Major in "Applied Math" or Math and Econ?

College Search & Selection
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<p>The title for this thread is oversimplified, unfortunately, because I have many questions and am seriously looking for advice.</p>

<p>I am going to be a junior undergraduate at DePaul University in Chicago next year, currently double majoring to earn a BS in Math and BA in Economics. I am trying to decide a concentration(s) for the math major, and am considering dropping the Economics major entirely in order to accommodate more than one concentration for the math major.</p>

<p>The majors for math I am considering are: 1) Pure Mathematics 2) Quantitative Analysis and Operations Research 3) Financial Mathematics (includes needing a Finance minor)</p>

<p>My interests vary from pursuing an PhD in Economics to going for a masters in financial mathematics/engineering or an MBA. Clearly, my interest is in finance/business/economics, and management consulting is appealing as well.</p>

<p>The question is, should I pursue both majors and only one concentration for my math major (financial mathematics would be impossible in this scenario), or should I devote myself entirely to the math major and pick up two concentrations (Financial mathematics + one of the others, and possibly an economics minor as well)?
In other words:</p>

<p>Option 1: BA Econ and BS Math ([concentration 1 or 2])
Option 2: BS Math (Financial Mathematics + concentration 1 or 2)</p>

<p>I realize this is a convoluted question, but I am looking for a variety of opinions. Also, the fact that I am coming from a non-target school must be taken into account. I should mention that I am also in the Honors Program at DePaul, however.</p>

<p>I need a balance between having something marketable to employers immediately once I have graduated (assume I have decent internships and research experience before that), and having something that will make me stand out to top graduate programs as well. I will likely wish to work for a bit after graduating to save up for school. </p>

<p>My GPA is decent, with a 4.0 in Econ so far and 3.7 in Math. My cumulative is not so great, since I earned a couple of Bs in Chem and Physics (I used to be pre-med). </p>

<p>Any help, opinions, advice, criticism, friendly banter, etc. would be greatly appreciated!</p>

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<p>For what it is worth, here is the suggested preparation for graduate study in Economics at a well known school for the subject:</p>

<p>[url=&lt;a href=“http://www.econ.berkeley.edu/econ/grad/preparation.shtml]Preparation[/url”&gt;Preparation | Department of Economics]Preparation[/url</a>]</p>

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<p>Either course of study should work well for you. Go with where your interests lie since your grades should be a little higher that way.</p>

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<p>Thanks ucbalumnus, it seems that other than an extra class or so in differential equations and the like, I would meet the math requirements for that Econ program. </p>

<p>So, like Erin’s Dad says, either course of study should work. That’s an important point, though, that I shouldn’t forget about my GPA and doing well in general.</p>