<p>I am trying to decide between. My stats make me a reasonable applicant at both schools. Any suggestions? I plan on going into IBanking. I am leaning towards Wharton but i love manhattan and Columbia's core.</p>
<p>I don't know anything about the Econ Dept at either school, but I suspect that IBanking requires some business school after college. If that is the case make your choice based upon considerations other than your major. [I like Manhattan too]</p>
<p>Stanford MBA here. A large contingent of those going into IBanking on Wall Street do the following: BA (ANY field) ->2 years on Wall Street in entry level position->business school->back to IBanking and Wall Street. Many go into IBanking after Bschool without ever having any previous experience or study in the world of finance. So you don't need to go to Wharton, as mardad said, to have wide open opportunities to go into IB. </p>
<p>So go to the undergraduate school that appeals to you. If you major in Econ at Columbia, you will certainly be an excellent candidate of graduate business school. Most of the top programs want you to be out of college a couple years before you apply.</p>
<p>40% of Wharton seniors go into I-Banking straight out of undergrad. </p>
<p>You should check out the career services website at Columbia as well to get a sense of where their Econ majors end up.</p>
<p>Take a look at the Columbia Spectator online today -- there's a front page article on the econ department. They've added 10 professors this year alone, in an attempt to catch up with student demand and to regain their position among the top five departments. I think this is a great time to major in econ there, something I wouldn't have said a few years ago.</p>
<p>Of course both schools are great. But if, as you say, you love the core curriculum, I'd say go for it. You only get one chance to take those classes, while you have grad school or the rest of your professional life to pick up the practical stuff. I have a kid who is contemplating an econ-math major at Columbia and he thought LitHum was great, says the discussions in Contemporary Civ are awesome and that he loves the reading. He's also around a lot of people who will be doing a whole variety of interesting things with their lives. Not to mention Manhattan.</p>
<p>Wharton is a no-brainer.</p>
<p>Don't take this personally, but how could anyone in high school really know about investment banking? My brother is a well known money manager, and gets loads of calls from bankers who want in. Sadly, their training "in never saw a deal they didn't like" and "glorified cold calling" doesn't prepare them analytically to manage money over a non-transitory period. My brother's training - Econ Phd - professor in finance - and then on to this. Different? Yes. But he knows his stuff, and isn't the least bit insecure. Trust me, the number of i-bankers banging on his door is astounding. </p>
<p>Don't get me wrong, there always will be a need for skilled financial intermediaries, but how can one really settle on investment banking out of high school, particularly given the attraction is a vague notion as to money and status? Build skills, see where your strengths are - get exposed to a variety of things in business school, and go from there.</p>
<p>For anyone really interested in Columbia's econ department, there is a fascinating article in New York Magazine about how the university set about attracting 10 up and coming profs this year, and succeeded. </p>