<p>I am planning on attending William & Mary in the fall and would like to know if its academically right for me. I'm planning on being a Economics and Mathematics double major. Provided I get things done and handle the course load, what are my future option? I would like to either go into investment banking after undergrad or go to a prestigious grad school for economics. The real question is whether William & Mary grads are recruited by top investment banks, and how much prestige does a degree carry around the nation?</p>
<p>Future Career Options: There is a LOT you can do with Math/Econ so I would not at all be worried about finding a good job if you are successful in double majoring.</p>
<p>Well, William & Mary is a great school but it’s not a target school (very few are). However, I do know some people who are going to work for some top ibanking firms after graduation so it certainly is possible (you’ll have to do some extra work as BB recruiters won’t necessary be lining up on the Sunken Gardens). William & Mary has an outstanding name and getting your degree from here will not preclude you from anything. In terms of prestige, the degree holds a great amount of value in the DC area and to a lesser extent in NYC. Anywhere else outside the region, it’s pretty much hit or miss. People that do know about it know it’s an outstanding school while others will think it’s a liberal arts college in Pennsylvania. </p>
<p>In terms of you wanting to go to a prestigious grad school for economics, W&M has historically been successful in placing graduates into prominent PhD programs however, make sure you take the proper amount of Math. They suggest at a minimum Calc I, Calc II, Multivariate Calculus, Linear Algebra. You will probably need to take quite a bit more for a top PhD program. Another thing, the vast majority of econ classes here do NOT have calc as a prereq (Calc isn’t a requirement for the major for some reason) meaning that many of the classes will use math as little as possible so make sure you take enough math. Also, the econ department professors are hit or miss for the most part. There’s some great ones and there are also some terrible ones. Use Ratemyprof as a baseline guide for course selection.</p>
<p>In terms of the math department, to be honest it is not what the school is known for. It will however, suffice as there are some good professors in the department.</p>
<p>PM me if you have any further questions.</p>