<p>Hi guys,
I screwed up badly by taking econ my first semester at Cal (worst idea ever). I didn't do so well on the first midterm, and I think I will probably end up with a C/C+ in this course. Does this mean Haas is totally out of the picture? What about with a B-?</p>
<p>And what are my other options for pursuing business after college here, without the Haas program? I don't know what I could major in because I obviously suck at economics.. :</p>
<p>You still have plenty of options available since it’s only your 1st semester. If you’re looking for something else to major in, it doesn’t have to be econ. Other majors like Biology or EECS are really useful for a business career.</p>
<p>In Silicon Valley the managers of tech start-ups or large public firms usually have some background in engineering or programming. Some may even have no MBA at all (ie Derrick Meyer CEO of Advanced Micro Devices).</p>
<p>Senior officials/managers of biotech firms tend to have some biology/sciences background. A BA/BS in Biology combined with an MBA would be extremely useful in finding a management position in today’s rapidly expanding biotech industry.</p>
<p>The point is you can major in lots of things and still obtain an MBA. It’s beneficial to have some exposure to econ/business during your undergrad years, but not absolutely necessary. </p>
<p>Also check out this site: [Admission:</a> MBA Program: Stanford GSB](<a href=“http://www.gsb.stanford.edu/mba/admission/]Admission:”>http://www.gsb.stanford.edu/mba/admission/)
For Stanford’s MBA class of 2010 only 19% had a bachelor’s degree in business. Compare that to the 35% with Engineering/Mathematics/Natural Sciences degrees and 46% for Humanities/Social Sciences.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t completely rule out going for Haas. If it is something you really want to go for and you think you can do better on the other prerequisites and breadth, then continue to go towards it. But make sure you always have a backup in mind. The backup major doesn’t have to necessarily be Econ or something with similar prerequisites, but it might help.</p>
<p>I’m kind of in the same boat as you, as I took Econ my first semester and came out with a B-. Did okay on all of the other classes and earlier this month applied for Haas. However, I’ve always had some backups in mind. For me personally, my #1 backup is Media Studies, even though they don’t really use and of they prerequisites from Haas. My other two are Sociology & Environmental Economics & Policy, two majors that are more related in coursework to Haas prerequisites and what I’ve taken.</p>
<p>So, don’t give up of Haas if you still want to go for it. Just don’t put all your effort into Haas with no backup and find yourself trapped if you apply and do not get in.</p>
<p>BIGAUS, good luck! Be sure to let me know how everything turns out for you. If you don’t mind, could you give me a bit more info on Media Studies? Is that Mass Communications? I was thinking about EEP, but I think my econ grade might be a sign to how I’d do in other econ classes (I just can’t seem to grasp what’s going on all the time to apply it to our exams). </p>
<p>I am definitely brainstorming my backups right now, but I’m not too into stuff dealing with science, as ethancc2 recommended.</p>
<p>Thanks for the luck. In all honesty, I came into Cal thinking I would go for business because I didn’t “fit” into any of the other majors. Not a science person, or engineer, or architect, or “studies” major, so I thought I would go for Haas. But now after learning more about Media Studies (which was Mass Communications, but it recently changed its name), I would rather get into Media Studies over Haas if I had to choose one. But hopefully I’ll get that choice to make when decisions come out.</p>
<p>As for EEP, I don’t know too much about it, but I put it as a backup because I already have nearly all of the prerequisites done for it and would get in because there is no strenuous GPA limit (just a 2.0). There is obviously econ in it, but if you look at some of the other courses, it may be presented a little differently than the econ in Econ 1. I had the same problem as you in not being able to applying things into exams.</p>
<p>For backups, just continue to look around and keep your options opened.</p>