GETTING INTO BUSINESS SCHOOL from CAL: What should I DOUBLE-MAJOR in?? (Econ + ??)

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of California - Berkeley
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<p>Hey everyone!</p>

<p>Thank you so much for answering!</p>

<p>As my #1, I would really like to go to a good Business School like Stanford or Penn or maybe even Haas.</p>

<p>I've been accepted to Cal for this Fall (wooo!!) and I'm not sure what I should double major in if I'd like to pursue this route. </p>

<p>I'm not sure whether I should apply to Haas b/c i don't know whether it's worth it/necessary to do Haas to get into B-School. Do you think I should still apply to Haas?</p>

<p>My backup for not getting into BSchool is Law School (patent lawyer).</p>

<p>So, what seems to be the best double major combination for me? (considering i'd like to also get good business internships while @ Cal in order to get into a great Biz School):</p>

<p>1)Economics + Haas Undergrad-Biz-Admin
2)Economics + Statistics
3)Economics + MCB (biology)/Public Health</p>

<p>Please explain your choices!!</p>

<p>Thank you SO much,
J</p>

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<p>bump Bump BUMP!!</p>

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<p>Don’t patent lawyers usually major in some science or engineering field as undergraduates?</p>

<p>In general, MBA programs accept students with any undergraduate major, but with good work experience after bachelor’s degree. So picking a major that can help you get good work experience after you graduate that you are interested in can help you toward an MBA goal.
[Application</a> Requirements, MBA Program, Berkeley-Haas](<a href=“http://mba.haas.berkeley.edu/admissions/requirements.html]Application”>http://mba.haas.berkeley.edu/admissions/requirements.html)</p>

<p>MFE (financial engineering) programs prefer students with strong math and statistics backgrounds.
[Application</a> Requirements, MFE Program, Berkeley-Haas](<a href=“Master of Financial Engineering Program | Berkeley Haas”>Master of Financial Engineering Program | Berkeley Haas)</p>

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<p>Agree with ucbalumnus about the necessity of good experience. Being in Haas gives you the best chance for getting that experience. I don’t think there’s any point to double majoring in Econ.</p>

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<p>ucbalumnus: ok thanks for the response. 1) so, what major(s) do you think would help me get good work experience before Business School? Anything besides Haas?</p>

<p>2) Also, what would be a good major for B-school if i DON’T get into Haas?</p>

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<p>You can take a look here to see what students of various majors do after graduation:
<a href=“https://career.berkeley.edu/Major/Major.stm[/url]”>https://career.berkeley.edu/Major/Major.stm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>L&S CS, EECS, applied math, statistics, and economics majors, as well as business majors, seem to do well in this survey.</p>

<p>No specific undergraduate major is necessary for MBA or MFE study later, although a math-oriented major is desirable for MFE study later.</p>

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<p>ucbalumnus: Thank you for your sound advice! I’ve seen you all around the Cal thread, helping clueless students like me out. We really appreciate it.</p>

<p>One last question for your expertise:
I’m going to go with your advice and shoot for Haas. However, as a backup in the event that i don’t get in, does a double major in Economics and Statistics sound like a promising degree to obtain internships for a good Business School? Is it actually employable?</p>

<p>Thank you SO much!</p>

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<p>Lol, ucbalumnus, I like how you tried to push on the MFE an quantitative studies into this thread even though the OP never asked about an MFE.</p>

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<p>OP said “business school” – both MBA and MFE are offered at business schools. Though perhaps for completeness, maybe information on PhD programs in business should have been included.</p>

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<p>ucbalumnus:
Hey, would you mind answering my last question. I think you may have accidentally glanced over it:
“I’m going to go with your advice and shoot for Haas. However, as a backup in the event that i don’t get in, does a double major in Economics and Statistics sound like a promising degree to obtain internships for a good Business School? Is it actually employable?”</p>

