Any Business or Econ majors? Daughter needs help!

[nala]

Hello All, my daughter is a junior this year and is preparing to apply for colleges in the fall. She likes the idea of business above all other majors, but we are somewhat confused. She had her heart set on applying to the UC's, and I'm very excited about that, but it seems that most of them only offer a degree in Economics. Can someone out there in the business field clarify which of these majors will offer her a better chance of employment after graduating with a B.S.? She will no doubt eventually pursue a MBA, but just want to be sure she can actually select a career she enjoys after her B.S. I hope some of you can chime in!

 

[iLander]

I have a friend that has a doctorate of economics from Harvard. She couldn't actually find much of a job with that, she's only a guest lecturer at a University. She doesn't even make as much as an adjunct professor.

Business degree is more employable, IMHO.

 

[ElleK]

A ridiculously high percentage of college students change their major at least once in their college careers.

She should go to a school she likes, not pick one based on one program. You don't want her to be stuck at a school that has a great business program and then meh on every other program (not that UCs are) and have her want to change schools due to that. She's what, 16? 17? There are very few people who know what they want to do, and go on to do exactly that, without deviating course, at the age of 17. College has a lot of options, and I suggest she look at all of those options before pigeonholing herself into one program.

 

[qtiekiki]

I don't know about other school, but UC Berkeley Haas School of Business has a undergrad business administration program. You have to apply for the two years program (start at junior year, so you apply in the fall of your sophomore year). They have prerequisite requirements that you need to meet to be eligible. Check their website for specific details.

 

[amc80]

I have a BA in Econ and Poli Sci and an MA in Econ, all from UCSB.

From a major standpoint, economics and business are very different. Econ is very math driven, and is considered a quantitative based major. A lot of analyst positions will say they want a degree in statistics or economics, as an example. Business degrees are much more general and cover a wider spectrum of courses (there's usually some econ, some finance, some accounting, as well as some marketing, management, etc.). I think either is fine for getting an MBA. Honestly, I think an Econ degree might be a little better since it will set her apart from the masses. BUT, econ really isn't for everyone. If she doesn't like math and theory, she won't like econ.

Feel free to ask me any more questions.

 

[kgizo]

I agree with everything amc80 said, and if she doesn't know what area she is particularly interested in then business would be better as she will be exposed to HR, operations, marketing, finance, entrepreneurship, etc. As for employment after undergrad, based on my experience the business degree will be more employable because it is typically viewed as "practical experience" and econ as more "theory"; but both degrees have really good job placement opportunities out of undergrad. It is recommended to get your MBA from a different school so if she loves UC she could always do undergrad there and go elsewhere for her MBA

 

[Arcadian]

I will agree with amc80. I'm an econ major. When I graduated college I went to work for a securities firm. Unfortunate for me it was NOT my type of job or environment.

She hasn't even started so, I think likely she will end up changing her major sometime in the future. I originally wanted to go into computers (I was at UCB after all!) and my mom steered me to Econ. I kinda consider that degree a bit of a waste considering I've worked in the IT field so long...lol.

FWIW, I feel that going the Econ route allows you more leeway, especially if she chooses to go the hard sciences route later on.

 

[lilsweetie]

I would say that in my experience, a Business degree offers more flexibility than one in Econ.
Often Business can have a large focus on Econ, so... best of both worlds?

 

[4_cs]

I had a son who graduated from Cal. He started out as an Econ Major and switched to Political Science. Business was never an interest for him. He had many friends who had hopes of entering the Business School. As someone posted earlier the process to apply to Haas starts your sophomore year and is highly competitive. I think the acceptance rate is around 16%.
I have another son who will graduate next year with a degree in International Business and Logistics. He has an internship this summer with a global company so he will get an idea of the business world. He did not start out as a Business Major. He attends a very small CSU.
I have another son who attends Cal Poly SLO. He is a Business Major. It is one of a few schools where you can be admitted to the Business College (Orfalea) as a freshman. Changing majors at Cal Poly is difficult but not impossible.
I believe UCI has a Business School with undergraduate admission. I encourage you to visit the colleges that your daughter is interested in. Talk to the students. Find out class sizes. Visit the surrounding areas.
Then prepare yourself for the application process. It can be brutal. Good luck.

