<p>I've been hearing that Ross and the COE are Michigan's only good points. Is LSA's Econ really that bad at career opportunities? Anyone have any statistics?</p>
<p>Selection bias. A lot of econ kids are either Ross rejects or hard major (like engineering) dropouts. So statistics really doesnt tell the full story.</p>
<p>I know of one kid who is now working at Google in California after he graduated with LSA-Econ. Of course that doesn’t happen for everybody, but he was very involved in extracurricular and had a good network.</p>
<p>For the most part, Econ isn’t too great. I’ve never scene a recruiting event that wanted Econ majors only engineering and business.</p>
<p>You’ll want to complement Econ with another major, I hear Mathematical Econ is good.</p>
<p>If you just sit down and look closely, the econ department is nothing glamorous. I personally thought that big school = more classes and programs, but that was complete illusion. They barely have classes outside the “generic” ones and they just pack 300-450 students in one lecture.</p>
<p>Not to mention that econ students are not any more motivated than say psych majors. And the classes they can take are really limited to elementary level anyways in reality. I’m sure the recruiters know this. It really only takes a good look into the transcript and a long interview.</p>
<p>Also, bearcats is right. If you are so smart in the field of econ, the odds are you should be at Ross. The rejects probably do not have good GPA, and recruiters don’t want those “rejected.”</p>
<p>“I’ve been hearing that Ross and the COE are Michigan’s only good points.”</p>
<p>Who told you that mike25? LSA sucks at nothing. Its departments are all ranked among the top 20 nationally. Departments such as Anthropology, History, Mathematics, Political Science, Psychology and Sociology are arguably among the top 5 and departments such as Computer Science, Economics and Physics are not far behind. Approximately 250-300 LSA students are placed in top 15 Law schools and Medical schools annually. </p>
<p>What is required in this case is a little perspective. Ross and the CoE are not merely “good” at professional placement, they are ridiculous. Recruiting activity in those two colleges are off the charts. Ross is second only to Wharton among business schools (which in their very nature are designed to place people in high-paying jobs) and the CoE is one of the top 10 in the US, again, in fields that are in high demand in, and indispensable to, industry. LSA students still do very well, only not as well. Major companies recruit LSA students on campus, and the University of Michigan name will open doors, regardless of major. </p>
<p>Generally speaking, when a university has a separate Business school at the undergraduate level, its Arts and Sciences students will not be as highly recruited. The same is true at Cal, Georgetown, Penn etc… That’s because most companies assume (rightly or wrongly) that the majority of highly qualified students (and that’s what companies really want) will be enrolled in the Business program.</p>
<p>Well, how much time as a company are you going to put into recruiting Women’s Studies majors?</p>
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Really? I’m curious, what are the major recruiting events for LSA students? I have yet to see one open to all students. </p>
<p>As an EECS student involved in a Ross club, I have seen dozens of recruiting events at the Bob & Betty and Ross Buildings throughout the year. The only non-engineering/business event I’ve seen is the Michigan Economics Society which focuses more on pre-professional academia. And the only actual recruiting I know of are by business oriented fraternities restricted to greek life.</p>
<p>[Career</a> Fairs and Events | Career Center](<a href=“http://careercenter.umich.edu/topic/career-fairs-and-events]Career”>http://careercenter.umich.edu/topic/career-fairs-and-events)</p>
<p>They put a Lumbergh meme on the career website?</p>
<p>Wow.</p>
<p>I’ve hired LS&A majors. One into a start-up software company based in Ann Arbor (sales) and another into a Michigan technology based consultancy. I believe both were Econ majors. Both positions were well paying entry level positions that did not attract any B school grads. As I remember I was able to contact the University directly and place the openings online. My son is a Environmental Studies major and while he is not likely to be recruited I’m confident he will be gainfully employed.</p>
<p>I am a b school grad and have made good money, but some of the stuff you will learn is incredibly boring and will have zero application in the real world. Ross is not for everyone.</p>
<p>For what it’s worth the best jobs I have had, I identified and pursued the employer. Some of the worst jobs are the ones I was recruited into by a headhunter and paid a signing bonus. I’d suggest find the right company/organization and pursue them regardless of whether they have an opening or not. Many of the companies coming through Ross were the massive Fortune 500 firms, not an ideal fit for everyone.</p>
<p>It really depends what you want to go into. High finance is possible with a good GPA and stellar networking, although it will be much more difficult than if you’re in Ross. Obviously academia is an option if that’s what you’re into. I’ve heard of a lot of Econ majors applying to law school too.</p>
<p>You may not want to hear it, but I graduated from U-M with a degree in English, went on to Harvard Business School a few years later and have had a very satisfying career. Met my Econ major hubby in East Quad; he’s now an associate partner in the management consulting arm of Big Blue. It happens.</p>
<p>Thanks for the replies, everyone. </p>
<p>Actually, ChoatieMom, that is exactly what I wanted to hear. You gave me hope. I feel like I have no hope in getting a good job at the big 4 or working in high finance banking/consulting/etc. after hearing about the low job opportunities for LSA students. I feel that it is true to an extent that the large corporations focus more on the Ross students because they expect the higher-intelligent students of UMich to be there. My best decision for now is to expand my networking skills. By the way, congratulations on both your and your husband’s success.</p>
<p>My goal after undergraduate college is not to necessarily achieve a job at the IB bulge brackets, MBB, or big 4 firms, but to go for the boutique or middle-market firms just to gain the IB experience and such.</p>
<p>I’d expect the higher intelligence students to be in CoE, on average, but that’s just me</p>
<p>It depends on your definition of intelligence. If you mean math and science, then you’re probably correct, but in terms of the broad spectrum of knowledge, it’s probably not a significant difference (though if there is an edge, it would be in the favor of CoE). But, that is also just me. :)</p>
<p>Well that’s why I said on average. For every bright econ or math major you have some ditzy sorority psych major</p>
<p>COE may have some really bright people who may lack the people skills to be successful. I have seen engineers pigeonholed into low level positions despite being brilliant, because of a lack of people/communication skills. Intelligence does not have a 100% direct correlation to future success (hence my cousin with a PHD in Physics from U of M working as a tech in IT).</p>
<p>I think it’s tough to try apply generalizations. In general Business and Engineering are careers that will provide a nice living and tend to attract people where that matters.</p>
<p>Alright. But I was guessing on average which group at Michigan is smarter. That’s all</p>
<p>All colleges suck at job placement. This is the dirty little secret of American academia. They are not interested in getting you a job. They are interested in their little esoteric subjects and their careers. College is not designed for job training. Job placement departments are weak because job training is weak. Not saying you shouldn’t get that silly little piece of paper, but don’t buy into all the lies about colleges being the ticket to your future.</p>
<p>Well don’t get a crappy degree at a crappy college.</p>