Turning down McIntire for Econ and Math?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Virginia
1

My son was just accepted to McIntire but is considering becoming one of the 2% or so to actually not accept his spot. We think he is crazy, but he is strongly considering continuing on the Path of an Econ major and Math minor.
The reasons he has articulated are:

  1. He really enjoys econ and math
  2. He will have more flexibility to take other classes of interest than he would in the Comm school
  3. Studying abroad appears to be easier to do outside of Comm. He has his sights set on a destination not on the approved list on the McIntire site.

His unstated reasons may include:

  1. He has heard McIntire is extremely tough, especially 3rd year. He does a lot outside the classroom that he enjoys having time for.
  2. He is pretty introverted. I think he may be uncomfortable with the prospect of being a quiet guy in a school of type A extroverts.

He isn’t sure what his career will be, but it will be something business related.

Can anyone who has experienced McIntire or Econ/Math comment on:

  1. The perception that McIntire is much tougher that Econ
  2. Can introverts be happy and successful at McIntire?
  3. Does anyone have experience going abroad as a McIntire student?

Thank you!

2

Has he considered a double major of McIntire and Econ? My son did Finance (McIntire) and Econ. Challenging, but very doable if you enter McIntire with a decent number of Econ requirements satisfied. Lots of group work in the McIntire program, but I think an introvert can still add value to the team. He may be the guy who crunches the numbers that someone else presents to the audience. Best of luck to him. I would also add that an Econ/Math combination from UVa is a very marketable degree.

3

If he got the grades to get into McIntire, then he will not have a problem with the course load/difficulty of 3rd year. I would not give an ounce of concern about “introvert” part…McIntire doesn’t produce the future Dale Carnegies of tomorrow…rather those than can crank out arcane derivatives on Wall Street.

4

Thanks to both of you. robertr- do you have any insight into workload between McIntire and Econ? Also any insight on McIntire and a term abroad woulf be helpful.