<p>Hey,</p>
<p>I was wondering what the major differences would be between majoring in economics at a school like Columbia or Harvord as opposed to attending Wharton and concentrating in something like Finance/Accounting. What would the differences be in job and educational opportunities? Would I be learning pretty much the same stuff and would I pretty much have the same jobs open to me after college?</p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>I think the biggest difference is what you learn and how you learn it. If you get a BA in Econ anywhere - whether it's an ivy or not - you are learning economic theory and take 12-16 classes of econ for your major. At Wharton your classes are not theoretical, they are very applied and hands-on, though grounded in economic theory. So you won't go to Harvard and take Accounting, Marketing, Finance, or Management, etc. You will take Econ, and Econ, and more Econ. If you like theory get a BA. If theory drives you insane and you need to see real world examples of concepts in action, don't get a BA. Think carefully about what you want to learn and how you want to learn.</p>
<p>I am not a recruiter so I can't speak too much about job opportunities. I know that top firms recruit at more places than just Wharton (Harvard seems to be up there). I think the bigger differences is what happens when you get to work - I've been told by classmates that they skip training while the other recruits have to go because they've learned it all already in class. To me, this means that you get more high-level work opportunities and advance faster in the food chain.</p>
<p>So, you definitely do NOT learn the same things by any stretch of the imagination. You might have similar job opportunities right out of college, but coming out of Wharton you will have a leg up once at work because you've studied business for four years already.</p>
<p>I agree with whartonalum, I've talked to several friends of mine that have graduated and they've told me that many times (esp in i-banking and consulting) their bosses will overlook students from other schools (HYPS) and give the projects to the wharton guys because they are more knowledgeable. So they end up having better interaction with their superiors and are given higher level projects...Plus the skills you learn at wharton (esp in classes like OPIM) allow you to complete projects in a more efficient and time saving way. You won't be taught those skills while studying econ at any school. Just to give you an example, this summer i'm doing an internship and my boss gave this harvard intern and me a very similar project that she said should take us a few days to complete because when she had done it, it had taken her 2-3 days. My coworker finished his project in 2 days, however, with some of the skills i learned at wharton I cracked the project out in 3 hours.</p>