<p>I recently began looking into Cornell for my undergraduate education, and I have a few questions. From what I see on Cornell's website, it seems that the operations research major in the engineering school and AEM in the LS school seem to be the best options for someone wanting to go into investment banking, consulting, etc. To me, it seems that operations research > AEM for investment banking, as operations research seems to be more analytical, quantitative, critical, mathematical, etc., or qualities investment banks look for. Yet, after a few searches on these boards, OR doesn't get much attention, but a lot of people talk up AEM. </p>
<p>Anyone want to explain why OR doesn't seem to be the hottest major for people looking at investment banking, and the differences between OR and AEM in terms of job placement and such (not what the actual majors are)?</p>
<p>I tend to think that OR is better than AEM as well, and if I was hiring somebody for a quantitative position, I would make certain that any AEM grads had a decent quantitative record. The nice thing about hiring a Cornell engineer is that you know that they have already had a pretty demanding academic experience. And I say that as an ILRie. </p>
<p>That being said, realize that a lot of individuals in ORIE might not be interested in business (or, for that matter, making as much money as possible while causing all sorts of global problems). A very good friend of mine from Cornell graduated ORIE but is very interested in logistics. He got blinded by money his senior year, and ended up getting job offers from Capital One and a hedge fund in Boston. The hedge fund was a bit sketchy, so he went to Capital One. Needless to say, he's leaving in less than two years to go for a PhD in Applied Math.</p>
<p>Also consider that these boards only provide a very limited view on Cornell. As it is mostly littered with CALS and ILR transfer students.</p>
<p>cayuga, do you know why thats the case? that there are so many CALS/ILR'ies on these boards? Kind of weird considering the proportions of the school.</p>
<p>Littered is a negative word, but that's how I would describe the attitude of student's who are blindly interested in prestige and future investment banking: bleak and negative. It's also a bit trying to have to deal with same incessant questions, week after week. And I have only really been on these boards for two months!</p>
<p>As for why there are so many prospective Agies and ILRies on these boards, I don't know. It's probably the type of person who can most benefit from the answers on these boards. There are also the regular students who are trying to decide between Cornell CAS/Eng and Columbia/Penn/Duke/Northwestern/Chicago/Berkeley/etc.. </p>
<p>The non-prefrosh "regulars" appear to be:</p>
<p>DewDrop87: A senior transfer who helps a lot of other transfers manage the Cornell transfer process.</p>
<p>NorCalGuy: An 07 alum who fields a lot of questions about biology and medical school.</p>
<p>AppleJack: An 02ish(?) alum who fields a lot of questions about the natural and environmental sciences. A big proponent of Cornell's uniqueness.</p>
<p>Patlees88: A current student who studies business? Likes to argue a lot about Duke v. Cornell.</p>
<p>Tahoe: An older alum... living near Lake Tahoe?</p>
<p>Rendeli: An 07 ILR alum now in a PhD program.</p>
<p>Elgguj: A freshmen who is transferring out of Cornell, finding it "too liberal" and "extremely isolated", despite our suggestions to the contrary.</p>
<p>Don't forget me! Except, you post like I did 3 years ago. After years of "It's also a bit trying to have to deal with same incessant questions, week after week", you become like me. I suggest you bookmark your longer posts, you'll be able to just copy/paste them the majority of the time.</p>
<p>I'm drawn to Cornell because of the OR major. It seems like a very interesting field (matches up with some of my interests) that will allow me to be a versatile individual and thus have a lot of opportunities in the future. I looked through the required courses and have already finished many of the actual quantitative courses (math), so it seems like I would have a leg up when I get started. </p>
<p>Where would you say I would get the most out of my education then? As an OR major rather than AEM?</p>
<p>ORIE definitely provides an education. AEM provides a degree and a handful of worthwhile courses.</p>
<p>That said, if you may be interested in the softer side of business -- general management, marketing, communications, advertising, etc. AEM is the way to go. The world needs more than investment bankers, especially these days.</p>
<p>I'd actually choose AEM in this case, here's why. GPA is a MAJOR determinant in getting an IBanking job, and it is pretty hard to have a really good GPA coming out of OR. In OR, you need to take physics and chemistry classes that are useless for banking... plus many other core difficult engineering classes. that all make it difficult to get a good GPA. AEM on the other hand, is a completely different story. It is so easy to get a high GPA in AEM. I am an engineering major who has yet to get higher than an A- in an engineering class... but I have gotten an A+ in the two AEM classes I have taken so far (Marketing and Business management). I think AEM is the right decision here.</p>
<p>Bah. Students place too much emphasis on GPA. </p>
<p>Coming out of Cornell engineering, all you need is above a 3.3 to merit a second look of your resume. After that it comes down to experience, interest, personality, and interview. You would be surprised, but it is very easy to separate the wheat from the chafe during the interview process. Some students know their stuff and have a great personality. Others don't.</p>
<p>Don't underestimate the power of personality and extracurriculars. Why do you think Cornell athletes typically have no problems getting good jobs coming out with GPAs in the 3.0-3.3 range? Well, being a varsity athlete indicates a lot to employers about work ethic, diligence, ability to cope with stressful situations, etc.</p>
<p>Whining about grades does not.</p>
<p>Don't kid yourself. No employer ever decides to hire a student with a 3.7 over a student with a 3.5 strictly on that basis alone.</p>
<p>The top tier investment banks weigh GPA heavily. You should have a very interesting "story" if you have a lower GPA. In this profile of GS, they weigh GPA as the #1 factor they consider. I haven't been in touch with their career offices in years, but about eight years ago, I can tell you that they required a minimum of a 3.5. I don't know what their policy is today - or even if they have a policy today! I have the highest respect for CayugaRed, even though he called me old :mad:! I have to agree with Brown Man this time... Sadly, I know many, many Orie majors who transferred to AEM because they needed the GPA. Now, if I see an Orie major with a 3.5 or above... that resume goes to the top of my pile!! Goldman</a>, Sachs & Co. Recruiting Profile</p>
<p>P.S. CayugaRed... I used to drive a Tahoe at my ski house, but I do love Lake Tahoe!</p>
<p>Well, then I stand corrected. You need a 3.5, not a 3.3</p>
<p>Although one has to wonder about the rational decision making capabilities of investment banks these days...</p>
<p>But I agree with Tahoe, between a similar looking ORIE and AEM resume, the ORIE student will go to the top of the pile. Hell, I would place a mechanical engineer resume over an AEM student, all things equal.</p>