<p>Please help this medical professional, liberal arts/grad school-educated mother (with no background in business) advise her h.s. sophomore who thinks "business" is right for him! Kid loves and excels at math, is interested in economics, markets, and politics, and thinks he wants to run his own business some day. What kinds of college programs should we consider? Is a specific business major the BEST way to launch into business? Must a degree come from a business accredited program/school? What about a good small, private liberal arts college (kid thinks that "small school" with lots of individual attention would be the best fit for him), followed by an MBA? Finally, what's your opinion about various summer programs in business for h.s. students? Any and all advice about early experiences, academic programs, part-time jobs, etc. to prepare this kid would be EXTREMELY appreciated. Your chance to guide a newbie from the ground up!</p>
<p>Preparing early is a beautiful thing, but, remember, he is a sophomore in high school. Every hs soph who has ambition to go into business wants to become a entrepreneur. Think about it; no hs kid says, “I want to be an equity analyst for Barclays” or “I want to do financial advisory for Deloitte.” I mean, I am accounting major who, at 16, wanted to become an airline pilot. From now until the middle part of junior year, the most important thing to concentrate on is building up the GPA and testing well on SAT/ACT. From the middle of junior year-beginning of senior, then begin to look at potential colleges. </p>
<p>Nevertheless, I’ll try to briefly answer your questions. </p>
<p>Best way to enter a business career? Major in accounting, finance, management information systems, or operations management </p>
<p>Yes, an accredited business program is a must. Otherwise, it is like getting driving lessons from an purportedly accredited driving school and realizing, a few weeks later, that your driving hours are actually invalid because you went to an unauthorized driving school. (Best allegory I could think of. I’m not an English major)</p>
<p>Top liberal arts schools tend not to have business programs. Small state schools, however, usually have business schools. For average students, a business degree from a big state school is much more valuable than a small liberal arts-esque state school because of the alumni base.</p>
<p>Summer business programs are very limited to underclass college students, not to mention high school students. </p>
<p>Worrying about college specifics is a bit unnecessary at this point. Furthermore, discussing MBA is hardly done by those already in college, so tab such a topic for a quite a few years down the road.</p>
<p>Forget about the MBA for now. Most people get their MBA around age 27-28. Thinking about one when he’s a HS sophomore is way, way too early. </p>
<p>If you could list your general location (i.e. NE, Midwest, SW, etc) then I could recommend some good liberal arts programs that are business oriented.</p>
<p>I’m 22 yrs. old and a business major. When I was 20, I was a music major. He has a long ways to go, just focus on good grades and good test scores.</p>
<p>I get what you’re saying, and have been down this college search road with my oldest kid already - so I’m pretty aware of the necessary (and appropriate) timelines. However, in my day in college - 30+ years ago - it was entirely possible to attend a small (good) liberal arts college, major in economics, and get hired by major accounting and banking firms - perhaps later pursuing an MBA or law degree. Several close friends and my husband (liberal arts college, econ major, worked 1 year post-grad, then earned a law degree) did just that; he’s been working for a big bank for 25+ years. I’m getting the sense now, from this site and others, that kids today who are interested in all things “business,” need to attend an accredited business school/program - necessitating their “commitment” to business much earlier than I’d like (for their sake) and curtailing exploration of all that’s out there in the world of college and work. Is this a correct impression or not? If so, it absolutely influences the schools we will visit. We reside in the northeast; S wants to follow his sister to college in the south. We all hope eventually to escape the overtaxed state we currently inhabit. Summer programs in business for high school kids certainly exist; Babson, UVA, and Georgetown are 3 schools I know of that offer them. Not sure how they’re looked upon by admissions committees, but am interested in your opinion. Hope this clarifies the information I’m seeking.</p>