Joint-Majoring
I am currently at a crossroads with a big decision looming not far off and am looking for some advice. I am positive I want to go into investment banking upon graduation and start as an analyst and move on from there. I am currently going into my sophomore year at a well regarded but I would not say "target" liberal arts school and will be declaring a major after this fall semester. The plan is to joint major business and something else, where I will take business classes related to finance and securities analysis and such, and take courses in another concentration from another major. I had originally planned to do this with business and economics, but have lately gave much thought and consideration to doing this with Business and Physics or Astrophysics. I did very well in physics in high school and have always been engaged by the subject matter in class, just as much as I am by Investment Banking now, although I know I want to go into the field of I-Banking, not physics or astrophysics.
My question is does anyone have any suggestions as to how a major like that would likely be viewed? Would I be viewed as a kid who knew what he wanted(go into I-Banking) but wanted to go about it in a different way? Or would I more likely be seen as someone who couldn't make a decision and went half-assed in two unrelated directions? I know this can vary from place to place but does anyone at least have any additional points as to things I may want to consider before jumping into this?
I know this is a complicated story but I have always gotten amazing feedback thus far on here and hope that I can get some ideas back once more.
Thanks Again
no its good major in physics. that will prove quant. abilities and u could BS in interviews 'how you wanted to take advantage of opportunities presented by the college to broaden your knowledge base, while keeping a career focus on IB bla blab bla"
Joint Majoring is a good idea. It has proven to be a great opener on pretty much all of my interviews.
agree with Feenans. as long as you talk it up you will look great. esepcially with physics if you're not from a target school having a quant type major like math or physics will prove that you are smart. Typically business majors at most liberal arts schools are not terribly intensive, depending on coursework obviously.
Agree with the above posters.
I have a similar story: I'm a rising senior at a top 15 liberal arts school, that's a well-known target for investment banking. My double majors are Classics and Economics, and I have taken multiple courses in accounting and finance.
The Classics major always gets positive comments during interviews and allows me to demonstrate my diverse range of interests and my desire to learn. When they ask how/if this relates to I-banking, I just say "Well, it shows that I came to college knowing nothing about Latin or Greek and now I can read both with fluency, so I can learn, assimilate, and employ new skills very quickly."
Taking advantage of the liberal arts offerings at a LAC will always play well with alums during interview, as well.
A few points:
-Is a "Joint Major" the same thing as a double major? I've never heard the term before (because it's not an actual term, lol), but I assume it is. The only other thing I can think it would be is half of one major and half of another to create a single degree. If the former, then Physics is a great idea (even if it's liberal arts school physics), if the latter you should probably pick one over the other.
-Physics is rarely perceived negatively as it demonstrates a functioning level of intelligence if you do well. Even if you majored only in physics you would still have a shot at banking if your scores were up to par.
-Astrophysics sounds baller.
-Finally:
Neither would I; I've never even heard of Franklin and Marshall.A joint major is half of one major and half of the other, but you the student and your academic advisor get to pick which classes from each side, so naturally from the business major I would have all of the accounting and finance classes. It is fairly common at liberal arts schools, and many alums from my school who work in I-Banking have done the same, namely with Business and a subject like Art History.
Franklin and Marshall is admittedly not a target school but is a very good education I think. I do not put much merit into college rankings but it is 35th on Forbes and 42nd on US News. So it is up there just not as well known as some others.
this is just excellent. Kudos to you interview abilities. really well-said.
to the OP: don't do physics if you have 0% interest in it right now just to "impress" them. I for one, would not be extremely impressed with a half ass physics major (which is what it'd look like if you double it with business admin).
I casually read about general and theoretical physics just as much as I read about investment banking, it has had me very interested and enthralled for a little over three years now so I do have a lot of interest invested in it. In fact one of the ways this idea started was when I was telling a friend how disappointed I am that I will never be in a physics classroom again. That is not the only way it started but it was something that initially made me think about different possibilities.
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