Hey guys,
CollegeConfidential gave me some really good information back when I was in high school, and now I’d like to give back to the community.
I’m currently a sophomore in Dyson (Applied Economics Management), which is now merging into the Cornell Business School. Feel free to ask me anything about Dyson, extracurriculars, or Cornell in general.
Look forward to answering your questions!
Hi, thanks for offering this thread!
I was wondering if internal transfers are hard, I’m not sure between two majors (PAM or Operations Research) and these two belong in different schools. Dyson is also part of the considerations. Will I be able to still graduate in 4 years if I decide the transfer within freshman year?
Hi, I was just wondering about the culture at Dyson- what is the main focus or vibe in terms of career choice? Do you find an even spread of students pursuing entrepreneurship, management consulting, investment banking etc. or is it focused in one specific area?
kbj5332- So PAM is in HumEc and Operations Research is in CoE. If you started your freshman year out in Dyson, you would pretty easily be able to switch to PAM after your first semester, with some planning on your intro courses. Engineering will be more difficult, because the intro requirements are specific to engineering. However, if you decide early enough that you want to transfer(by your second semester), you can take general university reqs your first semester.
blu5959- My personal experience has been that a lot more people want to do investment banking. However, the entrepreneurship culture is definitely present and growing, especially with the new E-Lab opening this semester. Management Consulting is also there, though less people want to do that.
Hi darktoform31, thanks for replying!
And how hard would it be for a PAM major to change to Dyson or Engineering?
My interests are very similar for all PAM, Applied Econ, and Industrial Engineering, but I think I’m applying as PAM for CoE. Transfers will not be impossible right?
Also, what do you think are the advantages of a Dyson, Applied Econ major? Does it make you stand out?
kbj5332- Pretty difficult. I believe Dyson is the hardest major to transfer into at Cornell. As for Engineering, like I mentioned before, many of the prereqs for engineering (sequenced math+engineering+science courses) are different than what you would take as a PAM major your freshman year. Though if you decide early enough, maybe you and your advisor could work something out.
Sounds like you are a lot like me, I was very interested in policy, economics, and OR as well. Transferring from Dyson is not as hard, but transferring into Dyson, and to an extent the engineering school, is more complicated, but not impossible.
Depends on what you want to do. If you are trying to break into high finance, investment banking, consulting, etc… Dyson will give you an advantage over the other majors here for sure. There are a lot of inclusive events held specifically for Dyson students, though I’m not sure how the new business school will change things.
I was wondering about accounting. My son is in high school and may want to go into the accounting field. I was wondering if Cornell Business School really had an accounting major. Also, I told my son that although an IVY education is great, it will not really do him a lot of good when it comes to salary. For example, the big 4 accounting firms start their new hires in the 62-68k range. That goes for a student going to Wharton, Cornell, Binghamton, Albany, Ithaca etc. Accounting is a great field, but the salaries are pretty much set in stone. That said, as a parent, I have to weigh the pro’s and cons cost wise. It may be better to go to a good state school such as Bing and get the same job.
Now, investment banking, that is another animal. Wall street firms want the ivy grads and the nyu, stanford, duke, mit grads. That is a no brainer, but I was wondering what your honest thoughts were on accounting.
In the end, is it really worth it to spend 65k per yr for an accounting degree as opposed to 25k per year at a great suny school or a great cuny school like Baruch.
Thanks so much
respond to my pm?
@euve69 interesting question. I guess this really depends on if he is dead set on accounting. If he is, you are right, accounting is a good field but salaries are usually set. However, there’s a few things you may want to keep in mind. The Big 4 accounting firms are also very selective, and I’m not so sure that a student going to Bing or the other places you mentioned will be on the same level as a Cornell grad in terms of recruiting. Also, in terms of preparation for a career in accounting, AEM will prepare you very well.
From what you said though, it seems like your son isn’t very sure if he wants to do accounting or not. If he decides he doesn’t like it in college, then he will be able to switch into a degree he likes with little issue if he is in a school like Cornell.