<p>Hey Everyone,</p>
<p>I'm a little new to these forums, but I was wondering if you guys could tell me if doing a Government and Econ double major from Cornell would be valuable?</p>
<p>Extremely valuable. Either for business, policy/government work, or law. Lot's of different directions to take it in -- internationally or domestically. And you can group it with a bunch of different concentrations (e.g. finance or inequality studies, Asian studies or Jewish studies).</p>
<p>The Cornell In Washington Program is popular as well.</p>
<p>Thanks Cayuga. My family thinks that Cornell isn't known for Social Sciences, so I'd be better off doing something like Computer Science + Econ. I ultimately want to work in either the government, or go to law school. I've also thought about doing internships at think tanks - would you recommend that? How would I combine econ with a concentration in finance? Is it possible to take finance courses in the Johnson School?</p>
<p>There are finance courses through the AEM program in the Ag school, not to mention additional courses in Econ through the Arts econ department:</p>
<p>Courses</a> of Study 2007-2008: College of Arts and Sciences</p>
<p>Courses</a> of Study 2007-2008: College of Agriculture and Life Sciences</p>
<p>Generally speaking, you're family is right that Cornell isn't as well known for the social sciences as it is for the hard sciences, applied sciences, and the humanities. But that doesn't mean its offerings aren't strong. In certain applied disciplines (e.g. labor relations, rural development, consumer regulation, adolescent behavior, digital communication), Cornell may be the best in the world. For the Economics and Government Departments, the are probably both among the top-15 or so in the U.S. </p>
<p>I did a junior summer internship at the Brookings Institute in D.C., and then worked for three years at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston in a think-tank type environment. You would have a D.C. internship as part of the Cornell-In-Washington program, but I chose to study abroad and spend a summer in D.C. Cornell prepared me wonderfully.</p>
<p>Cayuga, how did you go about getting that internship at Brookings? I have looked at the CATO institute, namely because that aligns better with my ideology, but would you say that Cornell positioned you well making you competitive with other applicants? I would definitely love to study abroad at LSE. </p>
<p>Additionally, what types of careers would you say a Government/Econ combo set a person up for?</p>
<p>I applied for the internship that I found just by scouring the Internet. They called me and interviewed me. And then they offered me the internship.</p>
<p>More generally, the candidate is a lot more important than the school you attend. Cornell or Harvard or Michigan can open up a lot of doors for you, but it is up to you to step through the doors. How do you do this? By succeeding academically. Getting to know your professors. Taking courses that are in line with the job you are applying for. Having a good writing sample. And so on.</p>
<p>So when I was at Brookings and the Fed, the uniting theme among my peers wasn't that we all went to good schools, because we didn't. The uniting theme was that we were all top performers and took advantage of the resources provided to us.</p>
<p>I studied at Oxford. LSE only allowed students to study for the fully year, and I didn't want to be away from Ithaca for such a long period of time.</p>
<p>What types of careers would a government/econ combo set you up for? The sky is the limit. One of my friends is at Columbia Med School, but wants to focus on health care policy from a practitioner's perspective. A bunch are on Wall Street. Others are in consulting -- either management or economic consulting. Others go into management tracks at Fortune 500 companies. A bunch go into academia, pursuing their PhDs. And the remained (probably 20%) go on to law school or policy work, sometimes after working at Federal agencies beforehand.</p>
<p>Cornell actually produces a number of students who are interested in politics from a more libertarian bent (as naive and misguided as they are). A member of my graduating class can be frequently found as a talking head on Fox News. Which after you get past the fact that he is willingly appearing on Fox News, isn't bad, only three years out.</p>
<p>Haha, Fox News, I was reading somewhere that they are one of the more morose networks. </p>
<p>That sounds great! I'm glad that such opportunities exist. I am not entirely sure about studying abroad, but I think I really want to do CIW. Thanks for all the great advice. I really appreciate it.</p>