<p>Hello all Business Majors,
Im trying to get some feedback from people who are actually in this major currently or even people who have already experienced the academic coursework required for this major. </p>
<p>Im curious to know a couple of questions.</p>
<p>What do you like about the major and Why?</p>
<p>What doors do you see opening up for you because of your degree, or for those who have already completed your Bachelors, where have you gone or where do you want to go?</p>
<p>What do you dislike about the major? </p>
<p>What are the class demographics like?</p>
<p>If you dont mind, i would also like to know which college you are going to/have already graduate from. </p>
<p>Please dont just include negative aspects of the Major as this thread is really going to be pivitol in my selection, maybe even other, of this major. But i do encourage all honesty. thank you.</p>
<p>It totally depends on the school. I went to Wharton and have taught classes at NYU Stern. I interview for a bank and talk to kids from a variety of programs. </p>
<p>My overall feeling is that unless you attend one of the top programs, there are probably better majors for most. One caveat is that if you want to be an accountant, than a less than stellar school may well meet your needs.</p>
<p>The most sought after jobs in business do not in general go to business majors. They go to the smartest kids we can find which is why even English majors at a top school will typically be hired over a business major at most schools.</p>
<p>So don’t go to a college just because they offer a business major if you can get into a better overall college. A great liberal arts education with some serious math and econ in the mix is preferred by most employers for their executive training jobs, consulting and banking jobs.</p>
<p>There are a heck of a lot of business majors from weak programs out there asking if you want fries with that right now.</p>
<p>I downright disagree with what hmom said as that poster is speaking strictly from an ivy leaguers perspective.</p>
<p>People have their own goals that they want to achieve. Going to a top program will get you a great job but not everyone wants to be big time investment bankers/consultants living in NYC. </p>
<p>On the other hand if you go to a weak program and you want to make it big, you have to take the initiative to get there i.e. networking, gpa, internships, etc. and I know for a fact that students from weak programs can make it big if they take these initiatives. </p>
<p>Also, if you are genuinely interested in learning about business (management, marketing, etc.) then go for it and don’t hold back.</p>
<p>And that last sentence was just insulting.</p>
<p>This, my friend, seems to be the fundamental difference between the ivy leaguers and the “average” state-school students on these forums.</p>
<p>SP1212, it’s the truth and kids looking at majors should know it. I recently looked at a list of jobs held by recent grads of a better than average state school business program. Other than the accounting grads who were fully employed, the number one job was waiter. Number two was retail sales. I kid you not.</p>
<p>Honestly, it depends on the business major.</p>
<p>Accounting is very much “in demand” now. If you attend a top school such as Carnegie Mellon School of Business, you should also not have too many problems finding a good job. However, even for accounting, a strong GPA will be crucial for jobs with the better and bigger firms.</p>
<p>If you go to a lessor teir school, it depends on your major and GPA. If you are majoring in finance, actuarial studies and mathematical finance and do well, you should be fine.</p>
<p>If y ou major in some other area of business, you better have a very strong GPA: ( at least a 3.5+) overall.</p>
<p>Also, majoring in some business area and minoring in sone areas such as computer science, can also help your job prospects.</p>
<p>Frankly, assuming that you have a very decent GPA,. your initiative and interviewing skills will br crucial. Unlike that of Wharton grads who have a number of companies interviewing on campus, you might have to take the initiative of contacting companies and finding out about job openings and attending job fairs. However, I would say that it is a fair statement to note that there are a LOT more state university grads employed in the job market than ivy school grads, simply because of the numbers and alumni connections. Most are NOT “biggie sizing” anything unless they chose that route! I personally found Hmom5s comments very insulting and outright wrong. I never cease my amazement of ivy league snobbery.</p>
<p>Let’s just be PC as we move into a global economy where more and more mid range business jobs move overseas by the minute. Snobbery or reality?</p>
<p>Right now kids at every college (even including the bastions of snobbery!) have to be more strategic than ever to land on their feet on graduation day.</p>
<p>Hmom5 notes,"Right now kids at every college (even including the bastions of snobbery!) have to be more strategic than ever to land on their feet on graduation day.</p>
<p>Response, I absolutely agree! Kids need to stand out. Taking a strong minor in something that is in demand will help. Having a very high GPA will help. Going to a top school will help. However, life favors the bold! Don’t forget this. This is what I mean: Those kids who take initiative, have strong interviewing skills, do a lot of research on companies and send out their resumes based on the their research will come out ahead of those that don’t.Those who have made connections during the summer months or had internships instead of sitting on their butt or instead of taking dead end jobs for money will also have an advantage. Contacts count!</p>
<p>I know of several students who graduated from top schools who are very underemployed or unemployed. Again, life favors initiative and bold moves.</p>
