<p>Which is more useful for someone who does not plan on attending grad school after getting the undergrad degree (I would rather start working immediately, and get an MBA a few years later): going to business school to get a special degree, or go to any college (I would have more variety) and be an Econ major? I'm also considering law school... maybe... because I have a strong interest in politics/international relations.</p>
<p>Econ majors get some of the highest scores on the LSAT. Just something to think about.</p>
<p>Many people ask this question. The answer: It depends on the type of career you want and the school you are attending. Most importantly, it's what you're interested in. It seems like you might like political science.</p>
<p>Wharton business>>>>>No name school Econ</p>
<p>Harvard econ>>>>>>>No name school business</p>
<p>^ is obvious. The less obvious comparisons are something like Wharton vs. Harvard or no-name business vs. no-name econ. I say no-name business is better than a no-name econ because you can at least make your degree more specialized with business. Harvard and Wharton is very arguable. I would think Wharton is the better option (biggest representation at GS), but there are some i-bankers I know who say Harvard is CLEARLY the best. I always get mixed answers.</p>
<p>So essentially... if I get into the truly top-tier schools, I should go with the one I really love... and if the schools are slightly lower, I should take the business school into consideration? I guess I feel like I've focused my college searches too narrowly based on whether or not a school has business.</p>
<p>Harvard Econ>Wharton in my opinion. Harvard opens all doors.</p>
<p>Harvard/Wharton > YPS > Mich/Duke/Chicago/etc > rest</p>
<p>Seriously though, I have no idea.</p>
<p>Go Econ. for undergrad, take some PS/IR classes as well, focus your econ. studies on something like international development, or international trade or monetary economics in terms of the electives you take. Throw in a political economy class or two.</p>
<p>If you want to round out your b-school type knowledge and also try out business school, go to a summer Business School boot camp. I only know that Haas at Berkeley has one -- they call it BASE or something like that -- but there must be others. Personally, I think a summer in Berkeley would be great, but I am biased. </p>
<p>Business school for undergrads is above being a trade school, but not enough above it in my opinion. Get a fuller, more well-rounded education as an undergrad. I would think (and people will correct me if I am wrong, I hope), undergrad b-school is lousy prep for law school. Better would be econ. or poli sci., assuming you are also in a program that will rigorously help you continue to improve your writing skills (not that you lack those skills, it's just we all always need improvement in this area).</p>
<p>Since you didn't indicate what level of school you are shooting for, I am not going to get into the ranking Harvard above Wharton above whatever. For all I know you are going to be an LAC type or don't have your sights set on the Ivy League.</p>
<p>Oh and I just Googled the base program:</p>
<p><a href="http://haas.berkeley.edu/Undergrad/BASE/%5B/url%5D">http://haas.berkeley.edu/Undergrad/BASE/</a></p>
<p>Thanks for all the advice! I guess it is now pertinent to add some more details: I am looking into Penn (Wharton) ED, Georgetown MSB, Berkeley, WashU (those are the schools I've already sent SAT scores too, lol)... also UVA, UMich, NYU, and USC. As for the Econ side, Stanford, UChicago, UCLA (?), Columbia. Oh, my state safety is ASU. Is that enough schools for ya? Oy vay.</p>
<p>You can't go wrong with any of those schools....except ASU lol</p>
<p>One of the things you might want to consider once you hear back from these schools is where you want to work. You would be surprised how biased some companies can be towards local alumns (bc a lot of local alumns will be at these companies). I interviewed with an investment bank in LA that only hired UCLA and USC alumns (yes, they tend to turn down guys from top schools on the east coast like Yale and Dartmouth for guys from USC and UCLA)</p>
<p>Well, gonsenheim, that's because USC and UCLA are better schools.....</p>
<p>But seriously, at least it's good to see the shoe go on the other foot once in awhile.</p>
<p>The reasons why undergraduate business level are never offered in some of the most prestige universities in the world, are because they don't need attractive/quick-money-making-scam program to attract bright students, and they (the schools) know the program itself intrinsically offers no real value or intellectual purpose at all, which eventually produces essential uneducated alumni which will probably make a fool out of the school’s reputation with their intelligence. </p>
<p>"Who the hell cares if I'm going to be earning 70k starting out just like all the smarter majors?" you say, ya, nobody cares, except probably yourself, wondering why you wasted those 4 years learning absolutely nothing. If you don't feel guilty or stupid, then it's all good I must add.</p>
<p>Go ahead, flame on. Business students are used to refusing the truth and cover with their own anyways. But people with a sober and unbiased mind will understand and agree with the above statement.</p>
<p>Ha abcboy70: I don't know whether to flame you or cheer you. But really it's a little bit of both. </p>
<p>First of all, it's an old rhetorical trick to say you aren't, in this case, "sober and unbiased" if you disagree with me. That's rather a cheap shot, don't you think? Automatically you are **** and **** if you are stupid enough to not see things my way.</p>
<p>I am on record above as saying that I consider undergrad business school slightly above trade school. So I am not far off from where you are in terms of view of the value I impute to an undergrad business degree. </p>
<p>But the business world is full of people who went to the likes of Wharton/Penn, Haas/Berkeley, MIT, Michigan, etc. undergrad and who have done superbly; apparently they derived much value from their degrees. The CEO of HP went to, I think it was Baylor, for a Bachelor's in Business.</p>
