so, i'm a sophomore at a semi-target majoring in quantitative economics. i've come to realize that my test-taking abilities just aren't that good when it comes to econ, despite the fact that i study my ass off and i feel like i understand the material well. truth be told, i havent been able to get a single A or A- in an econ course since my intro classes.
so i guess im wondering if switching to a polisci or history major would be a better idea to bring up my gpa, as im a lot better at writing papers and such. ive already taken some quantitative classes, including stats, and have an internship this summer at UBS PWM. im also more interested in consulting rather than banking per se...
This is why no one respects history majors.
Some people are better at writing than memorizing formulas for exams. I would say the former is significantly harder to learn than the latter.
I did something similar to poli sci/history - I made sure to take math and econ classes on the side and focused on the most econ parts of the subject possible. I ended up in a structured products team which required tons of modelling and exotic options pricing. Turns out I'm really good at Excel and VBA and much better with numbers than even I realized.
I think we all know by now that book smart/exam smart is not even close to the same as work smart. Make sure you don't go too far to the fuzzy side, but as long as you're at HYPS etc you'll be fine for recruiting regardless of major. You won't stand a chance with a 3.0 in econ anyway.
You're welcome.
Does your school have a business college? If not, it's not unusual for people to get into consulting or even banking from liberal arts programs (think Ivy leagues). So switching to a poli sci wouldn't be detrimental. Just make sure you join clubs geared towards consulting and you also read up on the industry to be informed.
Take accounting and stats.
With the rest of your schedule: take whatever interests you, but keep that GPA as perfect as possible.
Get a PWM internship soph summer.
Network and interview prep.
You're fine.
There are hundreds of kids like you on the street.
I think the one thing that they are ignoring is what your current GPA is. If it is decent, then switch! but you need a higher cum for history than econ, and coming from a semi-target you will not be able to get away with as much.
i agree with the first response.
econ major is garbage. I went to an ivy league school and I did better in my math classes than econ. if you study for math- then you'll get a good grade. for econ- they tend to ask fucked up random number-crunching/model questions that you won't be 100% prepared for just by reading the book and doing the book's problems.
it would be nice if you could switch to something quantitative but I understand that your options are limited if you want to graduate on time. Maybe do a poli sci major with a minor in math? are you at carnegie mellon by the way? if so that might suck because there's already too much quantitative talent in that pool. Nobody can predict what will be best for you in the long run. Just go with your gut feeling and try not to look back.
i agree...i feel that i lose more points on econ tests due to technicalities rather than because i dont understand the material....if i switch i would already have a minor in econ. figured i could do that with an international relations major, and use my pwm internship this summer to leverage my way into a decent internship for junior summer.
laughable readline. spewing hate just because you couldnt handle the ambiguity inherent in econ? welcome to the real world btw, hows your life going? lol.
FD: i was an econ major. yeah, so what. i got As in math too.
Thanks for welcoming me to the real world! I'm happy you did well in econ. I think I didn't do too well in it because I was always skeptical about the subject. you know - spending time building simplified models thinking that they will help explain the real world. I think the world is too complex to model.
you seem like a smart guy since you did so well in college. but some friendly advice- for your own sake- don't be an ass to people
I know plenty of people who were PoliSci majors that got great jobs in banking, including someone who made MD pretty early in his career. Just have a story for why you decided to go with PoliSci and be able to demonstrate interest in banking, and it'll become a non-factor.
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