Is attending Notre Dame worth it if I cannot internal transfer into Mendoza, and be forced to major in Econ or some other major?
I really really want to attend ND, but I do not know if an econ degree from ND (worst case scenario) will amount to much in the future had I instead attended USC Marshall, UCLA, or Stern.
Is it better to just attend an undergrad bus. school where I am already accepted to such as USC Marshall or NYU Stern, and not take the transfer risk of ND Mendoza? Or is an econ degree still fine at Notre Dame in employability terms?
I am likely thinking of attending Stern if I cannot be guaranteed to Mendoza even after meeting with ND admissions in two weeks because I am hesitant on an Econ degree.
If you are set on being a business major, then you have a significant risk of not being able to transfer into Mendoza. Even if you get in Mendoza, there are different areas of speciality so ask the right questions to evaluate your situation vs your aspirations. Not sure why you hesitate in the econ degree. Econ at ND is rigorous and you can create a course load that is heavily quantitative and would be good prep for a business career. Get a meeting with an econ prof to discuss with him the opportunities that the econ majors are finding.
The best question to ask is what is the placement of econ majors. If you like where they are going (which industries / employers, which geographies, which grad schools) and what they are doing, then that school has the best program for you. The best path to the Harvard Kennedy School may not be the best path to an investment bank in Dallas or Chicago or a policy position in DC.
I believe ND’s econ master’s program is in the top 30, for reference. Plus, the name brand of Mendoza always helps if your intent is to do business. I’d just make sure I told people that I loved econ so much, I chose it over Mendoza if you get my drift. Regardless, and MBA will still be the true decider, so keep those grades, up, attend Booth, Kellogg, or stick with Mendoza, etc… and you’re good to go.
Undergraduate business school isn’t as important as graduate school is. If you look at a lot of prestigious schools, they don’t even have undergraduate business schools. Not attending Mendoza won’t put you at a disadvantage for graduate school. Good luck!
@moooop I’m not entirely sure, but I may be allowed to. If I am not, how would a poli sci major with business economics minor look? Or should I switch poli sci with something else?
Moooop, With enrollment in Mendoza now limited and a non-business major is going to be at the end of the line in registering for business classes. Thus, availability will dictate the practical ability to pick up courses. I suspect that hard and fast rules have not yet been adopted.
@WestCoastCali17 would it better to just go to USC- Marshall where I am already in the bus. program, than risk it at Notre Dame (even though ND is more prestigious than USC overall) ?
IMO there is a big difference between getting an econ degree and a business degree. An econ degree is a liberal arts degree. If you are in a b-school you will take liberal arts classes but you will also take a business core curriculum which will have intro classes in disciplines like accounting, finance, IT, business law etc and you will have a major in a business discipline. One is not inherently better or worse than the other, but they are different courses of study. Typically students out of a b-school are employable, but that is certainly not a hard and fast rule. If you want to go directly to grad school, it may matter less. I’d look at the classes you’d take for a business degree and an econ degree online and see which appeal more to your interests.
If you are 100% sure you want a b-school then if you find that an internal transfer at ND isn’t going to happen after your meeting, then I’d select a school where you are in the business program. If you’d be happy with an econ degree and going to ND, that is fine too.
Note that Stern is a great b-school but it will have a very different environment as compared to ND. NYU has no campus, no big time sports etc. Again, they are both great, but they will be different experiences.
Thank you for response! I took AP Econ last year and absolutely hated it and it bored me to death, but I still got an A (idk how). So, I feel like doing an Econ major is out of the question; but, maybe ND’s business econ minor would be a bit better.
As for Stern, I do not think I will have the most enjoyable time because of those exact reasons you listed. But, I will be visiting next week to get a firsthand experience.
For USC, I just received my aid package, and it was a rather large amount to the point where I will be paying 10-15k/year. I would be ecstatic to attend USC as I am also in its bus. school, and it has the environment that I like. But, the only qualification is possibly having a difficult time working back in the East Coast after graduation. What are your thoughts?
I will most likely have better grades taking the courses in business programs, and not doing a full out Econ major. But, looking at ND's bus. econ minor, it doesn't seem too bad at a first glance.
IMO if you hate AP Econ, that doesn’t bode well for being an econ major, but you have to make your own decision. It is good that you will see ND and find out if a transfer to Mendoza is a possibility and that you have USC and NYU as options.
I’m not sure about USC’s presence out East – I haven’t seen a ton of USC grads in NY so maybe a lot just stay in CA. I can say that if you go into accounting the big firms recruit nationally so getting back east shouldn’t be a problem. The USC b-school has a very good reputation, the environment you want, and if the price is right, it has to be a strong contender. If you visit USC you should pose the question of how many people get jobs back east.
NYU would have a bigger presence of graduates in the NY area/east coast because of the school’s location but it sounds like you may not want a city based experience for your undergrad (which is understandable.
Visit the schools and see what you think. Good luck.
We have been to some schools on the east coast and when I say USC, they think University of South Carolina. USC business school is a very good school. I would think(I don’t know for sure) that if you hire on to a large national firm, you could get back to the east. Most people in California want to stay there. Just my opinion and I live in California.
Put the sports rivalry aside, USC is a very good school. If programs were judged by their current environment / offerings / achievement (and historic reputation was ignored), it would be a top 20 school. However, ND is very different from SC and NYU in many ways. You can get anywhere you want to go from any of those schools but … If you prefer the big city, the SoCal life, or the ND character, then use that as a strong guide. The financial aid makes a compelling argument for SC. If you are stuck on being a business major, then signs seems to point to south central. Choose a major excites you. If necessary, double major so your are employable. You can make an Econ degree every bit as quantitative as a finance degree. There is more than one road to accounting firms, investment banks, corp finance jobs, law school, etc… And you are probably going to be a more interesting person if you have some good liberal arts course work. A DCF is just math and India will graduate 1 million students who have better math skills than you have in the next 4 years. Your liberal arts courses may enable you to understand why a conglomerate based in Medellin may be more interested in investment opportunities on the Pacific coast of South America than opportunities on the Atlantic coast and have a similar preference for businesses at sea level rather than high in the Andes. Plus, you can learn all the accounting your need for your CPA exam in the review course.
If you want a CPA you need 150 credit hours nowadays, so any major anywhere plus a Masters in Accounting later would do the trick. Some of those programs are designed for students who were non-business undergrads.
At ND if you want a taste of business another option is the Science-Business major, good if you like science too (yes that is actually a major, in the College of Science). That major plus and a double major in Econ would certainly look intriguing to future employers.
if you get my drift. Regardless, and MBA will still be the true decider, so keep those grades, up, attend Booth, Kellogg, or stick with Mendoza, etc… and you’re good to go.