<p>Agree tax guy, you can be successful from anywhere! However, making good choices about majors, minors and internships is key. So back to the original question, IMO at an average school I would not be a business major, if I wanted a ‘business’ job in a tech company I’d be an engineering major, in a biotech company I’d have at the very least a bio minor, and so on.</p>
<p>Sorry to jump in late on the fries comment, but when I was reading through it really hit a chord with me.</p>
<p>You do NOT need an ivy-league degree to become a success, and I am sure that most business majors are NOT asking if you want to super-size it. Maybe a lot of undergraduate business majors own restraunt and retail franchises in that figure you mentioned, I don’t know, but it does seem very unfair to simply discredit degrees from less-prominent schools in such a way. In a recent polling by the Cleveland Plain dealer, over 40 percent of the city’s CEO’s at Fortune 500 companies held degrees from Miami of Ohio, a public school, while about the same number held degrees from Case Western, Brown, and Colgate, the next top schools that CEO’s in the city held degrees from, COMBINED. Although the Cleve may not be the most fashionable place to be a CEO, the poll still showed that degree prestige mattered little, and that ability to do the job and personality mattered most. There are many ivy grads out there working under grads from less prestigious colleges, and I have also heard many reports of Ivy grads feeling that they “deserved” the job simply due to their degree while many less prestigious college grads realized that they had to work hard to succeed and that their degree was not a “safety net”. Although the Ivy degree will DEFINITELY help, most employers will look primarily at your capabilities, work experience and recommendations.</p>
<p>Also, you excluded the fact that most who hold a bachelor’s in business often go back to school to earn an MBA, which I have seen is kind of a necessity for the field. Obviously the Ivy degree wil be best, but I have seen that its most important at the graduate level. The fries poster was correct with the implication that undergrad business degrees don’t mean much, but it is stll a great alternative to a liberal arts degree where you are GUARANTEED unemployment if you don’t continue your education.</p>
<p>As for the OP… I don’t know, I am only a stupid high schooler. However, I hope you get andwers, because I am wondering the same thing.</p>
<p>Actually no, i would like to know what school your talking about, this is not about humor. Your posting the information as factual. If a school is issuing information like that…which i highly doubt any business school would…then they are doing a great disservice to their recruiting efforts. And i highly doubt people with those jobs are responding to the survey requests for post graduation work.</p>
<p>Why not respond honestly to a survey? When you read them, with grad comments, kids are ****ed that many of their degrees are not marketable and want the school to know.</p>
<p>The schools do surveys and there are many posted on the net. Google away and you’ll find all sorts of interesting data. One thing I can tell you about the CA public colleges I’ve looked at is that recruitment is a second thought. No budget for that.</p>
<p>I realize that recruitment is second thought, i have personal experience with that. That doesnt mean that you cant get a job however.</p>
<p>Its not about responding honestly, the question is if they are a waiter would they respond at all. Plenty of second rate schools receive very few responses from these survey emails.</p>
<p>UCSB is a public school with recruitment set aside. However, you can get internships/fulltime in
-investment banking
-private equity - very limited
-hedge funds
-vc - none that i have seen</p>
<p>If people arent ■■■■■■■■, they will realize that there are local community members that are willing to help in your job search. One lady on our campus purposely makes internships available for her boutique i bank so she can get to know the students and recommend those who do well to her industry contacts. If your interested in investments, she will introduce you to her friends in her hedge fund industry. If you reach out to the tmp program, you will find people that helped bring citrix to life, ran kodak’s china division, etc all openly saying we are here and willing to help if you ask. </p>
<p>Can you really blame the school or the students that attend?</p>
<p>Whose blaming the students? The schools on the other hand should consider getting their kids employed in the best possible jobs a priority. It not only serves the students, but serves the schools. Wealthy grads are grateful to the schools that helped them along to success and give generously and hire their current students. </p>
<p>Private colleges make big investments in their career centers and public schools should do the same IMO.</p>
<p>It’s good to hear that you see UCSB kids getting good jobs. I must say however, that in 30 years on Wall Street I do not recall meeting anyone from any UC other than Cal and UCLA in a front office position, and those 2 are not well represented on The Street.</p>
<p>Elite schools doesn’t guarentee success and state schools desn’t mean you have no chance for top.</p>
<p>I know this guy who graduate master from the 2nd/3rd tier states school (not UCs, not even CalPoly SLB), landed his 1st job in big4, worked for various HiTech’s accounting division, now he’s the controller for a small/mid size co. And his wife, graduate from Utah state and MBA from a private school that probabay only known in the west coast, she is now overseeing the marketing of the joint venture btw a fortune 500 Co. and a Chinese big Co.</p>
<p>I’m sure you can find some graduate from elite program doing desk work at the same time.</p>
<p>Don’t forget Bill Gates didn’t even graduate from Harvard. He doesn’t need to :)</p>