<p>Go to a school where you can get internships and work experience if you are a business or biz/econ major. Working internships are the most reliable way to gain experience and prove to employers you are ready for a real job with a real salary.</p>
<p>So to me it seems like opportunities to network and work interships are most important; at UCLA, there are more/better opportunities than at Cal, correct?</p>
<p>Not necessarily. Both have excellent opportunities. I'd say they're about equal, really.</p>
<p>I'll try to give you my view on it, I'm a biz econ junior at UCLA and don't agree with some of the negative comments that were made earlier in this thread.</p>
<p>I chose UCLA biz econ over Berkeley Econ based on the program partially. In the end it comes down to YOU and not the school, or the major so much. Plus, I'm glad I didn't go for a business degree. I really find that myth funny, that you need a BS in business administration to do well in the business world. During my internship interview with JPMorgan, the managing director smiled and said to me that he doesn't care much about an undergrad business degree, since UCLA's the better school (compared to USC)</p>
<p>About getting jobs and internships, virtually every reputable firm recruits biz econ majors at UCLA, I got interviews with tons of companies and got offers from several banks, big 4 accounting firms and some private corporations in the end. And it was not because I'm super smart or something, but because I used the resources UCLA gave me, and put in a lot of time preparing my resume, writing cover letters, and doing a little networking here and there.</p>
<p>So bottom line, if you're interested in working in socal, UCLA will help you a lot and can connect you to the top players in almost any industry. I have friends who will intern w/ Goldman Sachs, several big 4 firms, consulting firms and more. And the full-time salaries will be just as high as for Berkeley students. Ibanking for example pays 60K base (plus about 10K bonus) for first year analysts this year no matter what school they are from.</p>
<p>And also, if anyone has more UCLA biz econ specific questions let me know.</p>
<p>I was in the same situation last year and had to decide between Cal and UCLA. Thanks to many excellent posts and helpful people here on CC, I think I made the right decision.</p>
<p>Thanks a lot max. That was quite helpful. I am also curious if you get to interact with Anderson professors at all or maybe possible current Anderson students? Are there many chances to do so? And is there anywhere I can find information on what bizecon grads earn on average, and what companies they generally work for? Sorry, I just want some concrete detail because I noticed Berkeley has the data, and most of the jobs are fairly reputable, but when I checked UCSD's data, the jobs were much worse and the pay much lower. There were some Target's and Mervyn's and such. I don't want a degree just to work where some of my friends currently work...</p>
<p>Also, major question, I have several community college courses. It seems to be the equivalent of Econ 1 and Econ 2. I also passed the AP Calc BC test with a 5. So basically I do get to skip out of those classes right? Will I be at a disadvantage since I took those courses at a community college rather than UCLA when I apply for the biz econ major which may be after two quarters...</p>
<p>fastMEd,</p>
<p>I don't know if I'll be able to get through to you on this (this might be my age coming through), but the big names aren't always the "best jobs." I know plenty of people at no name companies who are wildly happy. I know people at top firms that are miserable.</p>
<p>If you go to work at Target, odds are you won't be working as a clerk. Why wouldn't you want to work for a very successful company as an executive, anyway? I mean, would you turn down a good position at McDonald's just because it's McDonald's?</p>
<p>About Anderson professors:
I just took a Cost Accounting class and the class was identical to the MBA class, the professor taught it simultaneously to undergrads and MBA students. We had several guest speakers from highly regarded firms, several networking events like dinners with Deloitte, Bain people. So yeah, you'll be taking classes at Anderson and get to meet people there.</p>
<p>About the earnings:
I'm sure that the average pay is pretty much the same as for Cal students. It's not like one company would pay a Cal student more than a UCLA student, the difference in the averages comes from the TYPE of jobs that students end up with. And I know UCLA has all the major companies and not only Mervin's, Target and Walgreen's.To name a few: Goldman Sachs, Lehman Bros, Morgan Stanley, Google, Yahoo, Pricewaterhouse, Ernst&Young and many more. They all interview on campus. I also know a few people (including myself) who got job offers in the San Francisco area where we technically had to compete with Cal and Stanford students.
I was a com. college transfer and took almost all my classes there, but that's a whole different story. I wouldn't bring that up with the recruiters unless they ask for it.</p>
<p>thanks max and uclari. </p>
<p>i have some considerable credit at community colleges, how well do the credits transfer? the biz econ site says that the transfer credits need to be "approved" or "reviewed" before you can apply. It should be good right? </p>
<p>also to uclari, i know that, but the jobs i saw on the ucsd senior survey site were clerk jobs... surprising</p>
<p>maxx99:
i was admitted to UCLA as an "International Development Studies Major" but would like to change to "Business Economics." What would be the best way to do this? Can i switch majors during "Summer Orientation," as pointed out in their website?</p>
<p>check assist.org and make sure you also have all the major requirements fulfilled.</p>
<p>what if i am an incoming freshman? Do you think it would be possible for me to switch majors before school starts in fall? (Summer Orientation ??)</p>
<p>taniuxka20:
I'm not sure how it works for non-transfer students (assuming that's who you are). Go to the econ website <a href="http://www.econ.ucla.edu/undergrad%5B/url%5D">http://www.econ.ucla.edu/undergrad</a>. You need a 3.3 GPA for certain pre-major courses to get into the major, which makes biz econ more competitive.</p>