Do banks take into account the difficulty of your major when looking at your GPA?
So I'm a transfer at UCLA studying Mathematics/Economics atm, but I'm thinking about possibly switching into a liberal arts major (Philosophy) and doing an Accounting minor in order to position myself for a higher GPA.
I was wondering if firms take the difficulty of your major into account when assessing your GPA because I think it's going to be brutal to pull a 3.6+ as a Math major. But on the flip side I'm worried that switching into Philosophy would look undesirable to recruiters because it tends to look like an easy major.
Would it be worth undertaking a Math major despite possibly sacrificing a few tenths on my GPA?
Only study mathematics if you're truly, truly passionate about studying mathematics.
If you are, getting a 4.0 in math is easier than getting a 4.0 in any other major (I know this to be true). If you aren't, then it's going to miserable.
Anyway, the Accounting program at UCLA is damn good, with great professors, so you should be fine assuming you do well there. Just make sure to keep your minor GPA up, and include it on your resume.
(Also, did you consider making a less extreme move than Philosophy? Maybe just regular Economics?)
How is it looking for Biz Econ? That would set you up the best for investment banking.
The undergrad Accounting Program at UCLA isn't THAT strong. It is very very hit or miss with professors, check bruinwalk for reviews. I'd say maintain a major that at least pertains a little to economics? When recruiters are looking at resumes, I would guess anything with "Economics" in the title or an "accounting minor" would look a lot better than just "Philosophy".
This is one of the dumbest things I have ever read on this site.
Considering the general level of commentary on WSO, that's quite the achievement.
I just meant that if you truly, passionately enjoy studying mathematics, and you're obsessed with the beauty of the logic and the poetry of it, you're just not the kind of person who's going to thrive in Economics. You'll only want to do math, and you'll end up doing it well.
(Obviously, this may not apply at a place like Princeton or MIT where everybody is brilliant, but the OP goes to UCLA, and I go to UCLA's Big Brother, and there's quite a few dumbfucks at our respective institutions).
I truly do enjoy math, it's fascinating. I'm just afraid of not having any college life due to being in the library all day to beat the curve (that is being set by kids who live in the library)
I'm just not sure about the realistic prospects of securing a job in investment banking job with philosophy on my resume.
I don't think math courses require living in the library. Applied courses are generally pretty easy -- it's more a "Do you get it?" sort of thing. Yeah, you're theoretical courses are going to be a pain-in-the-ass, but if you're Math/Econ, you're probably only taking Linear Algebra I'm assuming. Even if you do need to take Complex Analysis, it's still manageable. Just take that during an easier quarter.
I'll be honest with you: I don't think Philosophy from UCLA is going to cut it. It's a good school, but it's not Princeton. You can't major in Musicology and expect banks to be pleased.
Long story short: Do Bus/Econ.
Yes, people do consider your major's difficulty, but they want smart people no matter what they study. You'll have many more applicable skills if you study math/business than majoring in philosophy which firms will take into account. I would at least supplement a non-business/technical major with a relevant minor.
This is your answer http://learnenglishorstarve.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/tiers-123975265… No, you don't have to thank me!
I would think he is talking about a double major in Math and Economics. I also highly doubt that all he will be doing is linear algebra, and I have no idea where you are getting your information from. Math courses are significantly more time consuming than business courses. And saying applied math is "do you get it?" is pretty condescending to all the applied math people I know.
You seem to be saying that a math major is simply the equivalent to business, which I can assure you it is not. No matter what I can promise that math will take you much more time to build than any business major. The abstract classes lend themselves to the people who took 10 hours per week to understand their computation classes, it is a lifestyle.
A math major is a lot more work than a business major. I'm a math major biz minor and spend about 1/10 of my time on accounting/finance classes and get A's in each one.
Linear Algebra??? That is a sophomore level course, and the easiest one in any curriculum. Try partial diff equations, modern algebra, upper-level prob theory. Not for the faint of heart...
To the OP I would stay away from philosophy. It's not a very productive major unless you're going to law school.
How do you know that youll do well in philosophy? plenty of smart kids do poorly on Phil 101 across the country
Haha, no, no, no. Also: No.
Math/Econ is a single major at UCLA. I know this because I nearly attended UCLA, and it was one of the things I was looking into. I just can't remember the exact requirements -- I simply assumed it would be less theoretical, more applied.
And I mean no offense to your applied compadres: I just think Complex Analysis requires a different level of intellectual fortitude than, say, Optimization.
