<p>I like business and science. For science, I like engineering. I have it down to either mechanical or biomedical engineering, but I don't know which I want to do and don't really want to have to pick (is there a way to do both somehow)? I want to ultimately go to wall street and go into the business of/investments in biomedical companies in particular (but maybe not ONLY them). And I hope to start my own biomed company someday... However I do NOT want to spend my life in a lab or anything... I want to ultimately be in BUSINESS, however I keep hearing that an undergraduate degree in business is worthless. </p>
<p>I am in french IV in High school and I want to ultimately become fluent in french. AND I want to make myself a lot more coherent with computers so I would like to take computer science classes. (How do I get the option to work for a computer science type company later on but not major in C.S.?) So how can I incorporate all of these things in my college years? I.E. </p>
<p>What could be my major/minor combination to incorparate these things? I'm thinking maybe engineering major and finance minor, but that leaves out the other stuff... and I don't know if those things will be that helpful or not. I will be honest here, when I get out of college, I want to make a lot of money.</p>
<p>French and computer sci don't have to be maj/minor - can i just take the classes? Though it would be quite nice to receive some kind of "credit" for them- or at least computer sci- if I want to have the option of getting a computer sci job later on.<br>
I don't want to be TOO busy though! </p>
<p>And any suggestions for colleges (top 50 USWR schools) that have what I am looking for?</p>
<p>I really appreciate any help/advice you can offer!</p>
<p>my average is about 90.8%, which is about top 18% (we don't rank tho) we don't do gpa on the 4.0 scale but i think it would be around a 3.7. I go to a REALLY competitive, (ranked top 5 in the country) private high school. I took SAT once and got 620 CR, 740 M, 790 W but hopefully with another try I'll boost that critical reading. Also 760 math IIC. I'm a junior. Notable classes are bio I freshman year and Algebra I freshman yr, then both geometry and algebra II soph, then honors precalc. junior year and that just ended so junior year I'm in BC calc all of a sudden (about a 91% avg in it) and I do chemistry accel this year. Next yr. I'll be in BC calc (it goes for 1.33 school yrs at my school), AP bio, physics accel, english and french. </p>
<p>For college type I am looking for something close to or in a city (NOT rural), middle to large size (about 5000+), and preferably in the north east. I would need a lot of financial aid</p>
<p>Do you have any suggestions on how I can somehow combine business and engineering (2 degrees, double major, major/minor), and do you think this would be a smart move? Would it open up a lot of career options and potential to succeed later on?</p>
<p>Sounds like you attend one of the TSAO schools. If that's the case, being ranked among the top 20% is an accomplishment. Try to raise that SAT CR while keeping the other two sections over 750 and you will have a shot at some top schools. You really have a lot of options. The wealthier privates will most likely meet your need, and the better publics will give you merit aid. Some schools worth considering:</p>
<p>Carnegie Mellon University
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
University of Pennsylvania</p>
<p>If you are flexible with Business and are willing to settle for Econ, a few more schools present themselves:</p>
<p>Columbia University
Harvard University
Northwestern University
Princeton University</p>
<p>Alexandre thank you for that list, that is very helpful. As a side question, how much emphasis do schools like MIT and Penn place on research? I am going to do a project or two this summer. How might I present this to them on an application?</p>
<p>A LAC is a Liberal Arts College. Generally speaking, if you are interested in Engineering and/or Business, LACs aren't the best possible option. </p>
<p>Research is always a plus, if it is pertinent. You can always attached a note about your research, perhaps along with your findings, reports and, you could have the researcher your worked with send a recommendation separately.</p>
<p>i would recommend claremont mckenna. they have a joint program with harvey mudd college(if you aren't familiar they're amazing for sciences on par with schoos like Cal Tech & MIT), where basically you major in a social science and a science. They also have full tuition scholarships for students entering that joint program, which is based on merit I believe.</p>
<p>Basically you double major, econ and engineering. check out the link below Economics</a> Engineering</p>
<p>I also heard or read somewhere that about half of the students at CMC pursue double majors or a dual major, you should really check it out. CMC is known best known for econ, and with the harvey mudd joint program how can you lose? CMC also has a foreign language requirement, which you may be able to pursue your french interests there.</p>
<p>The only thing that may be a downer is that it's located in Cali, which is not northeast, but it's definitely a good option. It's 40 minutes from LA, so it's definitely not rural. CLaremont McKenna is also one of the few schools in the nation that guarantee to meet 100 percent of your need, and they have also eliminated student loans in their students' financial aid package replaced with more scholarships/grant money.</p>
<p>Another school to take into Consideration is Swarthmore College. They're in Pennsylvania, and is one of the few liberal art colleges that offer engineering as a major. They also have a strong econ program.</p>
<p>IMO, focus on an engineering degree while taking some economics/French courses as electives. Work for a few years and then pursue an MBA.</p>
<p>
[quote]
I want to ultimately be in BUSINESS, however I keep hearing that an undergraduate degree in business is worthless.
[/quote]
It's not worthless but if you double major in engineering and business, you aren't going to see much reward for your time investment. Employers look for students that have technical skills or business skills (especially for entry-level jobs out of college)...it's definitely nice to have both skill sets, but an employer is not likely to pay you more because you have a business double major.</p>
<p>
[quote]
I want to ultimately go to wall street...I want to make a lot of money.
[/quote]
Aim for MIT, Duke, and Penn. UMich's Ross business school is also well recruited by Wall Street and would be less selective than the other three I mention.</p>
<p>thank you. What's the difference in my chances of being recruited to Wall street if I am an engineering major versus a finance/econ major? I know they take many more finance majors! So would it not make sense to not do finance/econ because engineering would lower my chances to get there? Because studying engineering wouldn't really help me prepare for a finance job very well? is this a problem at all?</p>
<p>
[quote]
What's the difference in my chances of being recruited to Wall street if I am an engineering major versus a finance/econ major?
[/quote]
Maybe less...I'm not really sure...it depends on what the employer is looking for. However, I do know that engineering majors are recruited by financial firms because engineering majors have strong analytical skills...majoring in engineering could differentiate you as a job applicant vs. the thousands of econ/finance majors looking for those jobs as well.</p>
<p>IMO, if you're interested in technology/science/engineering, you might as well study science/engineering for undergrad. You can always shoot for an MBA to get the business/finance skills. I believe it's harder for an econ/finance major to go back for an advanced technical degree.</p>
<p>Coming from the science/engineering side of things, I'd concur with those who say to get the undergrad engineering degree and then later get an MBA. I've had a number of coworkers who have done exactly this. It's worked out very well for them: they're valued for their technical background.</p>