Can a Bio major break into finance roles?

For context, I am an incoming freshman at Cornell planning to specialize in healthcare-focused Investment Banking, Equity Research, or Life Sciences Consulting.

I am going to be majoring in (human biology, health, and society) and plan to add a minor in Business and a minor in Information Science to build a quantitative and financial foundation alongside my coursework.

Will this actually work and help me break in? Or is it better to spend time thinking about switching out of the major entirely.

6 Comments
 

yes you can, had a very similar path. unfortunately two things to consider - 1) make sure you’re largely tapped in with top clubs and OCR. especially because your bio classes and friends will be far from finance circles. 2) get familiar with banking generally because most BB’s and EB’s recruit generalist, so placements don’t even happen when you get your initial SA offer.

 
Most Helpful

Thank you for your insight!

Since you mentioned most firms recruit as generalists and group placement happens later, does having a background in human biology give me an actual edge during group selection, or is it neutral? Also, how should I specifically prepare for these finance/consulting clubs before the fall? If I fail to get into a top club, is it "game over" for my recruiting chances, or are there other ways to build that finance-native credibility?

Any other advice on the degree vs. club experience trade-off would be appreciated especially since I have no idea if it would be right to just stay in this degree and leverage the minors I plan to add and hopefully any internships in the future.

 

Incidunt qui iure aliquam voluptates aut. Porro est adipisci totam vitae quis tempore expedita. In dolorem aliquid et rem. Est quidem ipsum aperiam debitis. Vel repellat nemo ipsum. Tempora illum quisquam est itaque.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.7%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (15) $434
  • Associates (46) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (79) $150
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”