<p>So, my SAT is about 2k, I'm a homeschool student. I planned to major in Economics. For Unis, I'm looking at UMinn/GWU/UT/TA&M, for LACs Occidental/Lafayette/McAlaster(reach)/St.Olaf.</p>
<p>The problem is, if I went to a LAC, I probably would just stop there for financial reasons, so I'd be left with a B.A. Econ. I'd prefer to use the degree more for a business/analysis/management type career than for actual quantitative iBanking or something like that. Would a LAC B.A. be marketable enough to get me a job, especially considering it's not from the complete-upper-echelon of LACs?</p>
<p>If cost is a concern, have you checked the net price calculators at each school’s web site (both LACs and non-LACs)? What post-bachelor’s degree path would you consider if your undergraduate cost were low? (Note that PhD programs are typically funded, but MBA, MD, and JD programs are typically expensive.)</p>
<p>Individual economics programs vary in emphasis and suitability for preparation for various post-graduation goals; LAC versus non-LAC does not necessarily divide them in terms of suitability.</p>
<p>yeah I had to weed out a lot of econ programs (wisc) due to cost, I’ll have to figure out what’s up when it comes to the LACs though.</p>
<p>if I got a somewhat subpar degree from a lower-cost safety school (UT Dallas, possibly TA&M) I’d think about a masters in International Relations or Developmental Economics.</p>
<p>oh, just to clarify a bit- since I noticed a lot of those who went to LACs choose to continue into masters/PhD, are the BA’s sufficient standalones?</p>
<p>Yes, a BA is a fine foundation for an advanced degree. Are you from TX (based on your selection of Us)?</p>
<p>What is your Math +CR score? </p>
<p>How much will your parents pay? </p>
<p>Is UT out of the question? If so, why? </p>
<p>If your M+CR score is stong, then maybe you should apply to some schools where your scores will net you a large merit scholarship?</p>
<p>Do you want to be an Econ major in the B-school or the Arts & Sciences? Some schools offer Econ in both places. Personally, I don’t know which is chosen for which reasons. lol Maybe others can chime in? I think one requires more Math??? not sure.</p>
<p>I have a young friend who has a BA in Econ from Dickinson (LAC about on par with St. Olaf) and is working for Deloitte. He is a kid who hustled for internships every summer (started applying during winter break and landed some kind of business-related internship every summer in college). His last internship was with Deloitte and they hired him when he graduated. As someone who has done some hiring for the large business/tech consulting firms, I can confirm that you can certainly get an interview at a lot of them with an Econ degree from an LAC assuming you have good grades (good grades are going to be a requirement at any school, of course). What you do with that interview is up to you, of course. 
But a degree in Econ shows an interest in business in general and will help you get a foot in the door. Doesn’t matter if it is an LAC or a university.</p>
<p>You could get scholarships at some of these schools and then the cost can end up lower than the state university.</p>
<p>If you are weeding out LACs because of cost, you could make the same argument for GWU, which is very expensive and does not give food financial aid. Also, OOS public schools are not known to give good financial aid either (although Minnesota has a relatively lower cost of attendance for OOS families).</p>
<p>But yes, you can get a job from a top LAC like Occidental, Lafayette or Macalester. A lot of students choose to enter PhD programs not because they have to, but because small LACs encourage intellectual discovery and graduate study and you have close relationships with professors, who often encourage you to get a graduate degree. But a BA from there is sufficient just like a BA in economics from Minnesota or GWU would be sufficient. You’re learning essentially the same things.</p>