I am currently a freshman and finance major, but I have found it difficult to major in something I don’t enjoy and am considering switching to a history major and double minoring in business and finance due to already completing required courses for those minors on my path to a finance degree. My question is, will the odds of me getting into an MBA program be significantly reduced if I have a history degree? Also, if you’ve been sponsored by a company for your MBA, will my odds to be sponsored be greatly reduced as well? I’m not talking a Harvard MBA program, but I’m also not talking Phoenix University Online.
No, it won’t.
If you major in something you enjoy such as history, and you excel in it, that will look better than being a mediocre student in finance. Business schools will look positively upon leadership roles, and excelling in your chosen fields. They also usually prefer candidates who have work experience after college, and with some advancement if possible – that is what you should focus on.
I wouldn’t count on being sponsored for an MBA in this economic climate, unless you (possibly) have advanced to significant role in a large® company known for doing so currently. Still, I’d suggest doing well in your proposed major / minor, and gaining successful employment en route to the MBA.
Read through the posts here–the most important factors in getting into a top MBA program–work experience at least three years, GPA (as high as possible) and GMAT score (again–the higher the better). This would apply to the top 25 schools at least. Your major doesn’t really matter. However, many MBA students have majored in economics or in technical fields but there are also a fair number who majored in humanities or social sciences.
It won’t harm your chances a bit. I’ll caution you - if you find the undergrad work boring and enjoyable, the grad level stuff won’t interest you either. How about a Master’s in Econ?
What do you want to study in grad school? You should stay away from finance. The advice in the post above is spot on.