dual degree combination?
What would be a good dual degree combination for private equity? I was considering studying engineering or maybe computer science in addition to finance. Is it better to be able to specialize in a particular industry (such as high tech) rather than just looking at things from a purely financial perspective?
I have little experience in this area, but I figured if you were going to invest in a company (VC, LBO, etc) it would be good to have an in-depth understanding of the product/industry?
I'd say most people working in PE don't have an engineering background whether they deal with tech companies or not. It would obviously be a plus to have that deeper understanding, but you might also signal that you want to silo yourself into tech deals. The broader the perspective, the better. Personally, I'd say to do finance and accounting - nothing beats knowing how to read financial statements.
cliche, but i would argue that you should major in whatever interests you the most. but since you asked...
for vc, an engineering background goes a long way.
for pe, do either finance/accounting or finance/management. aside from valuation or reading financials, you need to be able to talk strategically about investments and what kind of value addition you can underwrite to
Psychology & East Asian Studies
thanks for the responses.
I'm hesitant to do accounting or management because we are already required to take some basic courses in those subjects at wharton.
What about math or physics?
...you really want that dual degree
don't mean to discourage you, but if megafund PE is your goal right out of wh, it's a hell of a crap shoot since BX takes 0-2 from you guys every year. of the two that i know, one was huntsman, one was fnce/acct. another individual that went to Silver Lake (which is tech-focused) was also fnce/acct.
that said, if you're genuinely interested in tech/engineering, you should get that dual. in my mind, engineering is more practical than mathematics, and it opens doors to VC down the road... it won't help you get a PE job necessarily, since i think they care more about your modeling skills, finance savvy, and ability to think about investments (and obv. fit).
Dual degree recommendations? (Originally Posted: 07/28/2008)
What would be a good dual degree combination for a Wharton student interested in ibanking and possibly hedge funds/pe later on?
Is another degree in math/science the most common? I was thinking maybe EE or computer science. However, getting a second degree will take a lot of work and possibly an extra summer or two--is it worth it?
Thanks
any of those ones you mentioned. however your summers are best used interning
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and one more thing, go to parties and have some fun. college is supposed to be the best time of your life. Enjoy it before you lose it.
If you want to go for the quant HFs, you could go for a math, CSE, or physics major. Another option would be to take a stat concentration.
But for banking, PE, and most HFs, finance and accounting are all you ever need.
What if you wanted to aim for TMT groups? Would it then make sense to get an engineering degree as well or still just finance/accounting?
I was dual-degree wharton and SAS - pm me if you want more details, but the answer is math or comp sci.
Does Wharton offer "How to Write 30-page memos that nobody ever reads" or "Comps that barely anybody will pay attention to" or "Powerpoint chart formatting at 3 am?" Because those would be helpful.
not sure about those, but I took a freshman seminar on "how to fill a 30-page appendix with buyer profiles and logos and financials and business descriptions that will be ignored"
you'll die if you double in EE
CS definitely the most "useful", perhaps consider OPIM
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