Cornel AEM vs CAS Economics?

<p>I just want to gain info on Cornell AEM vs CAS in Economics. I know that AEM is very competitive, i think more than CAS, but I just want to know some which one i should go for and why or vice versa. I am not sure that I am good enough for AEM since it says about only 14% get accepted.</p>

<p>I really love Cornell and would love to attend there. I want to apply ED, but am not sure of which school to apply at. I heard about the dual application, but it sounds like it may hinder your acceptance chance. </p>

<p>I also would like to go onto grad school after, and some say that it is better to be a liberal arts major than to be an undergrad business major?</p>

<p>I am thinking of applying to one of them, i just am not sure of which one. Please, I need some help, Thank you</p>

<p>If you want to go into business, I'd suggest Cornell AEM it places well on Wall Street, IB, etc. Econ. major is equally good just more quantitative and usually Econ. majors head of to MBAs/Law School/etc. Your chances are based upon how well you match up with the schools, if you have business related ECs, essays, recs, etc. then apply to AEM if you don't probably consider applying to CAS.</p>

<p>From many previous posts :)
<a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/1060793807-post3.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/1060793807-post3.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>*An "oldie but goodie"...this explains some of the history. By the way, this student was finally rejected from Wharton (he was deferred ED) and ended up attending Dartmouth... he should be entering his senior year by now. </p>

<p>Also...as ishmaelstrom said, it is the "traditional business program". I'd like to further clarify that statement - it is the only "AACSB Accredited" business program at Cornell, although there are other ways to study business. There are only two accredited business programs in the Ivy League - Wharton and AEM.* </p>

<p>
[quote]
AEM or economics?
Thread: AEM or economics?
12-19-2004, 12:01 PM #16
nagromis
Junior Member</p>

<p>Join Date: Aug 2004
Threads: 5
Posts: 100</p>

<p>BigJake: I’ve been reading your posts for a while now and I am impressed with how thorough your research is and how thoughtful your posts are. Personally, I am not comfortable telling a student where it’s best for them to apply, because I don’t think I can do so responsibly while only knowing them in sound bites from posts on this board. I am still keeping my fingers crossed for you that you get admitted into Wharton, because I know how much you like their program. I’m not advising you to apply to Economics in CAS or AEM in CALS, but it seems from the history of your posts that you are not entirely comfortable attending CALS. Choosing a college is all about fit; you have to decide where you would like to spend the next four years of you life. My advice to you would be to choose based on your comfort level, and it seems like you are most comfortable in CAS (Oops! I broke my own rule!) The answer to your question “If you're in AEM, is there any connection to the agriculture school...i know that there are a couple of required classes you have to take but, for the most part, is it two separate fields really?” As an AEM major you are matriculating in CALS… you are most defiantly an Aggie! It’s not two separate fields, it’s one major under the umbrella of a college that houses many majors, including Communications, which is not generally associated with agriculture either. </p>

<p>I’ll try to give you a little history about why business is in CALS. The acronym AEM is fairly new. The business program in CALS has gone through many transformations. I could write a tome on this, but CALS started as the NYS land grant college (Google- The Morrill Act, July 2, 1862). Farmers attended that College - since farming was a big business in those days, that's how business originated there. The first business program was called Agricultural Economics. Over time, the program grew and changed as the population changed. Today, you can still major in Agriculture Economics, but the major that you are inquiring about in AEM is strictly the Business major. As a side note, the College of Human Ecology used to be called the College of Home Economics. This was originally called the “Farmers’ Wives Reading Course” and was part of Ag until it became a separate college!</p>

<p>Back to AEM, one of the reasons why it has become so competitive to gain admission to is due to the accreditation. Contingent on accreditation, they had to lower the student/faculty ratio. I think I mentioned this to you in another post…this is the first year it was ranked in USNWR and coming in at #14 in undergraduate business programs is great for a first time ranking. It is also extremely popular because of its reputation as a strong program in terms of networking, recruiting and educationally. Wharton and AEM are the only two accredited undergraduate business programs in the Ivy League. I don’t know as much about Economics in CAS, but I’ve heard that they have excellent outcomes in terms of recruiting and graduate schools as well. Basically, students that want an “undergraduate business degree” would be interested in AEM, and students interested in business on a macro (broad) level might be more inclined to choose Economics. </p>

<p>On one of your posts, you asked about the flexibility of AEM. I mentioned in a previous post how many courses you can take in the endowed colleges, including CAS (up to 55 credits), so it’s flexible from that standpoint, but your interests seem extremely suited for CAS since you expressed an interest in studying history, political science, classics and foreign language. CAS is really a liberal arts college that is perfect for someone like you with a broad range of interests. On the flip side of that, I searched some of your other posts and noticed that you are doing science research and there is a strong science component in AEM as in every major in CALS. They might like to see your strong interest in science. </p>

<p>I think you should visit Cornell to get a feeling for these programs. Make appointments for the tour, plus info sessions for CALS and CAS. You might want to sit in on some classes. Perhaps you should call Cornell Careers Services to inquire about different career paths from each of the majors. </p>

<p>Hope this helps. You can’t make a bad choice. If you’re not happy, once there you can apply for an internal transfer. Hopefully you'll be accepted to your first choice college, so this won't matter in the long run!

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<p>I think CAS and AEM are about equal is acceptance rates, certainly not drastically different. I'm a current economics major in CAS. Economics and AEM are fairly different programs. Economics is economics and AEM is business. Business and economics are pretty different areas of study. Not that I can say first-hand, but I think a pretty fair analogy would be economics is to AEM as physics is to applied engineering physics (that may or may not help you). Economics is more theoretical, teaching how businesses interact in an economy while business teaches you how to manage and run a business (Yes, that is very gross over-simplification). Economics and business do have some overlap, but overall, you'll be getting a pretty different learning experience. </p>

<p>Just keep in mind that CAS emphasizes a more diverse education. With economics, given there is only an 8 course requirement, you will likely double major, or have a minor. I would look at the Cornell Courses of Study (<a href="http://www.cornell.edu/academics/docs/course-of-study-2008-09.pdf)%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.cornell.edu/academics/docs/course-of-study-2008-09.pdf)&lt;/a>. Look at the different requirements for each college and read a few descriptions of AEM and economics courses to see what interests you more. If graduate school is something you are serious about, economics is probably a better choice, but what's more important is making sure you are in the program which interests you. Also keep in mind that economics is generally considered more difficult than AEM.</p>

<p>how about ILR? an ILR with an unofficial AEM minor would work wonderfully :)</p>