<p>Ok quickly, I'm a college student right now with 63 hours and a 3.609 GPA. I am a finance major but have not taken any actual finance classes quite yet. I am planning on transferring for either the fall semester or taking off the fall semester to save money and applying to schools for the spring semester.
My ideal plan was this: transfer to a well-known school that is within my reach & price (IU or Ohio State), get my undergrad degree in finance, get about 4-5 years of solid work experience in the finance industry, hopefully get into and get an MBA from a top b-school, and finally make a lot of money and enjoy doing what I do.
Sounds great right. Well I've been doing a lot of research on here as to whether I am making the best decision right now career-wise and in preparing myself for a top MBA program. In doing so, I've completely confused myself and am not sure what to do now.
I've looked at many of the top ranked MBA program's websites and compared their class profiles. It seems the majority of students in nearly every program have gotten their undergrad in economics. From the research I have done on these boards, I have found that most people on here seem to think that an econ major is more well-respected and useful if you are planning on earning an MBA in the future.
*Let me say this, my interest is in finance. I truly enjoy it. Stocks, Wall Street, Corporate finance, Boutique banks, living in a big city like NYC...I honestly want to be involved with this after grad school (not sure my specific focus but time will tell).
I am wanting to know what path I should take. What is the smartest move at this point? Should I pursue economics for my undergraduate degree? Or should I stick to finance? Can I still be in the finance industry with an economics degree combined with an MBA? These are questions I have to ask myself as I try to choose the perfect undergraduate school to transfer to.
Please, if I did not cover something let me know. If you want to answer something I didn't ask, feel free. Short answers help just as much as long, so write whatever amount you are comfortabe with. Thanks.</p>
<ul>
<li> Stay with finance since you like it, you will be happier and more successful.</li>
<li> Get a job and take leadership roles; meaning you work for/with others</li>
<li> Evaluate your life 2 years after graduation and apply for MBA, don't wait 4-5</li>
<li> Chase your dream</li>
</ul>
<p>I think you see more Economics majors than Finance majors because most finance majors become CFA or CPA or CFP certified, whatever (not my industry), and find that they don't need an MBA; different career paths. However, that may not be the same as yours. If you want an MBA, go get it.</p>
<p>
[quote]
It seems the majority of students in nearly every program have gotten their undergrad in economics.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I'm sure there are a large number, but certainly not a majority. For one, about 1/3rd come from engineering. Your work experience will be what matters..not your undergrad degree. I know a lot of people who come from a finance background (corporate finance or IB) but I have no clue what they majored in for undergrad. Frankly, your undergrad degree doesn't mean a whole lot when you have 5 years of work experience in a particular field.</p>
<p>Hi. When you say "the majority of students...have gotten their undergrad in economics", how much of a majority were you talking about? I've been reading this book called "Your MBA Game Plan" and it's basically one of the definitive books on MBA admissions. One of the stats shows that 22% came from Econ majors, 17% business, 17% engineering and the rest are from social sciences, natural sciences and humanities. I don't think 22% is that much of a majority. Also, if you look at career backgrounds, you'll see that 20% come from a finance background and 25% come from some sort of consulting. Given that, I think that if you truly enjoy finance and get a job at an I-Bank out of college, you won't be hurting your chances of admission to a top MBA Program. The more important things would probably be your actual work experience/performance and recommendations from supervisors, not to mention your GMAT score and MBA essays.</p>
<p>If you want, you can buy the book for like $13 bucks plus shipping from the following site:
<a href="http://www.veritasprep.com/mba-guide/%5B/url%5D">http://www.veritasprep.com/mba-guide/</a></p>
<p>
[quote]
I don't think 22% is that much of a majority.
[/quote]
It's not a majority at all. It isn't even half of a majority.</p>