Which classes should I take within Cornell Economics?

Hi,

I'm a freshman in Cornell CAS, currently double majoring in Government and Economics, with minors in Philosophy, Business, and Social Inequality. I'm hoping to work in investment banking M&A, preferably at J.P. Morgan or Goldman Sachs.

I recently took Intermediate Microeconomic Theory, and it was insanely difficult for me as I'm not a quantitative type. Are there any easy classes within Cornell Economics that you can recommend? I have heard Money/Credit and Industrial Organization so far. I am kind of worried recruiters will catch on that I avoided hard classes like Game Theory and Econometrics, though.

Also, how important is it to be a double major as opposed to just a Government major? What GPA would you recommend? Is interning at an investment bank at Cornell in Washington for a semester enough job experience?

Thanks a ton.

 

I'm so impressed with your 2 majors and 3 minors one semester into college (even if you did find int. micro to be "insanely difficult"...) - you will have no problem getting a job at JPM or GS. I would recommend a 4.0 and you definitely want to take harder courses because recruiters always take a lot of time to heavily scrutinize every class you have taken.

 
Best Response

Banks don't really ask for your transcripts during the interview process so they aren't really going to see what courses you took.

Plus econ majors have to take econometrics, either the regular one or applied econometrics. Take applied, since its only one semester and you don't have to take a whole semester of statistics. Money and credit is good, also international monetary is a good one too. Never took industrial but people in my house have and they weren't a fan, but take it if you liked micro.

Getting IB experience is key, so definitely try to get a boutique internship before junior recruiting. Most people I know who got jobs at the top BBs like Goldman and JPM had 3.8+ so make sure you're kicking ass along the way.

PM me if you have any questions, im a senior econ major.

 

Don't just do Government. Don't do Cornell in Washington - you won't be able to intern at an investment bank in DC. You'll have a tough time avoiding Econometrics, given that it's required for the econ major. And don't take Money/Credit if Besharov is teaching it and you want a GPA over 3.5 that semester. IO is very easy - it's basically intermediate micro rehashed.

PM me, I'm a Cornell econ senior

 

Well, I went to a J.P. Morgan event at the Statler and they basically told me that Cornell/Wharton are the two top schools there and that it's easy to get in out of Cornell... They also claimed that J.P. Morgan was a very team-oriented environment and not cutthroat like Goldman Sachs. I'm sort of skeptical, but at least some of it has to be true if everyone there was saying it.

Goldman? Honestly, just prestige. No real reason.

 
CandyCanes:
Well, I went to a J.P. Morgan event at the Statler and they basically told me that Cornell/Wharton are the two top schools there and that it's easy to get in out of Cornell... They also claimed that J.P. Morgan was a very team-oriented environment and not cutthroat like Goldman Sachs. I'm sort of skeptical, but at least some of it has to be true if everyone there was saying it.

Goldman? Honestly, just prestige. No real reason.

lol. freshmen make me laugh.
 

Troll right?

When a plumber from Hoboken tells you he has a good feeling about a reverse iron condor spread on the Japanese Yen, you really have no choice. If you don’t do it to him, somebody else surely will. -Eddie B.
 

Still not positive that you aren't trolling, I'll respond as if you aren't though. Your two majors and three minors will likely dwindle down to one major and possibly a minor, most likely one of two being unrelated to current coursework. All banks are going to pump of their "culture" compared to other banks so don't believe what they say. Best way to find out is to befriend someone on the buyside to see what the sellside is like. And if you're not the quant type then I have zero idea why you're an econ major. Also I'm guessing you want to do M&A because that's the only thing you know investment bankers do..In summary, realize you're a freshman and it's great to think that you know what your life will be like but you are one semester into college and complaining about Intermediate Microeconomic Theory.

 

Vel quasi error voluptas corporis sed nisi quaerat nihil. Tempora rerum facilis qui eum dolores. Molestiae quasi incidunt accusantium est quod vel. Amet libero aut et et sit molestiae. Harum et voluptas et aliquam velit saepe debitis. Sapiente magnam sed at illum. Occaecati tenetur nostrum est ut eius iusto.

Et quia nisi qui nam saepe maiores ut quo. Dolores odio quam facere temporibus temporibus earum. Vitae non deleniti sit voluptates minima.

Nihil commodi ex sunt libero. Ut facilis impedit ipsa quas non. Officia et aut maxime consectetur culpa. Rerum vel totam eligendi eum quis quasi. Nobis minus sunt non aut. Sit et qui harum nulla architecto vel. Repellendus autem nihil et delectus.

Error earum delectus aut ratione. Ipsam aut et ab quia. Commodi ea magnam et eum repellat minima libero aut. Provident consequuntur voluptatum quia. Ut et dolorem provident quisquam. Repellendus veritatis officiis dolorum qui natus. Asperiores aut assumenda magni dolorem.

Career Advancement Opportunities

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Jefferies & Company 02 99.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 19 98.8%
  • Harris Williams & Co. New 98.3%
  • Lazard Freres 02 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 03 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Harris Williams & Co. 18 99.4%
  • JPMorgan Chase 10 98.8%
  • Lazard Freres 05 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.7%
  • William Blair 03 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Lazard Freres 01 99.4%
  • Jefferies & Company 02 98.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 17 98.3%
  • Moelis & Company 07 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 05 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Director/MD (5) $648
  • Vice President (19) $385
  • Associates (87) $260
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (14) $181
  • Intern/Summer Associate (33) $170
  • 2nd Year Analyst (66) $168
  • 1st Year Analyst (205) $159
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (146) $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
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
bolo up's picture
bolo up
98.8
10
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
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...”