 

[nala]

Hello All,
First I want to thank you for taking the time to reply. I do realize that she is young and will likely change her major, but I also want to encourage her strengths and her interests. She attends a highly competitive school, and holds her own, athletically, socially and academically. Because she is so well-rounded, I think it is hard for her to choose a field that she is passionate about. The only subject she doesn't enjoy is science, but she still does well in it. So really, she has a lot to choose from IF she can find the passion for it. The reason I posted this thread is because the whole business vs economics came as a shock to me and she had to register for her classes next year. For her senior year, she has chosen to enroll in AP Economics, Virtual Enterprise (a business, A-G approved course) and was elected as senior class vice-president, so she has a student government class. Because of these 3 electives, she has no room in her schedule and must forgo a 4th year of science. I really hope that this choice enlightens her and doesn't result in a less competitive application.
I

 

[iLander]

DD and a lot of her senior (prep school) class went off to the big "name brand" colleges. Duke, Harvard, MIT, Princeton, Carnegie Mellon, NYU, BU, Northwestern, etc. It was an extremely impressive senior class, with scholarships flowing all around.

Here we are in their sophomore year, and fully half are back home going to state schools, including DD. I was amazed. DD got to her prestigious art school ($65K scholarship, didn't even cover half the cost) and after a year, she decided she didn't want to spend her life in front of a computer. She decided she was a people person, and now she's on a medical school track. Cramming in classes to not "lose a year" because of the radically different prerequisites, she's working hard. Her other friends came back for various reasons; hate cold weather, everyone else was just as smart, missed family, changed majors, town too full of traffic (!), even one who I believe was traumatized by NYC as a lifestyle. I think many got to where they were going, realized there was no more peer pressure or competition and, for the first time, really looked at where they were. I didn't ask the high school college counselor this question and I wish I had; how many stay at their first college beyond the freshman year?

I think the issue is that these kids are geared toward the best college, but don't take the time to explore the actual career path. They don't see down the road to what their daily life will be After college. Before she started on the med track, DD worked at a clinic in her proposed field for the summer. She loved it. Wish we had done that with the art career before we spent the money on the year of fancy school.

 

[nala]

DD and a lot of her senior (prep school) class went off to the big "name brand" colleges. Duke, Harvard, MIT, Princeton, Carnegie Mellon, NYU, BU, Northwestern, etc. It was an extremely impressive senior class, with scholarships flowing all around.

Here we are in their sophomore year, and fully half are back home going to state schools, including DD. I was amazed. DD got to her prestigious art school ($65K scholarship, didn't even cover half the cost) and after a year, she decided she didn't want to spend her life in front of a computer. She decided she was a people person, and now she's on a medical school track. Cramming in classes to not "lose a year" because of the radically different prerequisites, she's working hard. Her other friends came back for various reasons; hate cold weather, everyone else was just as smart, missed family, changed majors, town too full of traffic (!), even one who I believe was traumatized by NYC as a lifestyle. I think many got to where they were going, realized there was no more peer pressure or competition and, for the first time, really looked at where they were. I didn't ask the high school college counselor this question and I wish I had; how many stay at their first college beyond the freshman year?

I think the issue is that these kids are geared toward the best college, but don't take the time to explore the actual career path. They don't see down the road to what their daily life will be After college. Before she started on the med track, DD worked at a clinic in her proposed field for the summer. She loved it. Wish we had done that with the art career before we spent the money on the year of fancy school.

Ilander, thank you for sharing! It is precisely to avoid these situations that I am trying to help her explore her interest now.

If anyone else has any college stories to share, please do so! Appreciate any tips!

 

[OldMensEyesBabiesCriesNothingLeftToFeedTheFlies]

She could get a degree in business finance. Finance is actually really interesting!