Convergence

For ibanking or consulting.

I've heard it being said repeatedly that undergrad major doesn't matter as much as internships, school reputation and GPA. The websites of many of the top firms also state that they recruit from all majors/disciplines.

Is this really true? I don't want to major in econ so i'm looking at possibilities. I don't want to major in just math either. I really like history but "analytical" and quant skills are important, so i'm thinking of the stats minor.

I'm still unsure, however, because it seems like most kids that are getting ibank/consulting jobs are majoring in econ. I feel comfortable with my school (umich), gpa and extracurriculars (they reflect my interest in business) but for some reason i'm getting caught up in deciding a major....any insight?

kmzizzle

don't take it (quant courses/major/minor) just because you think it will get you into ibanking

like 1000 other threads, any major can get into ibanking
Goldman, Sachs & Co. Recruiting Profile
yes most are business/econ, but that's just because ibanking is a finance/economics type job

LaxAttack09

If you're gonna major in history you better be at a top (hypsmw) school if you want a good chance at landing an interview.

YOU

Hmm.. Chelsea Clinton- hedge funds? (yea.. she's a Clinton, and from Stanford) did history.. at least one Colgate alum majored in history and got into IB too.. so do well and you can get into IB.. but why history? there're many things more interesting than history.. just my 2 cents

LaxAttack09

The whole "do well and you can do IB" thing is BS. It's idealistic. If you really want to do IB then why the hell would you do history? It's not going to open any doors (the opposite in fact, it will tend to close some). There's no reason you should do history if you want IB, it makes no sense. You just made a very hard job search 10x more hard.

YOU

^I do agree with you.. I was just pointing out that it is POSSIBLE to get into IB with a history major..

chubeebo

Converg, maybe you should switch it around and minor in history, and major in something (math, econ, etc.) else that would help you get into ib/consulting. Try and get the best of both worlds?

tetrishead

Major in history if you want to. There are plenty of kids graduating with degrees in finance or economics or business who majored in those subjects because they'd thought it would get them a job easily, and they did nothing during their summers and are now working retail and living with their parents. There are zero guarantees, it is the responsibility of each person to do what they think best to maximize their chances of success (success defined as a lot of things) in life--but no one ever reaches 100%. What matters is what you do during the year. Someone who interns, regardless of their major, has a better chance of getting hired at the place they interned at than almost anyone else, no matter their major or school they're graduating from.

You have four years of access to people that are experts in their field, and if you want to take the time now to study a subject that isn't directly relevant to what you want to spend the next 30 years of your life doing you better do it. You don't know when you'll be able to study <insert subject> again, and if you're in a good position to do it now you should. Even if it makes it harder for you to get a job straight out of school, even if it limits where you can intern during summers. Go do it now because it's your only chance for the best possible education in something you won't be able to access for a long time.

For what it's worth my rule of thumb has always been to double major in something you enjoy and something you can stand (if you enjoy it, that's a plus) that is pragmatic. For me on the enjoyment front that's either history or psychology, and either computer science or economics on the pragmatic side. I'd consider doubling up in history and stats.

Majayiduke09

Depends on where you go to school, at my school, people ranging from Sociology to English to Math to Engineering can get interviews, summer analyst and full time offers. They don't care what we major in.

At some schools, particularly "non-targets," not majoring in Finance puts you at disadvantage.