Major and GPA trade off in recruitment

Hi everyone,

I am deciding what to major and I want to hear some advice on recruiting and major selection.

I am deciding between economics or business. My school has a harsher curve for business majors (easy stuff with a very high cut off for an A). Econ/math are not much easier but the cut off tends to be lower. However, my school has much stronger recruitment for business students (think of UT/USC/NYU/UVA). Doing a linkedin search will show 70% or more students in BB majored in business. But I also enjoyed studying econ more than courses such as business communication or leadership.

Should I switch to econ instead? As very few alums from arts/sciences in BB, will it hurt a lot in recruiting? I think I can get a 3.5 in business but I will probably get 3.7 with less effort if I do econ and taking some accounting/finance courses as well. Econ has fewer course requirements and I believe I could load up some interesting liberal arts courses to boost my GPA further as well.

Thanks in advance!

10 Comments
 
Best Response

I'm an econ/poli sci major at a public ivy or whatever the hell they're called. We have a top 15 public b-school, which I did not end up getting in to, and I ended up doing econ/poli sci instead. If you go the econ route, you will get asked why you chose econ instead of business/finance/accounting given your school's strength in the major. Personally I just answer some bs about how econ/poli sci is more well rounded since I get some technical skills in econ, though most of it is theoretical, and then have had a chance to improve upon my writing and communication skills through poli sci since there is so many papers/essays. I've had a lot of success with this response since so much of an analyst's job relies on strong writing/communication skills. It's all about how you frame it.

Also, IMO, econ is more difficult than finance/accounting, at least at my school. Don't major in econ and expect to breeze through it with a 4.0 without a lot of studying.

*Disclaimer: The bank I worked at this past summer was not a BB so take this advice with a grain of salt. Had more to do with my shitty GPA though than my major/school.

 

Yea some people in my school who double majored also says econ is harder I did econometric during my first year and I prefer majoring econ to business I don't want to take some bs business courses like communications or leadership where everyone gets a 85 (my bschool has a crappy policy where average score in class = B, which means I need 95 or sth for an A) while econ courses are harder that the average is only 60 and you get an A with 75.

 

In other words you are asking: "Is it OK if I slack off?" and are already writing off working harder. How about instead of weighing what level of effort you could float on and achieve X GPA, why not work your ass off and get the absolute highest GPA possible and don't measure/weigh how much effort you could get by with?

How much of a pussy are you? I got a +3.8 in CS (granted it has been more than awhile since I was in school) and I had very active social life so I don't buy into the "you'd have no life" argument. To put it another way, this is your game to lose and doors start closing once your GPA falls below a 4.0.

 

Even you are talking about absolute GPA, I bet I can get a 4 from econ (I have finished all core econ courses and several math courses coz I wanted to do an econ phd previously and I kept a 4.0 econ/math major). I said I can do better in econ/math with less effort coz it is something I am better at comparing with business.

Do you think you can get a 3.8 in physics even you put in the same effort? I am not saying I would have no life in business or I want to slack, do you think math econ courses are easier than business? I just want to do something that I am better at with a more "objective" curve

 

If recruiting is better for the other major, this should be a no brained in my mind. I don't think it's coincidence you are seeking confirmation for opting out of more opportunities in what amounts to a harder major requiring more effort.

p.s only an idiot gets a PhD. go work and get an MBA if you must. IMNSHO

 

Perferendis ullam et aperiam accusamus iste. Maiores illum delectus non et dolore fugiat veniam consequuntur. Eos hic id sed maiores iure ratione. Blanditiis possimus quisquam est dolor odit corporis minima ducimus.

Inventore eaque beatae molestiae. Porro rerum consequatur aliquam autem exercitationem sed. Molestiae voluptas deserunt tenetur. Ut unde sint commodi praesentium aspernatur et non. Ipsam inventore mollitia est eaque.

Numquam et laudantium voluptas dolor ipsum. Minus aut recusandae voluptas repellat id qui. Et est magni facere illum saepe impedit recusandae omnis.

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 97.2%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.2%

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 97.2%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (46) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (80) $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
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
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...”