<p>Hello College Confidential. I recently was admitted to U.C. Berkeley and, upon fulfilling my final prerequisites, will be petitioning for admission to the Economics major. I am an incredibly competitive and ambitious individual. As a result, I have had the fortune of securing a free ride to my B.A. With the free ride, in lieu of working a lot, I intend to achieve more academically. In light of this, I plan to do one of three things: A) double major or triple major including Economics, B) stick to just Economics and pull off honors, or C) a combination of both dependent upon time constraints and practicality.</p>
<p>My question is this: In terms of employment, which of these options, assuming exemplary performance, will yield me the maximum attractiveness to the employers who offer the highest pay and growth opportunities? I am open to the option of letting my Economics studies remain at B.A. level and pursuing further education in Accounting or Finance to a graduate level if that will increase my prospects. I am very interested in all three realms.</p>
<p>Thank you in advance to those who take the time to assist me in this research for my future.</p>
<p>I would double major and since it seems like you can afford it, focus on internships. Experience is really what will land you a job once you graduate.</p>
<p>Don’t know that you can triple-major at UC, outside of an individually designed major which can have attributes of a triple-major; I could be wrong but I’d check it out.</p>
<p>For Econ, the best options ultimately require a PhD. My D was lucky enough to get a job as an Econ research assistant position with a significant think tank after undergrad. She’s been part of the hiring team for internships. Summers are most daunting: they had over 500 apps for 10 positions, the positions being in different units with different interests, focus, and consequently what they were looking for in terms of background. To get into the semi-finalist pool, you needed to have a 3.7gpa.</p>
<p>Internships in Fall or Spring are easier than Summer. UC does have a formal internship program in DC. Berkeley has an advantage over other UC’s in that its undergrad is one the semester system…the 10-week quarter is a killer for many internships. Fwiw, D did an internship on the Hill and it was
a factor, along with a spectacular undergrad record (non-UC) in getting the job with the think tank.</p>
<p>The Math minor isn’t a bad idea and it doesn’t even have to be applied. (D has a double in Math and Government and her Math was more on the pure & theoretical side.) I think it’s essential to demonstrate both serious quant skills and serious writing abilities. When D applied for her job, they asked for writing samples and she had a couple of very impressive ones, including a five-page excerpt from an 80-page paper.</p>
<p>Note: don’t know how representative her experience is but when they did reference checks…and they had conversations as long as half an hour with her references…one of the the things they were most interested in probing was her ability to function well in a collaborative process. Brilliant singletons need not have applied.</p>
<pre><code>Congratulations on getting admitted to Cal. A triple major is possible at U.C. Berkeley I graduated with one in Economics, Political Science and French in 1979. Employment prospects depend upon what you want to do and what you want to use as your credentials. If prospects are based upon your B.A., then Economics is one of the more useful and versatile majors to have [by contrast, there are not that many options with a degree in French]. However, if you are expecting to obtain an advanced degree, then Economics would not be as useful until you acquire a Ph.D. which can be limiting. Accounting and Finance are useful, but for a post-graduate degree you may wish to consider an M.B.A. Potentially, the most useful doctorate degree probably is a J.D., because you not only can qualify to take the State Bar and practise law, but you have the background in critical thinking and analysis, as well as an understanding of the law, which is invaluable in business, industry, and most other endeavours. As my father once explained to me, with a degree in law you can do anything except play football and practise medicine, and if you want to go into those fields, then you can deal with the legal or negotiating aspects of those fields. One person once advised me to get an undergraduate degree with a background in accounting and a degree in law as one of the best combinations. Within twenty years of graduating from Berkeley that man had built a multi-billion dollar company. Hope this helps and good luck.
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<p>I reread your questions and offer the following more specific responses:</p>
<p>A double or triple major is accomplished more by good planning than by extra work and additional majors should not affect your ability to attain honours, neither does an extra major or two affect your time constraints. You still have to take the same number of units, just plan the courses so that you satisfy more than one major. I think that an extra major not only can expand opportunities when necessary, but it adds a level of prestige not many students accomplish a double major [10 - 15%] and I dont know if there are any statistics regarding a triple major [only heard of two people from Cal, so far]. Ask the College of Letters and Science if they have statistics on triple majors and, if so, let me know… I am curious. Having a triple major from Cal has impressed a large number of people [in part because no one has ever heard of it], so if you plan such, you likely will get great rewards for the rest of your life. As for a potential employer, a double or triple major indicates an additional commitment or ambition, without having to say I am ambitious it speaks for itself. </p>
<p>Add majors which you find useful to you or to your future. I chose mine to pursue opportunities in international law, business, and international relations.</p>