Duke Engineering?

I'm going to Duke undergrad this fall, and I'm questioning whether biomedical engineering is a good major for a career in either management consulting or investment banking.
People keep telling me that engineering majors are more attractive to the top firms (MBB or GS/MS). However, I've heard that BME's average GPA is 3.0-3.1, and I'm beginning to consider other majors.
Would an Econ major or a different engineering major be a better idea for securing summer internships and full-time offers? If not, any suggestions would be appreciated.

4 Comments
 

I think as someone choosing a major one of the biggest things you have to consider is your GPA. Engineering majors are much, much harder to get steller (3.8+) grades in than just about anything else. And getting top SA and FT offers is very tough if you don't have an adequate GPA. I personally dropped my engineering major freshmen year for math instead. You still get the 'smart kid' vibe on the resume but the workload was about 1/3 of an engineer's so I could keep grades high by only taking 2 hard classes a semester and 3 more relaxed ones.

 
Best Response

I went to Duke, majored in econ, and am an analyst at a BB. BME is definitely harder to get a good GPA in and most firms with Duke alumni recruiting teams understand that. However, practically, you're probably better off just studying Econ and getting a good GPA. It'll give you a better foundation for finance and you'll worry less about your GPA. Most people recruited to BB are Econ majors -- BME doesn't really "impress" anyone unless you do very well in it (3.7+).

Take accounting, corporate finance, asset pricing, and a few other easy electives, get a 3.5+, practice interviews, do on-campus recruiting, and you'll be set.

 

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