Hi,
I just finished my first year at Cal and during this summer, am currently taking Stats W21 and Math W53. I took math W53 as a pre-requisite for the ORMs major, which is essentially Industrial Engineering for L&S students. My first choice of major is Haas however. Math W53 is turning out to be a bit harder than expected, and I’m anticipating getting an A- or B+ at the moment. My current GPA is 3.844. My question is, should I bother to continue on the path to ORMs and take W53, W54, and CS61A? Or just P/NP Math W53 to keep my GPA up for a better chance at Haas? Ideally I’d like to get into consulting or finance and I know Haas would help out a lot. However if I don’t get in, I’d much rather do ORMs than Econ which would be my backup. Any advice?
Math 53 and 54 will be helpful if you choose the more quantitative version of economics (with Economics 101A, 101B, and 141), as well as ORMS. Or if you choose applied math or statistics.
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/14204944/#Comment_14204944 suggests that a more quantitative major is preferred in finance recruiting if one is not in business (which may be favored due to its selective nature).
Career survey results for class of 2015:
https://career.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/pdf/Survey/2015IEOR.pdf (IEOR + ORMS)
https://career.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/pdf/Survey/2015Econ.pdf (Economics)
https://career.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/pdf/Survey/2015BusAd.pdf (Business)