<p>I'm trying to decide what major I'd like to pursue at Lehigh but I need some help. I'm definitely interested in a business-related major. My current choice is finance but I've heard from a number of people that it can be quite a difficult topic of study. Is this true? And if so, why?
My other option is economics (again, business-related). I've read online that this major is actually quite easy and just involves a lot of reading.</p>
<p>On a side note, can anyone comment on the difficulty of first-year classes for business students? In particular, Math 21, which, from what I've read, is extremely difficult. Is it hard to do well in these types of classes?</p>
<p>Hey hkdanny,
My advice is not to be afraid of a major because it is hard. I heard bio/pre-med is hard but i hope i can do well. Finance is a tough field but you can do well. I’m not sure if it is tough to get a good gpa at lehigh but at PSU my brother struggled but still kept his gpa>3.5. Also business students don’t take calc 21 from what I know. They take business calc which is supposedly much easier.</p>
<p>Wow! Your brother should be quite proud of himself. As for you, good luck! Bio/pre-med certainly is a tough major.
Business calc? That actually sounds quite interesting, more so than calc 21.
I’m not necessarily worried about the difficulty of the major itself. Rather, I’m worried about being able to balance schoolwork and other activities.
I’m absolutely willing to dedicate a lot of time to my major, but I’d also like to ensure that enough time is left over for me to try other things. I might join a club or try greek life, who knows!</p>
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<p>Finance is probably the second hardest business major, behind Accounting (which is difficult because you need 150 Credits to graduate as a CPA). As stated, you shouldn’t be afraid because it’s difficult. Do something that you actually enjoy and it won’t seem that bad. I promise you that even with a Finance or Accounting major you’ll be able to do clubs/greek life and still do fine, I know tons of people who do. If you choose a random major just because it’s easier and gets you a fine job you could end up hating it and hating your career.</p>
<p>Don’t choose a major because of the difficulty or the level of work you might have to do. Frankly, every major at Lehigh requires a decent effort - some are obviously a bit tougher than others. From what I’ve seen, the business college is really starting to gain some recognition and notice for the rigor of their programs - I’m sure you’d find any major within the college to be somewhat difficult, but completely doable. Lehigh would not have accepted you if they didn’t think you could do the work.</p>
<p>Finance and economics are two different things. I encourage you to think about post-graduation plans. I know that’s hard to do since you’re still not done high school yet, but think about what type of career you’re looking for. Are you looking to be an entrepreneur, a business-owner, a Wall Streeter?</p>
<p>Look into the potential opportunities each major offers. Email the faculty or department heads from each department and let them know that you’re doing your research and you want to come to a wise decision. I’m sure they’d be happy to help you.</p>
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<p>If you took honors or AP-level calc in high school, Math 21 should be low-to-moderate in difficulty for you. It’s not designed to be a weed-out course - we don’t really have weed-out courses. And as other posters have said, there are lots of resources if you’re stuck.</p>
<p>You’ve been really helpful on many of these threads, so thanks so much for that.</p>
<p>As for Math 21, my worry is that the highest math class I’ve taken thus far is a strong pre-calculus class. I’ve done very well in that class but I still don’t know if I’m ready to take Math 21 or anything that difficult just yet.</p>
<p>I’ve read about a placement test but my worry is that I might do so poorly on that, that the school doesn’t even know what to do with me!</p>
<p>Any suggestions? Should I start studying from now?</p>
<p>Not a problem, happy to help. According to the Math Department website, business students usually take the standard Math 21 (Calc I), which goes for one semester. But they can also take Math 76, which is the same as Math 21 just spread out over two semesters. Both classes are acceptable prerequisites for Math 22 (Calc II).</p>
<p>You should take the placement test and consult with your faculty advisor when the time comes. It might also be a good option to take a basic calc class at your local community college over the summer, just to get the experience in.</p>