Georgetown Finance vs. International Economics

Hope you are all having a good Memorial Day.

I'm a rising freshman at Georgetown, and I was wondering what your opinions were on the differences in studying Finance in the MSB and International Economics in the SFS. I'm currently at this dilemma because I enjoy learning about government as well as business, but I can't really see myself working in the public sector. I'd rather work in investment banking straight out of graduation. But I also realize that I'm merely a high school senior, and as confident as I say I am, I could end up wanting to work in consulting instead of IB.

Is there 1) a greater recruiting difficulty for IB if I study Intl Econ at the SFS 2) How difficult is it to self-study for the materials that I need to know for interviews, since I'll be stuck taking a lot of the core classes at the SFS, 3) If you could choose between studying the more practical finance and the more theoretical economics, which would you choose?

The one thing that also nags at me is that the SFS requires me to study a foreign language for 2-3 years and has a pretty rigid curriculum, which while I could see the benefits of a foreign language, it may not be something I want to be locked into.

5 Comments
 
Most Helpful

1) This question has been answered quite a few times so if you use the search bar you should be able to find a semi-conclusive answer (I'm pretty sure it doesn't matter much but still look it up)

2) IDK

3) Don't make this choice based off what strangers on the internet enjoy. You're the one going to college not them. The best advice you'll ever get relating to this is stop trying to fit a certain "path" or do whats expected of you, that's a great way to end up miserable and I'm sure you know things are much easier when you enjoy them.

Also is there a reason you don't want to do International Political Economy and Business in MSB or even Business and Global Affairs?

 

Take a look at the global business program (GBUS). Students with your interests tend to do 1 of 3 things:

1 - pursue the GBUS major (look it up) 2 - pursue an SFS major with a Business Administration minor (very doable) 3 - pursue an SFS major and use their extracurricular involvement to gain finance experience and knowledge (GUSIF, GPS, GCI, or another finance or consulting club)

 

Qui eius pariatur maiores blanditiis blanditiis reiciendis. Quo sunt placeat atque. Consequuntur unde voluptatem commodi incidunt temporibus deserunt.

Et cum et sint. Ad quo rerum quibusdam.

Ut quaerat accusantium voluptatem quas id repellendus omnis. Temporibus quia minima et accusantium sint.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (44) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (78) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (72) $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
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
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...”