<p>You can claim that an undergrad business degree holds no value or intellectual purpose. With respect to the former, as I mentioned above, there are sufficient counterexamples that pretty much negate your argument. With respect to intellectual purpose, you and I would probably be much closer to agreement than you might realize. However, I am willing to concede that my view of intellectualism and its value is not related to the pure financial return on an education.</p>
<p>But some very, very smart people study undergrad business and do very well at very prestigious schools. Thus, I would conclude that the programs aren't just quick money-making scams.</p>
<p>And if you are talking about intellectual curiosity, I had a friend teach both economics students and business students at a university with a top 2 or 3 undergrad business program. He said the business students had a much more active approach to learning, were much more willing to engage in fierce debate in class, and seemed generally more curious. I was surprised. I had held them to be intellectually less nimble. You might be surprised too. On the other hand, maybe business students just aren't your "type." They're not mine either. I was accepted twice at top 10 business schools and twice turned them down, and now have concluded I really made the right choice for me.</p>
<p>MissBarbara,</p>
<p>I think Northwestern would be another good choice (I am biased). It has a top-10 econ program and has just started to offer a undergrad business certicate program under Kellogg (one of the best b-schools in the world). The biz cert will consist of four advanced and heavily quantitative finance courses. <a href="http://www.kellogg.northwestern.edu/certificate/%5B/url%5D">http://www.kellogg.northwestern.edu/certificate/</a>
You will obtain the intellectual rigor of econ and the technical skills that can readily be utilized for fields like investment banking. The only thing if you won't know if you will be accepted to the certificate program until the end of 2nd year. Also check out MMSS <a href="http://www.mmss.northwestern.edu/%5B/url%5D">http://www.mmss.northwestern.edu/</a> if you are pretty good at math. Listed below are examples of summer internships in the past couple years: <a href="http://www.mmss.northwestern.edu/current_students/Internship%20Directory.pdf%5B/url%5D">http://www.mmss.northwestern.edu/current_students/Internship%20Directory.pdf</a></p>
<p>BedHead, I appreciated your comments. I really do.</p>
<p>Yes, there're some very, very smart people study undergrad business and do very well at very prestigious schools. Which is why it's also very, very sad. If you're smart enough to get into college at first place, why do you spend those 4 years (mind you the best 4 years in terms of everything including learning) studying business.</p>
<p>Is it for the money? If so, people are making a stupid mistake. Is it because you want an MBA later on your career? Well, that's even more ridiculous. </p>
<p>I'm not discrediting the quality of the student bodies, I'm discrediting the programs and the schools. They make it as if an undergradute business major is intellectual, demanding, and is the only way for a fabulous life style. Let me tell you, that's not true. In fact, far from the truth. They're only wasting their students' protential.</p>
<p>And I can tell you most business students I've spoken too are disappointed with their education, and they're very ambitious and highly intellegent individuals.</p>
<p>Yes, there'll be people from Wharton, Haas, and alike. And they're all very happy of their education. This is due to the quality of the lifestyle that paper brings, not the intelleut. You can not dispute this. I've already said this earlier, in different words. If you even argue anymore, you're really just speaking out of your ass.</p>
<p>
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If you even argue anymore, you're really just speaking out of your ass.
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</p>
<p>Here pull this finger:</p>
<p>You friggin' crack me up, abcboy70. </p>
<p>I recently met with a guy who had gone to the top undergrad b-school (you can guess which one you think this was) and also studied either economics or engineering at the school. He went on to Harvard BS. He is phenomenally rich and successful. He did mention he regrets not straying further from the norms and taking classes like African American studies.</p>
<p>In principle, I am right there with you. I am glad I didn't study business, undergrad or grad.</p>
<p>But straight out my ass comes this final piece of flatulence: it's high-handed business to determine what makes another person happy, let alone make a generalization about many of them and what makes them happy.</p>
<p>
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And they're all very happy of their education. This is due to the quality of the lifestyle that paper brings, not the intelleut. You can not dispute this.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Phew, I am glad that pressure is off my bowels. That evacuation was so great I might just need to check for sputter stains....</p>
<p>At Krannert, the students that don't make it in business switch over to Econ.</p>
<p>Well business students, especially from the top tier business programs, have to work equally hard as individuals in most other majors and are in an environment that is just as competitive. The character/work ethic that kids come away with from college is far more important than any specialized knowledge in business, engineering, etc. and so to say that business programs offer no real value is just foolish.</p>
<p>Well I didn't mean to spark such a controversy... :-) Thanks though, you've given me a lot to think about. I guess maybe what it comes down to is what school I want to go to? For example, if I get into Berkeley, I'd probably be better off going to Haas than pursuing the econ major? And for different schools, vice versa?</p>