Why Business?

<p>Honestly, I do not know exactly why I am persuing this major at Stern. I just want to know why others are actually going to Stern next year or are currently at Stern to earn a degree in business. Any thoughts? Anything interesting? I hope that I'm not making the wrong choice.</p>

<p>Look at your interests, and compare them to majors at Stern. Are you interested in starting your own company, or working in one of the fields Stern majors appeal to?</p>

<p>It's a difficult choice to choose business over liberal arts. (My parents sure don't approve of my choice.) For me, I like the practicality of it. The major I have caters to my interests almost exactly, and I would like to work in this field right when I get out of college. I feel as though Stern affords me this opportunity.</p>

<p>Look through the Stern website and the Stern bulletin (a big .pdf file linked from their website). See if it interests you.</p>

<p>I'm at Stern and I oftentimes ask myself the same questions. I'm not a fan of business school and the cutthroat environment, but I do feel that the degree is a practical one, no matter what you do after graduation (or later on in life). That's why I'm just toughing it out for the last couple years I have left, and seeing where it all takes me...</p>

<p>botangers, can you give me more information about Stern? What do you major in?</p>

<p>I am now having a dilemma about majoring in either marketing or finance (or both .... but financially constrained)</p>

<p>Thanks</p>

<p>Maggie, what do you want to know about Stern? I was a transfer myself, and it was somewhat of an adjustment. Stern has a very preprofessional atmosphere, and seems like everyone wants to be an investment banker. The environment is very competitive, but the stories you hear of backstabbing and whatnot is generally not true. For most of my classes I have formed study groups with my friends, so in that sense, Stern can be quite collaborative...</p>

<p>I'm double majoring in finance and international business. I don't quite get what you mean by being financially constrained to double major (if I understood you correctly). You will need only like 4 extra classes to double in marketing, and you won't be charged extra for donig the double major.</p>

<p>Let me know what other questions I can answer for you.</p>

<p>hi Botangers,</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

<p>I think as long as I stay for one more semester, I can probably double major ...</p>

<p>when you transfer, were you forced to take hardcore classes in your first sem? How many credits did you get?</p>

<p>I transferred quite a lot of electives and GE classes so I am pretty much stuck with Business classes ....</p>

<p>the biggest problem I have is that I don't know what I want to major in. Finance pays more than marketing but (i heard from another thread) working like 70-80 hours a week is definitely insane ... and I don't know if I want to be a investment banker ... but landing a decent job is pretty important to me ....</p>

<p>I want to major in something that I really like but I am not sure if marketing is truly what I want and whether I can get a job easily ...</p>

<p>Thanks again!</p>

<p>does Finance "pay more" per hour, or pay more in that your working twice as many hours? do you get over time pay?</p>

<p>matt, it pays MUCH more per hour. Finance is among the most lucrative majors in existence, most especially finance at Stern.</p>

<p>i was just wondering becuz you only get like 60k a year once u come out of stern in finance, and i hear ill be working 80 hours a week... so the per hour income doesnt seem very high at all</p>

<p>I know a guy who came out of Stern in finance and hit six digits with his first job offer...</p>

<p>Hey Maggie,</p>

<p>I transferred after my freshman year, and I brought in 48 credits (32 from college, 16 from AP). If you did bring in a lot of electives and GE classes, then you might be taking mostly Stern classes, but I don't think really a big deal.</p>

<p>As far as your major goes, Marketing and Finance are both pretty "safe." Plus, simply having that business degree will be beneficial for you in finding a job.</p>

<p>Finance is a lucrative career, and the per hourly rate depends on what you do. Investment banking analysts get paid something close to $15-$20 per hour simply because of the ****load of hours they work. But there are other fields on Wall Street (and in finance in general) that pay a higher "hourly rate." If you work in sales & trading, you might only work 50-60 hours per week (rather than 80-100), yet still make almost as much the investment bankers do. Hedge funds tend to pay pretty well, but your salary will be dependent on the size of the fund, how it performs that year, etc. </p>

<p>There are also plenty of marketing related internships/jobs as well. Marketing may not be as lucrative a career as finance, but if it's still a field with plenty of opportunity.</p>

<p>If you can, you might want to try to double major. Besides the fact that most kids in Stern double major in something, a background in Finance is good to have.</p>