<p>I'm kinda torn on which to apply to at the moment. Which one is more easier to get into since they are located in two separate colleges? Also which one looks "better" when you come out of Cornell? Or is there no difference? I heard Applied Econ is easier and less competetive, but I dont want to take the subject test in science that is "recommended" (I did take Math 2 (780) and US History (760) for whatever that's worth). </p>
<p>Thanks in advance!</p>
<p>I think AEM is marginally harder to get into, but they’re not so drastically different that you should apply to one over the other for your “ticket in.”</p>
<p>AEM is definitely easier. I was an econ major and while I don’t speak from experience, I know a lot of people in econ who took a lot of AEM classes. It is common for AEM majors to take a lot of econ courses and vice versa. All my friends who took AEM classes took them for GPA boosters and pointed out how easy they were. As for which one “looks” better, AEM is a top business program, but generally speaking, econ is a more desirable degree since it teaches more critical thinking, which is generally more valued than “skills” courses. Undergrad rankings of econ programs are also less prevalent and paid attention to. For something like econ, any rankings worth anything will be regarding the PhD programs.</p>
<p>I would suggest you look at the course descriptions for both curriculums and decide what you like. Econ is in CAS which has its own set of liberal arts requirements which will give you that traditional liberal arts education. If you’re into that, great (I was), if not, AEM might be better.</p>
<p>AEM is a business degree. You’re going to be learning APPLIED skills that you would use in a business organization. Think marketing, finance, consumer behavior, management classes, etc.</p>
<p>Econ is more versatile. No, you’re not going to be as “pre-professional”…which might be a minor setback initially if you’re entering the workforce after graduation. However, as mikeyc said, econ as a liberal arts major trains you how to think in a different way, and thus doesn’t pigeonhole you into a specific business path.</p>
<p>of course, econ majors can take aem classes and vice versa to get the best of both worlds.</p>
<p>AEM can be as restrictive as you want it to be. There are a number of folks that don’t really take too many non-required courses out of AEM, but one can definitely focus more on economics (and other areas) since the major itself has many specializations. One can also argue that CALS is fairly flexible in its requirements.</p>
<p>As for economics, I think the above posts have done enough justice.</p>
<p>So, should I shouldn’t worry about not having taken (or planning) a SAT subject test in the sciences if I apply to CALS?</p>
<p>It makes you a little less competitive, but I wouldn’t worry heavily. It never hurts to have a good score under your belt, though.</p>
<p>There is zero difference between them as far as what “looks better”. All the banks and consulting firms recruit school-wide, so it just comes down to your gpa and overall package. The main difference is that in Econ you are in CAS and in AEM you are in CALS (which is way cheaper if you are a NY state resident). AEM courses in Finance/Accounting are very useful if you want to work in banking and you can easily take them as an Econ major. There are some AEM majors taking econ courses, but in general it is econ majors taking AEM courses. Econ is a pretty short major (8 courses) so that leaves a ton of room for exploring a ton of stuff all over the school.</p>