<p>I am interested in the University of Illinois, I was wondering do I have to major in Econ or something like that to go to B school? I'm not really interested in banking but maybe consulting, I actually am interested in working as a film studio executive after b school. I am interested in history or psychology, but I'm concerned that I don't go to a target school, so I can't get into B school because I won't have the right work experience in banking or something. Or is there a right work experience? Please help me!</p>
<p>There is no “right” work experience for b-school. You can do just about anything, have any undergrad major. The b-schools, more so than any other grad school, are interested in your work experience.</p>
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<p>Hank Paulson majored in English in college, then got his MBA at Harvard. Then he became the Chairman and CEO of Goldman Sachs and then US Secretary of the Treasury. </p>
<p>George W. Bush majored in history in college, then got his MBA at Harvard. We all know what he later became.</p>
<p>Jeffrey Immelt majored in applied math, then got his MBA at Harvard. Now he’s CEO of General Electric. </p>
<p>Michael Bloomberg majored in electrical engineering, then got his MBA at Harvard. Now he’s the billionaire Mayor of New York. His daughter, Emma Bloomberg Frissora, majored in English & Medieval Literature and then got her MBA at Harvard.</p>
<p>John Thain majored in electrical engineering, then got his MBA at Harvard. Then he became CEO of Merrill Lynch.</p>
<p>yeah, but those guys all went to a top university, I’m going to a top state school but it is not in the caliber of all those universities. I know people from the U of I get in to Harvard Biz. But can I really be successful at my school like those guys, and not major in something financially related and on top of that get to where I want to be in life.</p>
<p>If you want to work in the entertainment business. Major in something that will allow you to work in the entertainment business, so you’ll have relevant WE for your bschool application essays.
After working a few years, apply. Instead of applying HBS, apply for UCLA or USC, those schools have stronger ties in the entertainment industry than HBS. IMO, HBS will open doors for Venture Capital, but won’t have a great advantage over other elite/near-elite like UCLA or USC for entertainment management.</p>
<p>I’m thinking about minoring in cinema studies, so I have that covered. Does working in a mail room at a film studio count as Work Experience?</p>
<p>only post undergrad WE counts. if you are working in a mail room, I wouldn’t put that on my resume. it doesn’t show very much leadership.</p>
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<p>Then let’s consult the class cards, shall we?</p>
<p>For current (class of 2010 or 2011) MBA students at Harvard Business School who completed undergrad degrees at UIUC, I have:</p>
<p>*A person who majored in mechanical engineering and then worked for GE Healthcare (in Milwaukee).</p>
<p>*A person who majored in EE, then got his MSEE from Berkeley, then worked for GE Healthcare in China (this person is Chinese). </p>
<p>*A person who majored in an unspecified engineering discipline then worked for Caterpillar in Indiana and Illinois.</p>
<p>*A person who majored in an unspecified engineering discipline then became a consultant at Bain, then joined a private equity firm.</p>
<p>*A person who majored in an unspecified engineering discipline, then became a high school science teacher in St. Louis, then became an engineer at Cummins. </p>
<p>{And, yes, there were a bunch of UIUC alumni who had majored in Economics or Finance.} </p>
<p>Hence, it is quite clear that a number of UIUC people who did not major in economics or finance were able to enter Harvard Business School.</p>
<p>wow, sakky, where did you get all this detailed information. I don’t think HBS publish data this specific, unless you’ve really studied their resume book.</p>
<p>thanks for the infor sakky!</p>
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<p>Or, even more importantly, private equity, of which HBS is king. Several major film studios, notably MGM and the Weinstein Company, are backed by private equity.</p>
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<p>Let’s just say that I have my sources.</p>
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From what I hear, want to confirm, is that if you have no PE experience, PE firms (excluding VC) pretty much only hire at HBS and Stanford. Even then, it’s difficult without prior experience, as PE firms are small and do not have time/resource to train you.</p>
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<p>And Wharton. </p>
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<p>That’s true: most new PE hires have investment banking or management consulting experience.</p>
<p>Are you guys saying that private equity is a way to break into the industry?</p>
<p>My main concern is how are we to get in IBd if we were political science majors and now want to get into finance? Surely a career change occurs everywhere but you can’t just wake up overnight and decide to do banking…would we have to take some new classes again? Obviously getting in as an IB associate requires previous exposure and knowledge of the finance sector, so is there any hope for social science grads who want to try a career change? (Plus there’s already insane amounts of competition with the already econ/finance majors out there, so how does a deviant get into this field after undergrad?)</p>
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Just the opposite. Most people regard HF and PE as their ultimate goals, definitely not an entry level career path.</p>
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<p>Odds are very low.</p>
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<p>As I stated in my previous post, former Goldman CEO and Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson majored in English as an undergrad. </p>
<p>The MBA degree is a well-established method to effect career change. I would estimate that 1/3 to 1/2 of all new IB associates fresh out of B-school had no finance experience prior to B-school, but were working as engineers, consultants, military officers, etc.</p>
<p>“I would estimate that 1/3 to 1/2 of all new IB associates fresh out of B-school had no finance experience prior to B-school, but were working as engineers, consultants, military officers, etc.”</p>
<p>See that’s the issue. How can a social science grad who has aspirations in IBd begin to work in consulting, engineering, when those firms strictly (and obviously) want people who majored in those disciplines? </p>
<p>If Paulson majored in English in undergrad then did his MBA that is totally understandable, but before his MBA how did he get the chance to do any sort of banking/consulting? That’s the problem…how can an English major break into the field of PE/IBd and have a good employable position to function with the work before the MBA?</p>
<p>My only guess is become proficient in Excel and some PC applications because you have nothing to offer before your MBA, and even after the MBA as you stated earlier, if one is a newly minted grad, most firms won’t hire the person since he/she doesn’t have any banking experience, ergo the individual would likely be in the same scenario as the English graduate after college.</p>
<p>Maybe get an internship in finance, thats a start. Join clubs that have to do with finance and show leadership in these clubs. Also, it helps to go to a target school, they get recruited for non-finance majors.</p>