Best option for MBB longshot

I am currently undergrad at Penn State and was wondering if Accounting/Supply Chain double major would be better than Accounting/Econ? I am toying with the idea of joining the peace corps as a business analyst after college in order to pay off loans and get a unique life experience. Would a 3.6 Double major with fairly solid leadership, experience, and peace corps have a shot at a consulting firm? Obviously networking is key. I want to avoid going big4 audit, it seems so boring.

7 Comments
 

I'd go for the Supply Chain/Econ, because Accounting is boring as hell and, frankly, useless in consulting. All the accounting concepts you're going to need (like financial statement analysis and valuation basics) you can learn on your own by reading a book and/or taking free online classes. If you do that and go through any half-decent financial modeling course (like BIWS or any other similar one), you're going to be ahead of most of your incoming analyst class. No need to waste 4 years on learning things you can learn in a week.

 
Best Response
Qayin

I'd go for the Supply Chain/Econ, because Accounting is boring as hell and, frankly, useless in consulting. All the accounting concepts you're going to need (like financial statement analysis and valuation basics) you can learn on your own by reading a book and/or taking free online classes. If you do that and go through any half-decent financial modeling course (like BIWS or any other similar one), you're going to be ahead of most of your incoming analyst class. No need to waste 4 years on learning things you can learn in a week.

The difference between these two combination will be minimal for recruiting purposes. And high-level supply chain classes won't be too helpful for consulting either unless you do some very specialized projects in SC.

What's more important is your GPA and work experience, so focus on those.

 

Awesome, thanks. Would a business analyst for peace corps be any use to me or do I need to network for a solid internship as a rising Senior?

 

Thanks for the advice, I'm realizing the same thing: Accounting is boring, useless to learn, and a limited career. With a SCM/Econ double major I agree I would have more opportunities. What GPA would I need to be considered by a tier 2? Any certifications I should be exploring?

 

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