<p>Hi, i am an entering freshman at Cornell U. I am in the Arts and Sciences school but my heart is in engineering. Due to policy issues... if I transfer to the school of engineering i would not be able to get a degree (minor) in Econ/Finance/business - a field that i also want to pursue. </p>
<p>Any and all suggestions are welcome!</p>
<p>hey, congrats. Cornell is a great school. I encourage you to be an engineer. The field is very rewarding. It will also prepare you very well for the real world. Right now, I'm a sophomore at the Cooper Union, NY and am a chemical engineer. I know of people who can practically do anything with their degree when they graduate from my school. A degree in engineering is hot (especially from an elite school like Cornell or Cooper). This means you can go into business or stick w/ engineering or persue medicine or do basically anything you want to do with your life. </p>
<p>The versatility and rigorous training that you will undergo as a engineer will make your profile extremely strong. Trust me, no one turns down a Cornell engineer. I think the question for you is, what kind of engineering should you do. I recommend either chemical or civil but those are my interests. As an prospective engineer why don't you take some intro courses? Take a course called engineering computing, or intro to civil engineering, or intro to ChemE or MechE - get your feet wet before you switch into engineering.</p>
<p>Also, business is inevitable as an engineer. Most engineers go back to school to get an MBA. My dad's friend got his degree in CHEM ENGIN. from UC Boulder and after 5 years of working, he went to MIT and got a joint degree in Masters/MBA program. </p>
<p>Hope this helps, I really encourage engineering. BUT BE PREPARED FOR A GRUESOME WORKLOAD. Your party days are going to be cut short and there will be days you wished you never transferred to engineering. But stick through and you will be rewarded very well. My cousin got a degree in economics at Cornell. </p>
<p>Her current job is great but she is stuck w/ business for the rest of her life. As an engineer from Cooper, I can do anything I want to when I graduate. Wall-street,medicine, you name it. I have the benefit she doesn't because my degree is versatile. Good luck kid. Hope this helps!</p>
<p>FYI: a joint major in mathematics and economics or math/comp. programming is equivalently powerful. However, those majors can't go into engineering (duh!) - they are more into investment analysis and working for companies like IBM, etc...</p>
<p>Hey, thanks for replying.</p>
<p>I have also heard that engineering majors get recruited to financial firms. </p>
<p>I never knew that you can go directly for an MBA without getting a BBA first. That's very interesting i'd have to look into it. </p>
<p>If i do go into engineering it will be quite intense and "cut-throat." I am fine with that, but is it ok if my GPA would become mediocre? IE will it compromise my chances of getting a good job after undergrad?</p>
<p>To get into a Good MBA school in the future, you need 2 things:</p>
<p>1) a degree in anything (B.S. or B.A. or any other degree from an accredited college)</p>
<p>2) 3 to 5 years of work experience</p>
<p>You don't just get an engineering degree and hop into Harvard business school to get your MBA. </p>
<p>As Cornell grad, you can work for a few years after getting your B.S. in engineering. </p>
<p>The people who recruit you after graduate don't typically care about your GPA. As long as you didn't pass with the skin of your teeth w/ a 2.0, you'll be fine job wise. </p>
<p>However, grad schools care a lot about your GPA. Especially if you want to get an MBA in the future or something big - don't compromise your GPA.</p>
<p>As far as GPA is concerned, definitely, stay 3.0+</p>
<p>I know this sounds easy but a lot of people struggle to keep their GPA at 3.0 or above in engineering (especially at a tough place like Cornell). I would personally encourage you to have a 3.4 by the time you graduate. That would be nice. </p>
<p>Your first year, aim for a 3.3 GPA. That's a good goal. Don't psyche your self w/ a 4.0 GPA. This isn't some silly major anymore, an engineering major is serious.</p>
<p>Cornell engineering is especially difficult and is one of the few colleges at Cornell known for grade deflation. Getting a 3.0 is very respectable. There are certain minors in engineers related to business and cost optimization that you may want to look into since you seem interested in economics. One is a minor in Engineering Management offered by the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering. The other is a minor in Operations Research and Management Science from the School of Operatons Research and Industrial Engineering. I'll warn you of two things: Cornell Engineering will not hold your hand and if you want something it'll be there but you'll have to get it yourself, and if you're in ORIE major all the other engineers will make fun you behind your back.</p>
<p>capedcrusader,</p>
<p>The problem is, like i stated, is that Cornell doesn't recognize the concept of minors. So, if i major in Economics i can only take classes in ORIE or Engineering management but not gain a diploma from those fields!</p>
<p>Is Arts and Sciences another school within Cornell that practices grade deflation?</p>
<p>I'm sorry, I misunderstood what you meant by your first post. I got the impression that you intended on transfering into Engineering and still wanted to pursue something in economics or business. As for grades in the College of Arts and Science it really depends on what school you take classes from. You'll have to find someone actually in that particular College to help you with that one.</p>
<p>Cornell engineering is hard. But Cooper's engineering is probably harder. Same w/ Cal-tech and MIT. So don't feel too bad. You'll do fine if you just study and go to class.</p>