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<p>Best choice would be Haas + Econ; next best would be Econ + something mathy. Take a look at the link ucbalumnus posted and you’ll see that Business Admin. majors (i.e., Haas graduates) get jobs at top firms, while those numbers are lower for Econ/Stats majors. </p>

<p>IMO if you get into Haas, you might as well do a double major in econ, since I believe it’s four extra classes in addition to the Haas requirements. </p>

<p>BTW, best route to a top-10 b-school SEEMS to be, at least according to WallStreetOasis: 1) attend a top undergrad and 2) work on Wall Street at a top financial firm.</p>

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<p>i go to haas and yes - it’s easy to get the double in econ but it honestly doesn’t do much at all for enriching your job prospects. doing something in math or engineering though, that’s a completely different story</p>

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<p>loldanielol: econ + something mathy?..so something mathy could be Statistics?? …im honestly scared of doing a pure or applied math major.</p>

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<p>It’s not worth doing a 2nd major like statistics just for the perceived benefit of getting a job. Assuming that you’re interested in one of the popular jobs that business undergrads go for, none of them will use statistics, programming, or high level math.</p>

<p>Also, it doesn’t make sense that law school is your backup for business school because you won’t be applying for business school until after 3+ years of work experience.</p>

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<p>Wouldn’t business + statistics/math/CS be the best for getting a top end Wall Street type of job?</p>

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<p>Nah, as Liquidus said, the finance jobs one could reasonably obtain as an undergraduate require surprisingly little technical knowledge. Indeed, that’s why even humanities/arts graduates (from brand-name schools) can compete for those positions. Even high-school level - heck, perhaps even jr. high school level - math would probably suffice. As an analyst, you’re not going to be calculating integrals. </p>

<p>[Investment</a> Banking Math: It’s Not Rocket Science | Mergers & Inquisitions](<a href=“http://www.mergersandinquisitions.com/investment-banking-math/]Investment”>Investment Banking Math: It's Not Rocket Science)</p>

<p>Now, where I agree that a technical background might be useful is in competing for an admissions spot in an MFE/MFin program as you had mentioned above. However, you’re unlikely to be admitted to a top MFin program directly out of undergrad anyway, and only the top such programs provide a realistic shot at a Wall Street-type placement. The average age of the typical Berkeley MFE matriculant is 27 and even a program such as MIT whose students skew young still boasts an average entering age of ~24. </p>

<p>That’s why I’m skeptical of a business + statistics/math/CS double, or, frankly, any double for that matter. The truth is, employers and grad-schools almost never care. Doubles tend to be low-yield activities; the time spent completing the major is almost always more efficiently allocated towards internships/co-ops, EC’s, or simply ensuring that you have a top GPA in your ‘primary’ major.</p>

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<p>what are you good at? are you good at math? writing? are you logical? creative? what are your hobbies? what areas of academia do you enjoy? why are you thinking about business school in highschool? why do you want to go to bschool? what kind of job do you want after college? what kind of job do you want after bschool? do you care about $$$? is $$$ your biggest motivator? or is it prestige? passion? lifestyle? what do you want to get out of college?</p>

<p>give some serious thoughts to these questions, and i’ll try to give you some serious feedback</p>

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<p>Sakky: thanks for the great advice! so if i single majored, what do you think would be good for me in prep for Business School? Haas?</p>

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<p>Why are you so dead set on going to a b-school?
You need at least 3 years of experience at top firms + very good GMAT in order to get into b-schools like Standford and Upenn. You’re thinking too far ahead.
From what I hear, Grad school is not necessary. Grad school is often for people who hate their job or who wants to change fields or people who can’t find jobs.</p>

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<p>Well, to be fair, many (probably most) MBA students at the top schools aren’t exactly there by choice. Most of them took analyst positions at elite consulting or banking firms right after undergrad, with the understanding that those positions would likely last only 2-3 years. A small minority of those analysts would be promoted directly to associate, and obviously everybody would like to be, but what if you’re not? The vast majority are then obligated to leave, usually to an MBA program (and in rarer cases to a JD program or sometimes even a PhD program).</p>