Any hope for an English major?
So I'm a sophomore majoring in English at one of the top target schools (Harvard, Yale, Stanford). Originally, I thought I would major in Economics, but after taking a couple semesters' worth of classes, I've realized how difficult it can be. Also, I realized how it's just like taking upper-level math classes pretty much, and how only the electives pertain to finance really.. So I've decided on majoring in English, because I really like reading classic literature and talking about it, but I'm taking some quantitative classes on the side as well.
Right now, I have a 3.7 if you round to the nearest tenth, but I feel like I'm going to do pretty well this semester, and I might be able to round to 3.8 by the end of this semester. And I'm just wondering how I should go about getting a solid job in investment banking. I had pretty much no internship freshman year, aside from a marketing manager sort of role at a tech startup. And I applied to a lot of the sophomore gigs that target diversity candidates, but, as a white male, my chances at those are practically nil. So I'm thinking I should just start hitting up boutique investment banks and ask for informational interviews, or perhaps even straight up ask about internship opportunities? I really need to do whatever it takes to get some sort of gig in NYC this summer, right, as someone who's already sort of disadvantaged by major choice going in?
I think your still in a good position because your at a target school and have a decent GPA. In my opinion I think you'll be fine if you land something this summer. Take advantage of on campus recruiting! Good luck.
I had a superday a couple of weeks ago (GS/BAML/JPM) and had lunch with the group's analysts afterward.
Three of the five analysts were Ivy grads hired out of UG. None of those three had business-related degrees.
IB with an English degree? (Originally Posted: 12/30/2017)
I've just graduated with a 2:1 (GPA 3.5?) in English Literature from a top 5 University in the UK. I've completed internships at three of the four magic circle law firms, as well as two American ones. Despite being offered a training contract at two firms, I don't really want to go into law for a number of reasons. My maths is pretty good, and I've taught myself excel and some financial modelling, but fear my 'unconventional' degree will deter tier one banks.
Moreover, I'm too old to apply to most banking internships/spring schemes. I don't have anyone in my network who can help me either. Would the best course of action be to:
A) Complete a postgraduate diploma in economics at Bristol (my choices are limited due to my non-numerical undergraduate degree); B) Cross my fingers and apply for analyst positions anyway; C) Complete my 4 years of training as a lawyer, and go into finance later in life? The law firm I'm most likely to work for specialises in private equity and banking.
Thanks!
A) This can work.. but if you haven't already been accepted it may not work for you in this case as the application process is a big part of getting an advanced degree. In the US, it's normally optimal to aim for an MBA over other Master's level degrees.
B) Crossing your fingers and hoping is never a good strategy
C) This is probably your best bet right now. If your law firm specialized in an area of finance you want to go into (banking or PE) then that's a very good talking point for networking later on, as well as it could help create a network of professionals to connect with.
Consulting > MBA > IB
What are you doing right now?
If you're really set on not pursuing law then your best bet would probably be applying for some semi-relevant masters degree and then applying for internships/off-cycles.
If you have good Maths skills and can craft a good story for why you have the law experience, you have a shot.
Yeah, actually if your Math is good, you might consider an MSF as well, but this isn't quite the traditional route for IB, so it might open other doors than you have considered.
English/Creative Writing Major at Dartmouth (Originally Posted: 07/06/2014)
Hi, I will be entering Dartmouth this fall and would like some advice. I plan on fulfilling premed requirements and extracurriculars as well as spending a summer abroad in Spain. I would not like to major in something "sciencey", however and would prefer to major in something English related or Econ. Ideally, I would apply for and complete internships on the Street during the fall term of my junior year (allowed because of the D plan). Would this all be feasible and enough to land me a job on the Street if I have the internships but not an econ degree (it would be quite impossible to fulfill the major requirements for econ while also satisfying premed reqs)?
You don't need to major in econ at Dartmouth; you can easily get jobs if you have strong grades in pretty much any major (not to say econ doesn't help). You can also do pre-med and econ pretty easily if you're actually smart enough to potentially become a doctor--only 11 of the 36 courses you take in your dartmouth career need to be econ to get the major.
I might be overextending myself here but would you say I could major in Econ, minor in English, and still satisfy my premed reqs?
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