<p>I just couldn't decide between which to decide; Cornell CAS Econ and CALS AEM.
I would like to major in finance and probably get a job in financial field after graduation, so I thought going to CALS and studying AEM would be more appropriate, but then again, I heard Cornell CAS Econ is better for jobs than CALS AEM... What should I do?</p>
<p>i heard CAS econ is a lot harder,</p>
<p>I'm in the same boat as you. I'm just going to go for CALS AEM or you could always just use the option of primary/alternate, since they are both economics.</p>
<p>If you want a job in the financial field I would go with AEM, because econ jobs are much more in academia. Again, you don't have to make a decision for some time, so take courses in both departments.</p>
<p>I'm in CAS and Transferring to AEM hopefully by this semester (spring 08). Who told you CAS is better for financial jobs? If you mean Accounting/Banking/Marketing AEM is probably better and much more applied than Economics.</p>
<p>you will have to take at least three econ courses for AEM anyways, so start with those and see what you like better.</p>
<p>If you want to work on Wall Street, you can do so with either major. You will not be at a disadvantage for being an Econ major precisely because it is more academic and more challenging. If you get a 3.9 in AEM, it's like "so what!." My mailmain's niece can probably get a 3.9 in AEM. But, a 3.9 in Econ would make you stand out. My roommate was an Econ major (didn't have a lot of related EC's) but did have the flashy 3.95 GPA. He got to the very last round of interviews with Goldman Sach's (I would know since I had to drive him to the airport at 4 AM in the morning at least 3 times). He didn't end up getting the GS job but he is working in consulting in Manhattan in a fairly cushy job. I visited him when I was in NYC for my Columbia and NYU interviews. He spent $1000 on a bed, bought a large LCD TV, and has an apartment in Manhattan with a view of the Statue of Liberty. Must be getting paid well.</p>
<p>same boat here. i did CAS econ coz i really want a liberal artsy education. i put AEM as an alternative.</p>
<p>AEM is more practical, hence it is called APPLIED economics. It also gives you training in other business skills such as marketing, management and accounting, etc. The reputation of the program is that it's relatively easier to get good grades and the competition is not as tough. But then again depends on what kind of electives you take. An AEM student can also use the electives to round out one's education and make it as intellectual and rich as any liberal arts education can offered and hence, get the best of both worlds.
CAS econ is more of a traditional liberal arts training. More theoretical, academic and perhaps intellectually oriented. There is a lot more math involved, and math at Cornell is not easy.
If you do well in both, you will have equal chance at getting jobs in Wall Street. Most finance and consulting firms view an Econ degree from the Ivy League the same as any business degree from anywhere. The only business degree that has an edge is a Wharton degree. Even so, lots of Penn CAS Econ graduates get tapped into finance and consulting jobs.
With graduate schools, I think a liberal arts degree will be more favorably viewed by the MBA schools. One will have to have a good reason to convince the MBA adcom why you want to repeat some of the trainings when you already got them in your undergraduate business schools. However if you can bring to the MBA program experiences and skill sets that the class can benefit from, you will be welcome.
With all that said, one important point need to be considered, the AEM program is a lot harder to get in because of the smaller class size and the popularity of the program. If you are a NY resident, it is also much cheaper.
When making a choice of your educational path, I think one also need to realize that there is a great possibility that the present generation will experience a change of career path at least two to five times. So an education that can provide the most flexible skill sets will be most desirable.</p>
<p>erm, both CAS Econ and CALS AEM are a joke. If you want a finance (ibanking more specifically) job with either majors 3.8+ is a must, but this isnt very hard because
a) if you do CAS Econ, there are only 8 courses required so you can use "fluff" courses to up your cumulative GPA
b) AEM courses are pretty easy if you have half a brain</p>
<p>Well I just decided to go to AEM, not because its courses are easier but because I think it is more appropriate and my essay was written more appropriate towards AEM.</p>
<p>Wow NorcalGuy solid advice.</p>
<p>That's fine Tomahawk. You'll just have to find a way to separate yourself other than grades since most AEM majors are going to be sporting high GPA's.</p>
<p>I decided to go do econ and not AEM. Ultimately, they will probably get you the same job, but econ majors generally stand out more among job applicants because econ is more theoretical/mathematical. I definitely plan on taking a few AEM courses though because AEM certainly has more "practical" courses when it comes to jobs, but personally I find the economics much more interesting.</p>
<p>I just got into AEM this morning and I have to defend it... for those of you saying that its too easy, and anyone could get a 3.8, you're probably a frustrated engineer who is working 3 times as hard (props to you) getting half the grades and will end up in business/business school anyways. AEM classes are not as easy as you think. I will agree they are probably one of the easiest at Cornell (with communication, apparel design, apparel and textile management, PAM, hotel and a bunch of other majors giving AEM a run for its money) . The median grades in 220 was around a B-, and 221's average was about an 80 something. you may say thats b/c AEM students are stupid, but that would be a weak argument, and it still disproves that most AEM students have really high GPAs. another thing, you definitely don't have to have a 3.8+ to get an ibanking job... those banks recruit heavily out of AEM and the Hotel school.
