<p>Um- is there anything about this kids profile which suggests that he’s looking at Sloan or Wharton? Did you read the part about the GPA?</p>
<p>OP- your kid sounds like a terrific, hard-working guy. I would not let his math aversion steer him away from a business degree. He’s not targeting Wharton or any of the uber quant business programs anyway. And the fact that his boss says that he’s a quick study means that he can probably squeeze his way through the not terribly quantitative requirements of a business degree in marketing or organizational development or any of the other “soft” business disciplines.</p>
<p>My son did poorly in most of his college maths. He got a “D” in college algebra which was the class before “applied calculus” which I guess was the easier calc. I let him take calc instead of retaking coll algebra, since the D would still transfer and he hadn’t applied himself. He thought he could do Calc if he actually tried and would get a tutor if he had to. He dropped it twice.</p>
<p>He really wants to own his own store and does have a small website, so he wanted a business degree. One of our state schools, the nearby one, is accredited by the AACSB and requires calculus, Widener University, also has AACSB and requires it. A smaller state University that does NOT have a special business accreditation does NOT require it. Rider University does have the AACSB (for accounting only) and I don’t think they require calc, but they do require statistics 1 and 2. I think the more highly regarded business programs will want calculus. Your son has to decide if he is willing to do the work. Maybe in the summer? Get a tutor from the start.</p>
<p>My son never did do calc. He didn’t want to commute 45 min to the school where he could major in business without it. We didn’t really consider sending him away because he also works full-time and has a girl friend, so he is happy at home. He chose to get his Associates in Business at the CC (no calc needed). He transferred to the closer University and was not eligible for the Business School w/o calc, so he found a Liberal Art program that suits him. They call it Liberal Studies and you can choose a humanities/social science or math/science. Instead of one concentrated major you take 2 program sequences. He was able to take business/criminal justice. It is sort of like a minor in 2 things. There are plenty of electives so he can take more business or CJ as he chooses. He doesn’t need Calculus! This was good for him because he can tailor it as he chooses and when he enrolled he still thought being in law enforcement was something he might like. They do require you to choose from 2 program sequences (A and B–you take one from each).</p>
<p>You might look into this for your son. I don’t know if many schools offer it as it is fairly new at the school here in NJ. My son had started the AS degree at the CC thinking thats what he wanted. You r son can pursue that, and if he ever finishes the math-great. If not, maybe there is something else he can transfer into. The advisor at CC did say that the business degree kids who can’t/won’t take calc often choose this major. I wish she’d have mentioned this option before he took several classes he didn’t need at the CC, thinking his only option was taking calc etc. I guess it worked out because he took some stuff that was probably a good choice. </p>
<p>Also, find out if a business MINOR requires calc. Maybe he could do that if they don’t have the type of program I described.</p>
<p>One last thing. I like the program because I’ve been told by several people that police depts just like to see a degree, that a crim justice degree doesn’t matter. Taking CJ as a major is more limiting if you don’t want to be in a police dept. This program offers him a background in more than just CJ. Or maybe a job in the business end of the police. </p>
<p>Your son may need at least College Algebra (maybe pre-calc) and/or Statistics for a business minor or sequence like mine did. It is a pre-req for MIS (management information systems) and may be for some class he would need.</p>
<p>Blossom, at the schools we looked at Calculus was a requirement to enter the School of Business, regardless of the major. I looked at Human Resources as one that might not need it, but no luck…Need it to be a “Business” major at these schools. S1 wanted Entrepreneurship, it would have been perfect, but it was not to be…(see above!) Hopefully he can find a couple classes in it that he wants to take, but he’s now a second semester junior and I don’t see much offered next fall in that category.</p>
<p>Hi everyone
I’m the OP. Thanks so much for your helpful comments. S certainly isn’t a candidate for any top-flight business school. I will be relieved if he finishes an AA and/or enough credits to transfer (and even more relieved and encouraged if he actually does transfer). time will tell, and hopefully he will sort it out. It is distressing, though, to have a kid who has no clear goals or career path.</p>
<p>I would have him for hospitality managment programs as others have suggested. There are some great ones out there. </p>
<p>Try to encourage him to just “tough out” the calculus in college. My D will be majoring in either accounting or finance and knows she has to take calc in college. She has already told us that will be her one “C” in college and we told her that is fine…</p>
<p>Rushed- I took remedial math before I started an MBA (it was a requirement) and for the first time in my life I had a phenomenal math teacher (an adjunct- they are usually so maligned) and got an A in calculus. I had been a math-phobe my entire life. You can tell your D that if she gets lucky she will LOVE calculus. I found it beautiful and poetic when taught by an expert! (since I was lousy in math in middle school and HS I always had the lousy teachers… which just reinforced how much I hated math!)</p>
<p>Some of the math that is common in business is incredibly fun and interesting. I hate math with a passion yet the top 3-4 courses I had in a long college career were all math related…</p>
<p>Operations Research
Human Decision Analysis
Statistics (grad level)</p>
<p>Lots of good advice on this thread. But as to whether his “math aversion” should steer him away from a business degree, I’ve got to agree with Blossom. It shouldn’t.</p>
<p>I have an MBA from a top b-school. While I had an econ/math background, MANY did not. That school (Stanford) had a nickname for those entering without a quantitative background (“poets”) and had numerous ways to accommodate their lesser preparation in math/econ and their lesser predilection for quantitative coursework (eg, a 2-3 week optional session for them prior to the first semester to buttress their math/econ background; _____ “for poets” sections of some courses etc.)</p>
<p>Surely there will be business major curricula at various schools that will work for him. Dig into the required/recommended coursework at schools he is considering and how they do (or do not) accommodate to those who are not quantitative.</p>
<p>Yes, he may have to take a certain number of accounting/econ/math courses in his first year (or two). But those do not have to be a large part of his credits. He doesn’t have to “ace” them, just get through them. Then he can focus on the aspects of a business degree which work for him. There are plenty.</p>
<p>Even though I had a quanitative background (and like it), I did very little quantitative coursework for my degree because that wasn’t my interest.</p>