<p>I was talking with a couple seniors about how the Business School needs to be improved. First of all, let me say that students have a better idea of how to fix things within the university than the current administration. Anyways, a lot of the frustration came from advising and the general student body of Weatherhead.</p>
<p>For some perspective, I'm a sophomore economics major. I'm interested in finance and economics, and I'm pretty good at math. I decided not to major in Finance, which is a concentration under Management, because I think the Business core absolutely blows. There are a lot of classes that I see as pointless. The management core, if you are unfamiliar, is basically a wide breath of courses in various disciplines. I see the idea behind the core, but I think it is inherently flawed. </p>
<p>The problem is that the different undergraduate divisions are not strong, and therefore very few think to pursue a concentration in operations research or information systems. I think people are turned off to those fields just by the courses taught in the management core. Most students major in Accounting, Finance, or Marketing. </p>
<p>There are two main problems with the students body. One of the other biggest problems is that half the students are "engineering rejects." Engineering is obviously one of Case's draws, but a good number of people drop out. These people switch to business, and some of them just lack interest in the material. The other problem is that many business majors don't strike me as intelligent. It feels like the Weatherhead caters to these people with classes such as MATH 125 (Calc I) and 126 (Calc II) and STAT 207, lighter versions of the class specifically for business students. I have heard many people complain about just these classes, and it's just frustrating considering fields like Finance and Economics actually require Math.</p>
<p>One of my other complaints is freshmen advising. I'm not going to name names, but I feel like I wasn't adequately informed about classes when I signed up first semester. I had credit for both Principle Econ courses, and I had Stat Credit. I got into some classes that I was not prepared for. As a freshmen, it's important to know what you're getting into. I suggest you take 100 level classes your first semester (unless you're in a language) to learn more about the school and yourself.</p>
<p>The other problem was that I was leaning towards taking the four course math sequence ("the engineering sequence," it's really just regular calc). However, the advisor told me I should take Math 125 instead (that's what most business majors take). Although I feel Math 121 (Calc I) would have been harder, I regret taking it because the fields that I am interested in require Math. </p>
<p>Personally, I think Weatherhead+the Econ Department should re-evaluate it's program. I think by suggesting students take math especially if they require it for Finance and Econ majors, it can really help the reputation of the school in that it would weed out the students who can't handle it and it would better prepare the students. Furthermore, I think it would help recruiting. Case's career office is not that great for recruiting. Cleveland isn't a bad business city, Case can do more. It can also attract more national recruiters.</p>
<p>So here are some suggestions, but you really have to evaluate yourself before you take these to heart:
-Take the four course math sequence if you're going into finance or economics. I know everyone is still excited and wants to go into Investment Banking, but give yourself some outs or other options. I think a solid math background can get you into Hedge Funds and other Financial Sectors that require more of a quantitative background. If you're going into economics, math is important. A lot of grad programs require a math background and it will better prepare you for your classes which will be mostly application based.
-Once you arrive at Case, get to know upperclassmen. They can especially be helpful in telling you which classes to take, and when to take them. Don't feel pressured into finishing all your requirements right away. While you should work towards it, you have to make sure you're prepared.
-Don't be discouraged about Case from what I have to say. Although I do have some insight as a current student, I certainly have a bias, and it is up to you to find out for yourself. </p>
<p>I'm not trying to deter you from going to Case. I'm trying to prepare you in such a fashion that you won't regret the classes you take because of the way the program is set up.</p>