I don't know this for sure, But with classes like Financial accounting, Managerial Accounting, Finance, Management Strategy, Emerging Markets, Investments, Derivatives and Risk Management, Valuation of Capital Investments, International Finance, Securities Trading and Market Making, and a ton of others, I would much rather hire this kid over an 8 class Econ major...</p>
<p>how competitive would you say the summer internships are for the wall street company's positions posted on cornelltrak?</p>
<p>yea, aem is definitely not as easy as some make it out to be. then again, i don't think you'll have anyone arguing that its cornell's most difficult major either. but that doesn't make it "easy."</p>
<p>I think what they're saying is that AEM is "relatively" easy when compared to the other sciences at Cornell.</p>
<p>I understand that in AEM you get a lot more finance background then in the regular econ. However, one could argue that the purpose of college isn't solely to educate an individual but also make them "think" on their own feet. In other words, it is to increase an individual's aptitude, not just rote knowledge. In this sense, a rigorous and quantitative background in econ. might better prepare a student to think on his own feet then making him memorize more financial jargon. So in that sense, CAS Econ might work better than CALS AEM.</p>
<p>From all that I've read, it appears that economics majors stand out more for jobs than business majors. Econ programs are generally considered more difficult so they stand out a bit more. This is Cornell though so I wouldn't worry too much about which will set you up better for a job. AEM majors and econ majors both do well in job placement from Cornell. Do what you want. I'm doing econ because I like the theory and stuff. An economics course and a finance/business course are very different. There is some overlap between econ and business, but they are overall very separate disciplines. Think of it like the difference between chemistry and physics. Some overlap, but overall you learn a lot of different stuff.</p>
<p>kotchian123 I agree with you, and That's why a lot of engineers eventually do well in business. because they learned "problem solving" and whatnot. I'm also not saying one is better than the other, and I like how the poster b4 me put it, they are very different. Econ is really interesting... I loved my econ 101 class and I'm sure there is way more to it than Econ 101 and the other intro classes AEM kids have to take. Wish I had the time to do both (or that Cornell even allowed it, because they don't have a double major option that includes AEM and anything Arts and Sciences.)</p>
<p>Econ is sort of a more traditional discipline while AEM is more applied (hence its title)</p>
<p>And I may be wrong, but I still think that if you want to go into Ibanking/Financial Services then AEM is probably better Although you can easily get those jobs with both majors... heck you can get those jobs with an English or history major if you are lucky (met someone who was one of those majors and was working for JPMorgan.)</p>
<p>I said it also, AEM is in the top "easy" majors at cornell, but I don't think most AEM kids have really high GPAs (although I don't have hard numbers on this) or that you need a 3.8 to get a job.. it's Cornell people</p>
<p>one last thing, Goldman Sachs is in the top ten employers for recent Cornell graduates (including another 5 or 6 banks), so getting to their final rounds of interview is not such a big deal for an econ.... or AEM major (well individually it obviously is a big deal for those who get the job.)</p>
<p>The fact that GS is one of the top employers of Cornell grads is not surprising. The most common career tracks are medicine, law, engineering, and business. Medicine and law lead to grad school. Graduates of hotel, engineering, AEM, and econ majors all funnel into Wall Street. Not surprisingly, most of the top employers are banks. Teach for America is also one of the top ten employers and Cornell only sends around 30 kids (less than 1% of the graduating class). </p>
<p>The question to ask is: How many Cornellians is GS actually hiring versus how many are applying?</p>