<p>Hello,
I'm currently a freshmen at Georgia State University. During my first semester here, I managed to do very well (3.89 GPA) and I received A's in CALC and CHEM. I'm planning to transfer to either Georgia Tech or UGA. For the past several months I've been trying to decide whether I'd want to do Industrial Engineering at Tech OR Economics at UGA. I've done a lot of research. However, I need some different perspectives to help me make my decision.</p>
<p>The reason I want to do Industrial Engineering at Tech is because engineering in general is a great field to major in looking at the job outlook and opportunities. I'm pretty good at Math and I like it (most of the times), so I feel like engineering might be good for me. The reason I choose IE over other engineering majors was due to IE's relations with business and management. But I'm also considering EE, not as much as IE, because it might be way too hard. Is it?. My problems with doing IE at Georgia Tech is that I always hear from people that Georgia Tech is ridiculously difficult. So I'm afraid I might go and receive a not so good GPA, which would limit my Graduate School and Career options.</p>
<p>The reason I want to get a BBA of Economics at UGA is because I believe that Economics is a great major. I've heard people call it the best non-engineering major. I'm pretty interested in Economics because it includes some math (and I like that). I also like Economics because it gives you a lot of options (Law, MBA, etc...). If I do Economics I'm most likely planning to get an MBA. And with my study habits, I feel like I could get into a really good business school (not trying to be cocky). My problems with Economics at UGA is that Economics is not that well known at UGA. And I feel like that MAYBE engineering will make me more successful.</p>
<p>So please help me make the better decision by giving some guidance, advice, and putting your own perspective on my choices.</p>
<p>THANKS IN ADVANCE!</p>
<p>These are very good options to consider. My son is at UGA as a Freshman in Pre Business and will apply to Terry for his Business degree. He’s interested in Economics. His goal is to get an MBA in NY as we’re from the Northeast. He’s taken Microeconomics first semester as is now in Macro. He says they’re tough, but he enjoys the subject. My guess is he’ll either go for Econ or Accounting.<br>
In terms of Industrial Engineering at Tech, its really what your passion is. If you see yourself in an engineering role then GT is among the best in the US. Even though I’m from the Northeast, I’d choose GT over RPI, Carnegie, Rutgers for IE.<br>
I suggest you do some more homework and meet with an IE student as well as a recent grad. That should help you define if IE is for you.
My son loves UGA so whatever he studies I’m confident he’ll go on to Columbia or NYU for his MBA. I’ve hired a lot of MBA’s and college grads in my 30 plus years in business and its really about you and your passion and skill set that determines the best person to hire. Yes, where you went to school will absolutely open a door. But after 5 years its basically an even playing field, based upon who you are, what you accomplished, what value you can add, and what you want to do every day.
Judging by how you’re looking at this issue, I think you will make the right decision no matter where you go. Beat of luck.</p>
<p>Thanks for the response. I’ve heard that Economics is not very well known at UGA and is not ranked (please correct me if I’m wrong). I want to do Econ because I feel like it’ll give me a wide range of options, but I’m not sure if I should. So I was wondering whether it would be wiser to get an Economics BBA or some other degree from Terry (such as Finance or International Business). My future plans are to work for 2-3 years after I graduate and then get my MBA from a top university (if everything goes as planned).</p>
<p>Also, how are the job prospects, and starting salary right after graduation from the Economics BBA program?</p>
<p>I wouldn’t decide on a progrsm based upon “today’s” job prospects. Quite frankly, the job market today isn’t good. By the time you finish your BBA and get an MBA we will probably be through another economic cycle, so its not realistic to assume where the job prospects will be that far in the future. Also, I don’t think that Econ really is a “rankable” type of program, so where you go undergrad should be more based on what you want in a school and educational environment then any rankings that may be out there.
I know that UGA offers a joint BA/MA in Econ and many of the grads have gone on to Columbia or similar schools for their MBA’s and PHD’s. I work with several Economists and they place a bigger weight on where you get your graduate degree and the type of research and area of economics you studied. For example, the ones I work with are highly quantitative, so they like grads with undergradyute degrees that focused on stats and math, along with Econ. They do econometric modeling.
You’ll need a Masters or MBA to get ahead in Econ. In IE you could get away with just a BS. providing your focus is an engineering career. In today’s market, there are as many unemployed engineers as there are folks with an MBA or Econ degree. That will change, so don’t get hung up on “today”, do what excites you----that will be the key to success.</p>
<p>Thanks for the response!</p>