Hi!
I am an admitted member of the Class of 2021 interested in double majoring in Political Science and Finance. I am currently enrolled in the College of Arts & Sciences. Would employers in the finance industry care if my primary major was in art sci and not Olin? Would it make a difference if I switched my primary school to Olin if I still would pursue the same two majors?
bump
Hey, I know this reply is a bit late but I hope it helps! I’m a dual degree (slightly different than a double major) student at Washu studying computer science and computer engineering. While both are technically in the college of engineering, I graduate with two degrees; one a Bachelor of Science (computer science is technically an applied science) and the other a Bachelor of Engineering. If I were to simply double major, I’d graduate with one degree in whichever I declared as my primary major. This difference would carry some minor implications with regards to course requirements and credit distributions. Now, while I am not personally familiar with what employers in the financial industry value, Ill try my best to share what I know. An example that is somewhat relevant to your situation are the two economics majors. I’m under the impression that both art Sci and olin offer an economics major and that they are very similar. However, my basic understanding is that the program in Olin is slightly more rigorous and has more business related credit distribution requirements (anyone who knows more about this please correct me!). Essentially what I’m trying to say is that if you want to go into the financial industry, I’d recommend transferring to Olin and then taking your other major as your secondary one. You would take very similar courses in either scenario, however I feel like a financial company would be slightly preferable to someone who showed that business was their primary interest. Sorry for the long-winded answer, feel free to pm me with any other questions!
Hey,
So I was in the same exact position as you. I started out at WashU enrolled in ArtSci, planning to major in PoliSci with a 2nd major in Finance. Primary college major matters is that it’s the major that will appear on your diploma, but if you want to work in Finance, it matters more that you have a major in Finance than it actually being your primary major. The biggest difference will be in terms of requirements: if you switch to Olin you’ll have to complete at least half of all your classes at WashU in Olin, whereas if you stay in ArtSci and do a second major in Finance you’ll only have to do less than a quarter of your classes in Olin. Olin’s requirements are usually for specific classes, while ArtSci’s requirements are more general (take a look at the IQ curriculum), so if you’re looking for a more well-rounded education I would stay in ArtSci. One important thing to note is that ArtSci requires you to complete 90 units in ArtSci (out of the 120 to graduate) but you can apply AP credit to those units, which will let you take a few more classes outside ArtSci.
Also, a PoliSci Major is considered an “easier” major to employers, so if you want to major in PoliSci and you’re looking to do something competitive like investment banking, you would be expected to earn a higher GPA than a candidate coming from a major that’s considered more challenging (ie. Economics or Engineering). To my knowledge, a lot of people doing second majors in Finance have primary majors in Math, Econ, Computer Science, and Systems Engineering, but plenty come from other areas (such as PoliSci) too. Personally, I decided to stay in ArtSci for the well-rounded education, and will be (primarily) majoring in either Math or Econ because I decided that I like those a little more than PoliSci. If you choose not to transfer to Olin, if you can make the case that your true passion is in Finance (which you can show by extracurricular involvement, internships, etc.) the PoliSci major will matter less. Don’t be dissuaded about majoring in PoliSci if you’re really passionate about it.
For the Finance major you’ll have to take Economics classes, and you can either take 2 in Olin or 3 in ArtSci. The ArtSci economics classes tend to be more general/public policy oriented, while the Olin ones are more directly business oriented, but also considered more challenging. If you stay in ArtSci I would definitely take Economics in ArtSci because that will free up more room for you to take classes outside ArtSci. Note that the major in Economics in Olin (Economics and Strategy) is popular for people looking to do management consulting.
Happy to answer any other questions you may have.