<p>Hi all, I am currently deciding between choosing to go into either finance or law.
To be honest, I like both subjects. However, when taken experience wise, finance wins over since my parents are both in the corporate sector.</p>
<p>Academically, I tend to do better in the humanities, but that's probably because my AP Stat teacher and I shared a mutual hate toward each other.</p>
<p>I think personalities also matter when choosing between the two but I'm not exactly sure what they would be like. I would love to hear your inputs!</p>
<p>Law is a post-graduate professional school major. You can major in any bachelor’s degree subject as a pre-law undergraduate student, but you need to get a high college GPA and high LSAT score to get into a high ranking law school from which you may have better law job prospects (which are very dependent on your law school’s prestige).</p>
<p>STEM gives you a better shot at a job right out of college and will make you eligible to take the patent bar (which is a huge advantage these days).</p>
<p>Again, why do a STEM major if you aren’t interested in STEM? That’s just a path to unhappiness. Few people are successful doing something they hate.</p>
<p>You can go into finance with a STEM major–banks like people with quantitative skills. You can also go to law school with a STEM major (in fact, a few years of STEM work experience + a top law school is virtually a lock for patent work). STEM is a pretty broad category–I’m sure OP will find something he likes within it.</p>
<p>There’s no real reason you need to decide now. Take what you need to go into finance. So long as you keep your GPA up, law school will always be an option if you find finance isn’t for you. You can even go into finance for a few years before law school (many do this). I recommend taking on a few internships in both law and finance and seeing which appeals to you more.</p>
<p>I would just like some grasp on my future, otherwise I’ll be lounging around all day without any motivation lol.
I especially like the idea of doing a finance (or psychology) undergrad, then law school, since I’m looking to something like corporate law. What are your inputs on the best “path” (for the lack of better terms) for this?</p>
<p>Well, if the OP is deciding between finance and law, my best advice is to start off with a finance or economics major, and if he hates it, find a major he likes and look into law school. I would also find finance to be preferable, as it’s cheaper than law school, and if you do something else, no one asks why you don’t want to be a rich lawyer.</p>
<p>I have to agree with lud. Listen, STEM is hard for everyone, it doesn’t matter if you like it or not. What it is good for is building work ethic and critical thinking skills – everyone needs that. STEM. STEM = options. Suck it up and go through it. I have met a ton of people who questioned whether they were in the right major in STEM. 100% of the people who stayed anyway are so thankful that they did. </p>
<p>STEM majors still have big corporations knocking on their doors given a 3.0+ GPA and reasonable social skills and extra curriculars–to give them $60,000+ starting salaries–after undergraduate–and the economy is still in the tank. There is a reason for this. STEM builds you up and prepares you for anything.</p>
<p>This is false. I know over a dozen people from my college who are now working in I-banking and trading at bulge bracket banks, and these guys majored in political science, economics, art history, biology, sociology, English literature, and industrial engineering. Finance and consulting firms hire people regardless of their college majors. What matters is your school pedigree + GPA + internships + networking skills + interviewing skills.</p>
<p>FWIW, I interviewed for several Ibanks and consulting firms my senior year of college, although I ended up getting rejected by all of them.</p>
<p>MY advice for OP would be:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>While in college, gun hard for I-banking offer. If you can get an offer, congrats, and move on.</p></li>
<li><p>If you fail to land a desired finance/ consulting job offer, at that point, evaluate if you want to pursue law school. (and only consider law school if you get into a top school, otherwise don’t bother)</p></li>
</ol>
<p>While I agree with the spirit of this statement re STEM degree being more versatile than other degrees, if one’s career goal is to enter finance, STEM may not be the best option.</p>
<p>I-banks are obsessed with high GPA and relevant internships when deciding who gets interviews. From my college, I knew many kids in ‘hard’ majors, such as CS, Mech E, Physics, Math, etc with ‘respectable’ GPA’s (between 3.3 and 3.6) all getting turned down for interviews at finance and consulting firms, while the kids with ‘easy’ majors such as Political Science, English Lit, Sociology, etc with 3.7-3.9 GPA got these highly coveted interviews left and right. </p>
<p>Actually, the BCG recruiter at my school flat out told me that they’d rather interview a history major with 3.8 GPA rather than an Electrical Engineering major with 3.5 GPA. </p>
<p>Given this reality, you need to play the game to win an offer from I-banking or Consulting, if these jobs are your career goal. Go to a top school, major in something easy, get top GPA, and profit.</p>
<p>Thank you so much! The information really helped me out with my college planning. But given the example of the two students, one with 3.8 GPA in a history major and another with 3.5 GPA in Electrical Engineering, wouldn’t the recruits also look for experience?</p>
<p>And, what are your thoughts on becoming a corporate lawyer?</p>
<p>Contrary to what many on internet may tell you nowadays, I think being a corporate lawyer is a great career. I go to a top law school and worked at a top law firm in nyc this past summer. I thought it was a great experience, had good rapport with my co-workers, thought that the nature of work was decently stimulating intellectually, and compensation was fantastic.</p>
<p>I will say, however, that a job in I-banking or top Management Consulting beats out a job in Corporate law, for many reasons.</p>