I would never, ever compare my math major to a business major. I was just saying if he was really worried about Math, he should go the Bus/Econ route rather than Philosophy. Which is as useless as they come.
personally, I have seen that given the 30seconds on your resume they will only look at the gpa number and not really the courses. I guess the major will be great but then make sure you take gpa boosting classes within the major. most majors will have their solid bunch of classes and the easy set. obviously many kids also just complete the bare minimum for a required major. if your truly interested in a subject its likely that you will take harder classes and many more classes beyond what you require but do remember they can do their damage to your gpa....i'm pursuing accounting,finance and economics and must say my econ classes( Econometrics, empirical finance etc) have been so much harder than the other 2 areas and did pull my gpa down but then they were very intellectually fulfilling...its a tradeoff and you have to decided whats on top of your priority list
By the lectures I had this year, yes they do. Is a fact that a major like BSBA is much easier than a Engineering major. Studies which include 'soft skills' (like business degrees with focus on entrepreneurship), tend to be easier.
Yes major difficulty is taken into account. Still try and pull off a 3.5 though.
Can I ask how why you think this is the case? Have you done recruiting/been involved in the process?
Only been interviewed but it seems like 3.5 is one of those psychological numbers that recruiters want to see. Plus it might save your resume from being thrown from some sort of automated screening bullshit.
If you want to be a banker, switching to a Philosophy major sounds kinda counter intuitive. Don't you want to learn something you can apply to your work after school? But that's just me . . .
Any of those combinations are great (math/econ/philosophy)
GPA vs course difficulty (Originally Posted: 04/17/2007)
As a college freshman, should I take the easiest courses and inflate my gpa as much as I can, or should I rather take the hardest courses, which would make my transcript look more impressive but also lower my gpa?
My fear is that, since recruiters will only look at the GPA written on the resume, I would only be hurting my chances by taking harder courses.
There is already a thread about this on the front page.
Ill add a question to that, which might help you also Will!
I was taking Pre-Med courses my sophmore year, and received some horrendous grades which brought my GPA down to a 2.8 but my Major GPA (Finance & Acct courses) is a 3.9
How would that effect my chances at an I-Bank?
How much better of a chance can a person land a job with a degree in Master of Economics compared to a BS in Economics??
take whatever classes you enjoy and that usually translates to better grades
agreed.
it all comes out in the wash. ask the political science majors that graduated summa cum laude and dont have jobs.
yeah thats another thing, if you MAJOR in something hard and have a shittier GPA that's better than majoring in something easy and taking hard classes for the shit of it
Not that this is that relevant, but poly sci at a good school is not an easy major...definitly harder than finance to get an A in (or any other vocational major--except maybe at wharton)...also would say it's harder to get an A than in an Econ course...though of course it's also hard to get below a B/B+.
of course it's nothing compared to math, physics, etc.
if you're doing something that is known to be hard (math, engineering, biochem..) that will be taken in to consideration. However, you're still going to wanna have above a 3.5 at all costs. After that, within the major the actual classes you take are of little concern. i.e. doing engineering but waiting to take your difficult classes your senior year of college.
Difficulty of Undergraduate Courses vs. GPA (Originally Posted: 11/19/2010)
Hey guys,
Quick question - to those of you who have gone through the admissions process, how important are perceived "difficulty" of courses?
For example, take someone who has amassed a very high GPA (3.9+) but most classes are not quantitative in nature. For example, let's say my major is political science / philosophy / literature type, and I take a high level poli-sci / philosophy class - is this regarded as easy? My concern is that with the focus on quantitative courses, MBA offices automatically equate quantitative = hard.
Also, to what extent do economics classes count as quantitative. Is taking the standard, Calc 3, Calc based Statistics, Econ 101, Microeconomics, Macroeconomics sufficient to substantiate your quantitative abilities? Thanks!
Hello there,
I am currently majoring in a quantitative field. I can tell you that the econ courses would not be considered quantitative, nor would calc 3 and an intro calc based statistics. However for an MBA program (which is not quantitative) your high GPA will be fine, as will your coursework. For an MSFE/PHD, maybe not so much. But don't worry about the MBA program. Experience counts a lot more than grades.
Quantitative courses would be lin algebra, ode, pde, some kind of mathematical finance course, calc 4, analysis 1, etc.
You have a 3.9? You'll be fine. This is an MBA we're talking about, not a PhD in Physics.
alright, thanks guys - will try to kill the GMAT quant section just in case...
I've never understood why quantitative components of study are considered more difficult. I can appreciate that they are very mechanical in nature and are probably more logical, but I think the qualitative component of study allows you to think more creatively and analytically and relies upon more creative styles of thinking and interpretation.
For me, if there is only one correct answer or solution, then I can't see how you are afforded the opportunity to look at an issue from varying perspectives. In fact, this is a criticism I have of my UG programme.
Mechanical in nature? Not "creative" or "analytical?" This is absolutely absurd - try some real analysis.
Only one correct solution? I hope you are talking about arithmetic here.
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