Does course at UK Unis even matter for IB placement anymore?
Hey all,
Just doing some research for UK Unis for Undergraduate studies, and I'm just wondering - does it all even matter what course you pick? Are you able to get into a good economics masters program even with, say, a degree in philosophy or business management?
Thanks!
Why would you want to get into an economics masters program?
For IB recruiting: Generally course doesn’t matter if you go to a target, especially if it’s in STEM/economics (even things like biology/biochemistry are fine)
could argue that degrees that sound outwardly weak, like education, are tough sells. Philosophy should be fine.
I'd definitely argue stem/Econ is now a borderline necessity for the more interesting S&T desks.
In general, you'll get the most optionality studying something stem.
Course doesn’t really matter for IB, although marginal advantage to STEM/econ and as per above, something openly soft will disadvantage you (I.e. philosophy won’t, but classics might). It matters a lot more for quant roles and S&T, however.
Re the MScs, you won’t get into a top econ programme (as opposed to a professional focused business/finance programme) if you haven’t done some econ in UG. Know tons of people (including myself) who applied with STEM Firsts from targets for econ programmes and nearly all of us got rejected. Only way you’re getting into econ MScs from something else is if you have very, very strong quant and data analysis skills, far better than your average STEM or econ student because you need to offer something else to the class.
I'd say course matters, though it matters less than university. Certain courses just attract smarter/harder working people (i.e, the people worth interviewing) than others. This is even shown by the entry tariffs and subject requirements to study them. At most of my ACs, the lionshare have been stem/econ/fin.
The course never mattered - I know global heads at large cup PE funds who did Zoology.
Yeah this. The extent at which your school matters over things like diversity and coming across as interesting is diminishing too.
100%. If you're coming the cream of the crop, you might see some Oxbridge people with History of Geography degrees, but they are rare. Most people in IB will still have a quantitative subject and that is what puts them on the radar. Additionally, degree relevance can help distinguish you in situations where you might be at a semi-target or competing against people from a higher-tier school e.g., and Accounting and Finance degree from Imperial won't be better than the same degree from LSE, but might beat out someone who did Sociology at LSE. Bottom line is, focus on getting into the course you like with the most relevance for IB from the best school you can get into.
Sorry man - it really doesn't matter. I know so many people who did random degrees and are in IB/PE now as I mentioned above. I specifically chose not to take any finance modules as they were all theoretical bullshit. Work experience > University Brand > Extra Curricular Activities > Interests > Course
Esse quia placeat ut fugiat dolores maiores sed mollitia. Fugiat sed ut enim est voluptates ea autem. Aut quidem saepe aut nobis sed. Nihil quibusdam repudiandae laudantium porro quisquam voluptas. Est minima ea necessitatibus incidunt neque libero voluptatibus. Odit qui in dicta. Asperiores nobis quas natus qui.
Et ut saepe nobis accusamus quos. Voluptatem fugiat dolore hic. Assumenda fugiat et quia culpa sint.
Incidunt nihil quod optio vel assumenda qui. Maxime eum sit temporibus quis consequatur. Quis tempora rerum aut recusandae eligendi. Vel et explicabo pariatur ut. Iste dolores aut voluptate molestias. Similique et magnam qui.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...