at LSE and try again 

The second option would mean giving up on the US MBA plan.

I have passed all the ACA exams I've taken so far at the first attempt so in the worst case scenario where I don't get the offers I want during my Master's, I should be able to get another ACA graduate role/training contract and finish the ACA qualification.

Do you think my bad A-Levels will still hold me back when applying for boutique consulting firms/corporate finance firms/Big 4 transaction roles despite my first class undergraduate degree, my 1 year accounting/finance experience and the Imperial MSc ESB?

Is there a risk that the Imperial Master's programme doesn't boost my prospects at all due to my bad A-Levels, and that the Master's is just a costly way to make my CV look better over my non-target undergraduate university?

Thanks for your help. :)