Do you HAVE to major in Bus?

I'm a freshman at Berkeley right now and was wondering if I should apply to Haas. I have all the prereqs done, but I think I would actually learn more if I majored in something more technical. I actually like finance(and want to go into trading), but don't want to take all of those filler courses. Because of that, I want to just double major in CS and Stat (Finance concentration, meaning, 3-4 courses in the business school). CS and Stat are something I find interesting along with finance. I'm just scared that because I go to a school with a well known business program, I'm going to be dinged for not actually being in said program.

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Best Response

I'm a firm believer that non-business degrees are much better for you intellectually. I think they train you how to think and do a much better job of preparing you for the future. Similarly, I don't really believe that business is something you learn in the classroom. Nor do I believe that business research often tells us much about real world business. (If you want me to expand, let me know via a post or PM.)

I think studying stats and CS is a much better choice. If you're really interested in finance, just make sure you do some internships and a little self-studying in your free time. Or take a few key courses in finance without actually majoring in it.

With that said, there are some benefits of business degrees/schools in terms of networking, recruiting, and landing jobs. So, if you do opt for a business degree, I strongly recommend pairing it with something else (like math, stats, philosophy, econ, engineering, physics, or a million other things).

 

Might as well apply and worry about it once you get in. Could you do a stats-heavy Finance major if you get into Haas?

 

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