Best Undergraduate Degree to be competitive for top MBA Programs

Graduate School Business School - MBA
1

<p>I am an upcoming sophomore at a top 20 university, and I have finally discovered that business is my calling after a short stint thinking that I would go to med-school. That being said, I want to know if my current majors and minors will allow me to be competitive for a consulting/IB/other high level post-undergrad job that will then allow me to get into a top MBA program.</p>

<p>Right now, I am planning to be a chemistry/economics double major with a Spanish minor. I like chemistry a lot and it will show that I have the quantitative and analytical skills necessary for a consulting/IB type job after college. Economics will give me more of the soft science, practical skills for business, and my Spanish minor will allow me to be valuable to consulting or multinational companies that deal in Latin America.</p>

<p>I just want some opinions on how this type of undergraduate education will prepare to compete for consulting/IB/other jobs that will allow me to then get into top MBA programs. Are there many chemistry majors that go into business? Would it be better to do math or engineering (it's probably too late for me to switch)?</p>

2

<p>As mentioned in numerous threads (not intended as a slight), undergrad major is probably the least important factor in admsissions. Work experience, GMAT score, and undergrad GPA are far more important, generally in that order. What is important as un undergrad, is to excel at whatever major you choose; it is no use struggling through an accounting or engineering major only because you think that will make you more attractive to admissions committees.</p>

<p>That said, the less work experience you have post-grad, the more important your undergrad record becomes. Consistent with much of the literature I’ve read, business schools, at the least, want to see some evidence of quantitative ability and some basic exposure to fundamental course content covered in MBA curriculums (i.e. statistics/quantitative methods, microeconomics).</p>