<p>First off, I already applied to Northwestern and am awaiting my decision. But, I have a question. I am set on wanting to go into business after college. I am interested in either breaking into investment banking/consulting or accounting at a big 4 straight out of college. My concern is that NU does not have a business major. Would it still be smart for me to go to NU and major in economics even if I know that I 100% want to go into business. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!</p>
<p>Check this out: [Certificate</a> Program for Undergraduates - Kellogg School of Management - Northwestern University](<a href=“http://www.kellogg.northwestern.edu/Certificate.aspx]Certificate”>Certificate Program for Undergraduates | Kellogg School of Management).</p>
<p>NU actually has a relatively impressive business undergrad option; if I attend NU i’m planning on an econ major with perhaps one of those certificates. Hope I helped!</p>
<p>Since CEOs from the world’s leading companies just ranked NU 6th highest in the world among schools where they actively recruit, I’d think it would be an excellent place to study if you want a career in business.</p>
<p>[Education</a> - Image - NYTimes.com](<a href=“Education - Image - NYTimes.com”>Education - Image - NYTimes.com)</p>
<p>NU ranked above Oxford, H.E.C Paris, Princeton, Brown, Duke, UPenn, Dartmouth, UChicago… </p>
<p>I’d say Northwestern seems like a pretty good bet.</p>
<p>NU is ranked way too high in that poll, and that’s because CEOs are most familiar with Kellogg. There’s no way for UG recruiting is NU that high.</p>
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<p>Harvard, Stanford, and Yale are also too high. If you want to impress the people making your drink at Starbucks, go to Harvard, Stanford, or Yale. If you want to impress an investment banker or hedge fund manager, go to Wharton (at UPenn) or Ross (at UMich). Both Wharton and Ross, if you can get in, are better than NU for UG business.</p>
<p>Regardless of what NU’s rank is on that list, the fact is that top companies heavily recruit at NU.</p>
<p>I think this is ultimately a personal choice. If you don’t necessarily want to work as a consultant at a top firm but would be comfortable being an accountant/sales rep/bank rep, you can probably go to a mid-level business program and be fine. However, if you want to land a top consulting job, going to a “target” school like NU is the better route. At top schools, you will study econ (or industrial engineering OR some other major as long as you do extremely well and nail the case interviews) and be forced to take liberal arts classes. NU offers the Kellogg Certificate program which is very rigorous and highly respected by top companies. An undergraduate business program at a mid-level school will likely be business-focused whereas an econ major at an elite school will be more liberal arts focused. Wharton has a top undergraduate business program, but I don’t know much about it.</p>
<p>It goes without saying that whichever path you take, if you’re ever considering a business job in the slightest, you MUST do an internship (a relevant one preferred) every summer. Strive to find employers that will hire their summer interns for full-time employment after graduation. If you’re having a hard time finding an internship on your own, join an org like AIESEC (there’s a chapter at NU). It’s prestigious and the vast majority of their members land an internship.</p>
<p>@cmarmon and RedSeven - are you aware of some problem with the methodology of this research, or do you think CEOs had some reason to misrepresent where they actually recruit? </p>
<p>Do you have ANY firsthand experience with recruiting at Northwestern?</p>
<p>I see people citing the very flawed payscale.com report, but I’ve found no flaws with the recruiting research.</p>
<p>We’ve heard many reports here at cc of NU undergrads being hired by fall semester of their senior year. That implies pretty active recruiting to me.</p>
<p>I personally know a few seniors who will be at Bain (2), BCG, LEK, and GS next year.</p>
<p>A comment on the cert: Some of those seniors had taken the MA or FE certificates. The feedback has been that the classes are really useless, because much of the content will be learned on the job anyways. However, the resume book and connections help you out if you hadn’t started early on networking.</p>
<p>It’s hilarious that people are still pushing undergrad business degrees as EVER superior to economics degrees from superior universities. Top investment firms do not want BBAs. They want majors that actually take half a brain. Wharton is the only complete exception. Finance is slightly better than business. Slightly.</p>
<p>I recently heard the results of a study reported on NPR about which majors work hardest in college, and business majors landed squarely at the bottom of the heap (measured by the number of hours spent studying). Based on what I’ve seen of the math pre-reqs for the UG Kellog certificate I’m betting that’s NOT true for NU undergrads. ;-D</p>
<ol>
<li>No, NU does not have a business major, but NU has a very business focused econ major if you want to make it that. </li>
<li>NU is a target for the firms you’re talking about. Maybe for Big 4 Illinois could be a smarter choice, but for your high class IB/consulting gigs, NU will get you the job if you do your part with the grades.</li>
<li>[Mathematical</a> Methods in the Social Sciences Program – Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences, Northwestern University](<a href=“http://www.mmss.northwestern.edu/]Mathematical”>http://www.mmss.northwestern.edu/) if you’re looking at IB/consulting</li>
</ol>
<p>Check this out for info on the recruitment process at top firms. I’m not sure if it’s 100% accurate but I think it has some good info:</p>
<p>[How</a> Elite Business Recruiting Really Works - By Jim Manzi - The Corner - National Review Online](<a href=“http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/285160/how-elite-business-recruiting-really-works-jim-manzi]How”>How Elite Business Recruiting Really Works | National Review)</p>
<p>“Here are about 40 schools in America where BCG and/or Bain are doing on-campus recruiting this year (meaning not just that they will accept resumes, but that they are doing things like on-campus presentations to get students interested, and then doing on-campus interviews): Duke University; Amherst College; Brigham Young University; Brown University; California Institute of Technology; Claremont Colleges; Columbia University; Cornell University; Dartmouth College; Harvard University; The University of Virginia; Princeton University; Yale University; UCLA; University of Michigan; Northwestern University; University of Chicago; Massachusetts Institute of Technology; New York University; University of Notre Dame; University of Pennsylvania; Emory University; Rice University; Southern Methodist University; Stanford University; University of California at Berkeley; University of Southern California; University of Texas; Georgia Tech; Morehouse College; UNC Chapel Hill; Washington University, St. Louis; University of California at San Francisco; Vanderbilt University; Baylor University; Texas A&M University; Georgetown University; Davidson College.”</p>
<p>As you can see, they recruit from a broad range of schools although the vast majority are elite schools like Northwestern.</p>