PlanPlusDebater

Columbia offers 3 undergraduate econ degrees: Econ, Econ-Stats, and Econ-Math (they're single degrees, not joint majors). If I want to go into IB/private equity/hedge funds then business school, what should I major in? I'm decent at math but not a genius; for some perspective, I scored ~105 on the AMC-12 and 3 on the AIME. I'm concerned that if I take Econ-Stats or Econ-Math my GPA will suck ass. What should I do?

Independently, Columbia offers a 4+1 BA+MA Econ program. For me at least, is that worth looking into?

davidson89

i say do econ-stats

sakky

Honestly, if you want to get into IB/PE/HF's, what you major in matters relatively little. What matters far more is your networking and your personal qualities. Hence, you want to choose a major that gives you plenty of time to meet people and develop your personal skills (i.e. public speaking, interviewing skills). You could get a 4.0 GPA in a major that is tailor-made for banking, but if your public speaking and interviewing skills are poor, you're not going to get an offer.

homesizzle

Yes, you are right.

But I think he's asking in the context of everything equal, what major is better. In that case, I would say straight Econ.

pgs1300

I think you should just stick with a single major and concentrate on a single aspect that you really like. If econ-math is a concentration type I think that would give you much more diverse oppurtunities later on, while applying for full time jobs. Otherwise just stick with econ and and involve your self in activities that show case your leadership potential

sakky

Actually, I would say that, all things equal, Econ-Stats probably has the edge then. A lot of financial analysis, especially at hedge funds, is statistical regression analysis.

But my point is, things are almost never equal. Like I said, a guy with a 4.0 in econ-stats but who has poor interviewing/speaking skills and who hasn't spent time building his network probably won't get an offer. In contrast, a guy with an art history degree but has spent years honing his speaking skills and building his network probably will get an offer.

iv4me

I am an ORFE major at Princeton (a combination of statistics, economics, and mathematics) with similar scores on the Math contests that you mentioned.

Sakky, I disagree that your major matters relatively little when being considered for these jobs for several reasons.

-Firstly, the top hedge funds, namely Citadel and D.E. Shaw, are quantitative. Even the least quantitative divisions like to see students who can think mathematically and communicate with the pure quants in their companies. Citadel has had great success with ORFE majors for our understanding of programming, probability, and regression analysis.

-Even investment banks and consulting firms, while they take students from all majors, do not recruit based solely on personality. They want to see that you think economically, that you can understand basic valuation techniques and company strategy. Though an economics background is unnecessary, I argue that it helps develop the thinking mindset these firms for which these firms are looking. Also, certain majors develop certain reputations. A representative from JP Morgan specifically stated that they have had great success with ORFE majors. If the major was irrelevant, she would not have commented on this differentiation.

However, the original poster asked for advice between three specific majors, and I think the differences are irrelevant, unless you are applying to hedge funds, who prefer quantitative backgrounds. If you are interested in hedge funds, I would guess that both an econ-stats major and an econ-math-major would be more enticing candidates than an econ major.