UCLA major??

Hi, I’m attending UCLA and hope to eventually work in finance or consulting.

I’ve heard people tell me that its a target, while others say it’s barely a semi-target. It’s at least clear that it’s not as much of a target as the ivies, so I’m assuming my major will matter more.

I’m thinking of majoring in Economics or Business Economics, since they do not have a formal business major like UC Berkeley.

Would it be worthwhile for me to double major in something like Applied Math, or should I focus my efforts on networking. Or perhaps should I just go for a minor in Math.

Thanks in advance.

 

The nice thing about UCLA is that it's not Haas.

What do I mean? People are different -- they have different interests and want to do different things. Not everyone is gunning for finance jobs. Thus, the simple fact that you know where you're headed means you have a huge leg up on most folks there, since you'll be able to enjoy UCLA's OCR (which isn't MIT mind-blowing but still quite good, as it draws most of the major banks + Bain/BCG/Deloitte/etc.) without having to deal with the tedious, one track "BANKINGBANKINGBANKING" mindset that dominates other schools.

Personally? I'd do Applied Math + an Accounting Minor (which is basically a BizEcon major without the bullshit Economics courses). That will you set up really well and will also keep your options in, say, tech or academia open should your interests change (you would be surprised...). Objectively speaking, though, BizEcon is probably the best for recruitment purposes, since it's readily understandable by people screening resumes. I don't think double majoring is much of a benefit -- only do that if you're really, truly passionate about both subjects.

Also: I know more than anyone that planning for the real world is important, but just remember to enjoy yourself. Although UCLA and USC are pretty big rivals, I actually think they have a lot in common... Namely: They're really balanced college experiences -- great academically, great athletically, great socially. Don't forget to take advantage of the last two.

 
Best Response

Ucla is definitely a target in southern california, you've also got proximity and alumni access to all the banks and investment shops that have a large presence like Houlihan Lokey, Moelis, UBS, Credit Suisse, Morgan Stanley, JPMorgan, TCW, PIMCO, WAMCO, Double Line, Capital Companies. In Norcal it's still got pretty good presence but you have to compete with Stanford and Cal. On the east coast it's still doable but obviously harder (why would firms go out of their way to get a kid from California, who probably has no connection with the east coast, when they can pluck one from their back yard)

 

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