<p>I'm going to be applying to NYU for sure...I'm just not sure about what major I want to pursue. For nearly every college on my list, I am applying with the intention of majoring in Economics or, if offered, Economics-Mathematics. I understand NYU's Econ program is quite good, and I also hear that the Courant Institute of Mathematics is considered to be one of the best in the nation. NYU also happens to offer "Economics and Mathematics" as a major, which is what I'm thinking I'd prefer to do.</p>
<p>However, as of now, I'm on track to apply to Stern as a Finance major. My reasoning behind this, up till now, has been that Stern's Finance major is truly worth the 40k or so a year as it is considered by many to be the 2nd best in the nation, after Wharton. </p>
<p>So...I'm not sure which major to apply to. Is there that big of a difference between the quality of degrees? Is the Stern Finance degree really so valuable that I'd be crazy to pass up the opportunity of attending Stern instead of the College of Liberal Arts?</p>
<p>I had a number of internships at investment banks and a hedge fund in the past.</p>
<p>They do not care whether you majored in Finance or not. Any major is considered. In fact, Ivy Leauge schools, where I-Banks actively recruit, do not offer Finance major. (Except UPenn obviously)</p>
<p>Their assumption is that if you have gone to a top school and maintained high GPA coupled with past internship experiences, you are a competitive applicant.</p>
<p>Moreover, if you would like to work at an Investment Management (Asset Management) firms such as Mutual Funds, Hedge Funds, and etc., they actively recruit students who have math, physics, computer science, economics, and etc. backgrounds and in very few cases they recruit pure Finance students. </p>
<p>It's because Investment Management and financial industry in general is so dynamic, you are entailed to think critically and most importantly creatively. I personally believe liberal arts schools prepare you for your life after college rather than just solely for your professional career. In a sense, this benefits you.</p>
<p>If you are eyeing on D.E. Shaw and other quantitative biased hedge funds, you might want to pursue a pure science track or Econ & Comp. Sci or Econ & Math track.</p>
<p>I personally think a liberal arts education might better suit you if you are an undergraduate student. I would definately attend a graduate school and get an MBA degree after college and years of work experiences. But as a 20 years old man, I would like to study a variety of subjects and be exposed to lots of different ideas that make me into a broadminded person.</p>
<p>I'm currently an Economics major at NYU and I think jslee1026 has got it exactly right. I know plenty of people who have internships with i-banks and who were not finance majors. They were just hard workers with high GPAs and a lot of enthusiasm.</p>
<p>It's too narrow...a finance major will only be good at crunching numbers but lack the analyticial and writing skills a liberal arts major would have.</p>
<p>DE Shaw recruits only pure science and in most cases those who hold PhD in Physics, Math, even Biology and etc. or Financial Engineering etc.</p>
<p>These are hedge funds...I don't know the level of your knowledge in the field of Investment Management...but anyway</p>
<p>Basically, Finance majors are not exposed to rigorous course work in quantitative field...yes, you thought Finance was all quantitative, but when you apply for jobs, you are competing against PhDs in Physics, Math and those crazy rocket scientists.</p>
<p>Of course, Investment Banking is a different story. it's a deal driven business. you need clear communication, good network (i don't mean socializing, i mean you know a good handful of people who are CEOs of other companies, and etc.</p>
<p>You can land an analyst job and associate job with relative ease assuming you have earned a degree from top schools and graduated with 3.5 GPA or above. But there is a ceiling, in Investment Bank, you can only go so far if you don't have deals coming in. You don't bring in deals, you are pretty much screwed.</p>
<p>I don't want to go in details...but it's like that haha :)))</p>
<p>my cousins work for I-Banks in nyc, and they often tell me these...</p>
<p>i probably cannot answer to that question...i am not an HR manger or something haha</p>
<p>have you interned at any investment bank or asset management firm?</p>
<p>if you did, you prob have some knowledge about this...i don't know how to explain this...it's just the impression (and som fact) i got from working at those firms.</p>
<p>jslee1026, can you actually choose undecided major for transfer admission? I remember that NYU requires all transfer students to indicate their intended majors in the applications except for those who apply as first year students.</p>
<p>"Students applying to the College of Arts and Science and to the Stern School of Business may indicate "Undecided" in the "Anticipated College Major" question on the application. However, students applying to The Steinhardt School of Education, the Tisch School of the Arts, or our School of Continuing and Professional Studies MUST indicate a major, and may not select Undecided."</p>
<p>Totally disagree with most posters here. I agree that Stern (other than Tisch) is the only part of NYU worth the money. You will get a much better job. NYU is not otherwise a top school in the eyes of the most desirable employers. It is much harder to get in though then entering as an econ major. Though Stern is not #2, MIT is.</p>
<p>"NYU is not otherwise a top school in the eyes of the most desirable employers."</p>
<p>It seems that bobby100 has no idea what he is talking about. If you look at the list where last year's econ graduates landed jobs, you'll see that many obtained jobs with several BB i-banks (of course they must have had a 3.5+ GPA) and others landed jobs in corporate finance. If you want this list, go to the econ department at 269 Mercer Street (7th floor) and pick one up. In addition, I have spoken to several banks that have come to campus to give presentations and all say that they look to hire economics majors as well as history and political science majors for analyst positions.</p>
<p>My guess is that bobby100 has not done any research before posting. I'm curious as to what school he goes to and whether he has any experience in the i-banking field.</p>
<p>Went to Harvard, work for a BB ibank in M & A. While a couple of my coworkers went to Stern, none are from NYU who didn't. There are pleanty of back office guys though.</p>
<p>hey bobby100, which i-bank do you work for? Just curious</p>
<p>The one I interned for has a number of nyu graduates including non-sternies.</p>
<p>Many also came from state schools like UMich-Ross. Investment Management field, many quants (obviously) came from highly quantitative backgrounds and rarely just Finance from undergrad b-school.</p>
<p>btw, my cousins went to 1 from MIT, 2 from Columbia, and 1 from Rutgers. (undergrad ed i mean). they all work for bb ibanks, and 3 of them are quite successful and earned their MBA</p>