<p>I'm an international student heading to UMich this fall. As an admit to the LSA, I'm faced with the question of whether I should major in Economics or go for a Ross degree. Financially speaking, I would probably be able to complete my Econ. degree earlier as I'm bringing in a raft of A-Level credits, and also plan to go for spring semester. This could potentially save me quite a few $ and set me onto a career path earlier. But as this forum has previously eluded to, an Econ. degree is unattractive to firms (as compared to Ross), and therefore employment opportunities are scarcer. So do you think I should go for an Econ. degree bearing this risk, or go for Ross (with considerable financial strain)?</p>
<p>Apply to Ross - if you dont get in , go for an Econ major.
If you do - go to Ross. It should be worth it.</p>
<p>There is quite a bit of on-campus recruitment activity taking place in LSA. Major companies actively recruit LSA undergraduate students, so if you maintain a high GPA (over 3.5) and plan well, you should get good job offers when you graduate. Ross is a surer bet of course. There is close to a 100% placement rate and most of those placements are into exlusive firms.</p>
<p>What are the job prospects for students with a so-so gpa (3.0-3.5) in LSA? Will the UMich name help make up for that gpa?</p>
<p>you shouldn't have any problems finding a job. it just won't be the most highly regarded.</p>
<p>A 3.5+ at a target like Michigan (esp. Ross) should be good enough to get you an interview at a lot of firms, assuming other things on your resume are good and that you do some networking.</p>
<p>redhare, assuming one has a 3.5+ Ross GPA and a decent resume, what do you consider as good "networking"?</p>
<p>Mightynick did you decide to transfer to UM?</p>
<p>Yep I'm gonna be there this Fall. I heard UM academics are harder than PSU's, so I'm not sure if I can maintain as high of a gpa there. I just hope that by the end of senior year I can get a good job as an Econ major. Getting into Ross would be great but I just can't see it happening.</p>
<p>Mightynick, the 3.0-3.3 Econ majors I know have managed to join good companies like Ford, GM, Royal Bank of Scottland, Bank of Nova Scotia etc...</p>
<p>There is no perfect way to network, but here are some ways you can:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Attend corporate presentations, talk to the presenters, get their contact info (i.e. business card if they have one). Then e-mail them afterwards thanking them for being there and ASK QUESTIONS. You can be like thank you for clarifying this and that when I talked to you at the presentation. I'm interested in this and that. You can even ask about internship possibilities because they're actually doing the recruiting. If you're lucky and they respond, you'll do some back-and-forth e-mailing. Eventually, you might reach a stage where you can call them up for a phone conversation/interview and ask more questions about the firm, industry, or even personal life. I don't know for sure, but I get a sense that businesspeople do like talking about themselves. The bottom line: Try your best so that recruiters remember you better so that you'll have a better chance to get on the closed-list for interviews.</p></li>
<li><p>It always help to know someone at a firm/industry you're interested in. Contact them and ask for more contacts.</p></li>
<li><p>Classmates help, especially upperclassmen. Obviously, it's better to have a friend who did an i-banking internship than not to have one.</p></li>
<li><p>The toughest form of networking is one in which students contact people (alumni are best) in firms they like. In fact, I would only do alumni. Since such students do this on their own, they never even met these people before. If you're lucky, they'll give you some of their time. Just remember that these people are busy, but you might be able to do some phone conversation eventually. It's like #1 above, except you never met these people, they're not necessarily recruiters/presenters, and since they're not actually recruiting, you can't be obvious about seeking an internship. Arguably, you can bring up the job search and internship possibilities, if you feel you're in a position to do it. Like I said, there's no exact science to networking.</p></li>
<li><p>Join industry-related clubs or a business fraternity (or even any frat for that matter).</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Also, some people think that networking is all about making contacts, but it's also about doing your own research about the firms/industries. You don't want to talk to people and not know anything about what they do. It can be quite embarrassing.</p>
<p>This is what I got from alumni and upperclassmen who went through Ross recruiting. If you took LHC, you might have contacted someone about communication skills on their job. My contact was kind enough to let me ask about anything I needed help with. You might be able to use yours as well.</p>
<p>Thanks, Redhare! That was very helpful. I'm going to copy and save that response.</p>
<p>Oh, and remember that you should mention contacts in your cover letters.</p>
<p>mightynick, i hope you have already taken intermediate micro so you don't have to take it at umich :]</p>
<p>Nope, I haven't taken intermediate econ yet. Is it too hard at UMich?</p>
<p>Yes, Intermediate Micro can be tricky, but it is not close tobeing one of the toughest Econ classes.</p>
<p>Does anyone know what classes a typical Econ major (sophomore) takes in Fall semester and the number of credits that are recommended per semester? Also, are there any "special" classes that you need to take before applying to Ross - that is, which kind of "hard" or "challenging" classes are required?</p>
<p>Before applying to Ross (and during your freshman year), in addition to a normal schedule including your freshman writing requirement, you need to take 1) at least Math 115, 2) Econ 101, 3) at least 15 hours in one of the two semesters, and 4) a total of at least 27 credit hours.</p>
<p>if you're a sophomore hopeful-econ student, you're pretty much free to take whatever classes fill your distribution requirements. as for major courses, you should definitely be taking 401 and 402, maybe some 300 level courses if you want such as money & banking.</p>
<p>my experience getting my summer internship changed my perspective on career opportunities and stuff...the important thing is not GPA, what school you are from, what you majored in...i mean those factors matter but it all comes down to connections. I am graduating from high school this year, havnt been to college yet, but I got an internship from Goldman Sachs...do i deserve it? Heck No. But do I have the job? Hell ya...why? becoz my friend's dad is influential enough....so it's all about connections. With connection, even a 1.0 or 0.0 GPA can get you any job you want (i mean of course reasonable ones... not like CEO of microsoft or anything)............</p>
<p>so maybe Ross gets you better connection, and that might be the reason for better career placement...i mean in the business world, as my dad says, it all comes down to connections...so study what you like..and try your best to make connections i guess</p>