<p>I'll make this easy to understand. Will having a Bachelors of Arts in Economics deter me from getting into I-Banking? Do I need to get a pure Finance degree?</p>
<ul>
<li>Sophomore at Howard University</li>
<li>Majoring in Economics (considering a minor in Mathematics)</li>
<li>4.00 GPA (46 Credits at the moment, 58 by May)</li>
<li>Intro to Business, Macroeconomics, Macroeconomic Theory, Principles of Econ, Principles of Econ 2, Money & Banking, Applied Calculus (Relevant Coursework)</li>
<li>Transferred into HU this fall. Spent freshman year at a university in Tennessee.</li>
<li>COULD NOT GET INTO THE SCHOOL OF BUSINESS AT HOWARD UNIVERSITY. MIGHT BE ABLE TO TRANSFER IN BY MY JUNIOR YEAR.</li>
</ul>
<p>I just wanted to know my options. Even if somehow, I graduate with a BA in Econ instead, will that hurt me in terms of getting into I-B? I'm currently looking for internships & it seems that firms give preference to B-school kids, even though my grades were good.</p>
<p>I think it depends. If your university has an undergrad b-school, recruiters will question your decision to pursue an econ degree rather than finance, accounting, etc. Telling them that you didn’t get into the b-school would hamper your chances of landing that position. That said, if you want an econ degree, it would probably be in your best interest to go to a school that doesn’t offer an ugrad business program and is highly recruited for IB. Another option would be trying to transfer into a different school’s ugrad b-school.</p>
<p>1) if you can get into the B school your junior year, do it.<br>
2) With a strong GPA and a major in Econ - if you can take at least a few accounting/finance courses, you will be in good shape (better shape out of the B school, but good shape nevertheless).<br>
3) Keep your GPA up, network (Howard places a good number of people in IB) with alumni, and try to get into the B school or, at least, take a few accounting/finance courses.</p>