Simple and open-ended question: How much worse is LSA Econ compared to Ross in terms of recruiting and job placement? Is LSA Econ looked down upon severely because of Ross?
I was rejected by Ross but accepted my LSA offer but now I’m having some serious doubts about how good LSA really is. I turned down the Bschool at Carnegie Mellon just to experience UM. Any reassurances?
Also, is it completely impossible for me to get into Ross now since I applied pre-admit?
Honesty is welcome. Thanks.
From what I understand, there is no ability for those who weren’t accepted pre-admit to apply again for Ross. Only those who did not apply preadmit are able to. Regarding to LSA Econ, it’s a good major but it significantly harder to get recruited than it would at Ross if you don’t take the initiative. The latter is what I’ve heard from others but haven’t experienced personally, so hopefully someone else can add to what I’ve said. I don’t believe it’s looked down upon or know whether going to Tepper would’ve been better, but one thing for sure I can say is that Umich felt like a better college environment to me than CMU. Also the question I have is “is studying econ what you want to do or is studying business what you want to do?” If your answer is the latter and not the former then I’d say that Tepper would’ve been the better option. If it was the former then LSA Econ is great, even if you compare it to Uchicago or Northwestern.
Most students don’t get a BBA and get an MBA instead which is the more traditional route and perfectly fine.
I think Econ at UM is looked down upon. They are mostly kids didn’t get into Ross. But you should still be able to find good jobs. My friend’s D and S didn’t get into Ross so studied econ, but both of them got nice jobs after graduation. It did take her D a few months to find one in NY working for a real estate co, but her S already has a job offer from Oracle a few months before graduation.
LSA Economics is excellent, and nobody looks down upon it, but Ross is going to be better when it comes to recruitment. There is nothing wrong with LSA mind you, but very few Arts and Science career offices are going to match Ross’, and in universities that have large and elite BBA programs, Arts and Science students will typically not be as highly recruited as BBA students.
Still, 96% of LSA graduates have job offers or acceptances into graduate school upon graduation. If you can maintain a high GPA (over 3.5), and take a healthy dose of quant classes (Math and/or CS), you should have great job opportunities.
Michigan is opening an "Opportunity Hub"exclusive for LSA students which should enhance placement.
Would double majoring with econ and smth else and then applying for the ross grad school be a viable option?
A double major does not necessarily add substance to the MBA application. Most MBA programs will expect at least 3 years of full time work experience.
That being said, some double majors go well with Economics. The Econ and Math or Econ and CS double majors is great.
On the “softer” side, Econ with a Foreign Language and Econ with Psych double majors work well together as well.
And then you have the PPE (Philosophy, Politics and Economics) major, which is also very interesting.
But like I said, a double major is not expected. If you do it, you should do it out of intellectual curiosity.
Also look into the possibilty of an Industrial Engineering major with a business minor. Remember, Ross also offers business minors.
I assume the OP was referring to the newer and increasingly popular One Year Masters at Ross. You can see in the attached there are four tracks to this. This program is usually taken up right after completing an undergrad at Michigan. It provides Ross classes and the recruiting engine. It would be worth scheduling time with an advisor in this program to learn more about it.
Thanks guys! @Alexandre You think econ and communications would work well together as a “softer” double major?
While Ross name and recruiting resources are powerful, LSA Econ certainly is not looked down upon by anyone. Have multiple friends and acquaintances at Michigan who have gotten multiple great job offers. Will second that Double major wit CS or Math is good combo.
You will get a good job with a B.A. in Economics from the University of Michigan. If your perspective is that Ross is the best thing that could ever happen to you, then you won’t feel good about Econ. You have to stop that kind of thinking. You will have a liberal arts degree in a highly desirable discipline from a world-class university. What you will study will be far more interesting than the pre-professional business classes. You know, some people look down on an undergrad business degree. It’s all a matter of perspective.
If you want, you can minor in business at Ross. Not sure how far it gets you.
I’m not Alexandre, but I’ll say that communications is a weak degree. It will add nothing to your econ degree. What type of career do you want after graduation?
I agree with brantly. I do not see any added value to a communications degree. However, if you enjoy the subject matter, I see no harm in it. Another Social Science, like Political Science, Psychology or Sociology, goes well with Economics because it adds an extra dimension intellectually. Another language, like German or Cantonese or Japanese or Russian or French or Spanish, adds an essential skill in this day and age. Polyglots are at an advantage in this global economy. Mathematics and CS lends quantitative skills to the mix.
Econ is more rigorous and tougher than business by far. I have seen this firsthand from my friends in both programs and from taking coursework from both the Econ department and Ross. If you are interested in an econ/finance grad degree (PhD, MFin, MFE, etc.), then the econ major is the better choice. If you want to take advantage of the superior recruiting/career services that Ross provides so you can get a top placement right out of undergrad, then Ross is the obvious choice. If you are looking for a more profound or rigorous learning experience, econ is your choice.
I think it is important to note that you can still get a top industry placement right out of undergrad with a Michigan UG economics degree, but there is a lot more elbow grease involved (econ majors are not spoon-fed recruiting and the econ grading/curves are actually tough compared to the super-easy Ross curves). Also, it is worthy to note that it is almost impossible to get into a top econ/finance grad program with just a BBA from Ross (while that is very much possible with a BA/BS in Econ from LSA).
Ross is better, but not by miles ahead.
You will see tons of LSA grads have gone on to work at Fortune500 firms and even some have started their own companies.
Whether you’re in Ross or not, you will need to take full advantages of the opportunities on campus, the career offices, student organizations, seek mentorship, network like crazy, and exemplify Leadership.
Ross is better, but not by miles ahead.
You will see tons of LSA grads have gone on to work at Fortune500 firms and even some have started their own companies.
Whether you’re in Ross or not, you will need to take full advantages of the opportunities on campus, the career offices, student organizations, seek mentorship, network like crazy, and exemplify Leadership.
@yikesyikesyikes said “Econ is more rigorous and tougher than business by far.”
You can’t say that. It depends on what courses you take in each and what you are good at. The higher level econ courses requiring mid level calc can be challenging. But so too can the higher level Finance courses.
A lot of what is “tougher” depends on the student’s strengths. Both Econ and Business can be challenging/rigorous or can be much less so.
No.
Let’s go on the premise that the subject matter is equally difficult in business and econ (which most people in academia would probably disagree with you right off the bat - I have worked closely with Ross faculty who have readily admit that the coursework in econ, math, and engineering is significantly tougher). But I will let you have this (probably false) premise.
Here are some statistics. Even in the tough finance core courses, you have 40% of the class getting an A/A- (in elective Finance courses you have 60% getting an A/A-). Let’s not forget the 90% in core courses getting a B or higher. Such a lenient grade distribution is unheard of in Econ. Look at the course syllabi if you do not believe me.
I wasn’t referring to the curve but the material. For Michigan, yes, general coursework in math and engineering are tougher. I wouldn’t lump econ in with math and engineering. Even if you tried to, you can’t say “by far”.
IMO, Econ subject matter difficulty > BBA Finance/TO subject matter difficulty, but I can see how people could argue them being similarly rigorous (especially if you choose the least rigorous course track in Econ). So I guess I can understand where you are coming from in that regard (so long as it is not the hardest Econ track that most Econ majors looking to go to grad school elect).
As for all the other BBA concentrations (Marketing, Communications, Management, etc.), I think the “by far” qualification is very appropriate regardless of the Econ track.