You can major in anything and do anything b4 b school. But yes, for a top 50 b school and maybe deeper you need to work first.
If you look at even the top schools - they have students from name your college. Harvard doesn’t seem to post a school list anymore but 8 years ago they had 264 colleges represented in their class. Name the U of most any state, small regional schools, foreign schools.
When I got my MBA, I was in outside sales. We had engineers, physicians, retail workers, IT - you name it.
For those that did undergrad business, MBA was almost a repeat.
I’m using Harvard. Obviously few go but you can see (scroll down) the undergrad areas in their profile. .
I’ve added a solid but more realistic school - but still top notch. Look at the ages and majors they come from. You can see. No 21 year olds in the house !!
Go engineering and with an mba, if that was your path, you’ll be amongst the most in demand in your class….but that’s looking waaaay too far ahead. But just for edification. But find a good school to pursue your immediate interests.
It’s unlikely the person you are today will be the one you are tomorrow. Desires change.
Let me add a little more context - but focus on today - but just so you can see why it makes sense to work before going for an MBA.
My MBA alma mater, ASU shows an average salary including bonus for an MBA of $146K. Now they report base salaries for undergrad - so not signing bonus - but $56K - so not apples to apples but still a huge huge contrast if you assume an average signing bonus undergrad of $50K and 10% bonus.
Indiana Kellley says the mean undergrad is near $77K - but the MBA is $140K.
UGA Terry - Median of $70K and $120K.
Those who go right away give up this growth.
Now as an engineer (today), you might easily start at $75-95K - and then it becomes - three years in if you’re at $110K, does it make sense to leave?
But these are discussions for a long time from now - and there are other MBAs that allow you to work and study.
But way too ahead…but just a point of why it’s important to work (and go to a school that can provide you with impact).
Accredited engineering programs have a tight sequence that usually takes 4 years to complete meaning a year exploring other majors along with engineering may be impractical. You can find sample schedules online such as this one from OSU: Major Curriculum Sheets | Engineering Advising And as previously posted it may be very difficult to change majors into engineering.
Furthermore there usually isn’t much exposure to the practice of engineering you might be interested in with first year engineering courses so a frosh year spent exploring engineering may not really reveal much to you. Typically you’d be taking the calculus and physics necessary to understand the principles taught in engineering classes. See the sample schedules above. This lack of exposure is one of the reasons proffered for the drop-out rate of engineering majors (often said to be 50% or higher) although some schools are trying to have students take engineering classes they’ll find relevant early on to keep them interested.
Add to this the high workload of the math/science/engineering classes. If you’re taking 4 of these in a semester it wouldn’t be unusual to spend 30-40 hours a week outside of class studying, writing up labs, etc. Probably another reason for the dropout rate, kids see their friends in other majors with a lot more free time and a more enjoyable college experience in all its facets.
There has been a lot of good suggestions herein. Let me offer a little more for you to consider.
If you are a Junior in high school may I suggest you consider a summer STEM camp to get a better feel for Engineering. My older daughter is a practicing Civil Engineer and my younger daughter is a college sophomore studying Mechanical/Aerospace Engineering. Both did Engineering camps over the summers while in high school. Here are the ones my daughters attended that you might consider but there are more if search them out
Rose-Hulman Operation Catapult
US Naval Academy Summer STEM
Auburn MITE (Minority (includes females) Introduction to Engineering
Virginia Tech C2Tech Engineering
I am a Professor of the Practice (retired Business Executive) in a top 20 Business program at a top 5 Public University teaching both Undergrads and MBA’s. Business is a great choice as well but as others have said, you would want to have a specific concentration like Finance, Accounting, Real Estate, etc.
Both my daughters considered Business but ultimately chose Engineering. My older daughter put it simply like this. An Engineering student can go the Business route but a Business student can not be an Engineer. Case in point, her friend who studied Mechanical Engineering went to work in Finance right out of college. They sent her to a couple Finance and Accounting classes in her first year at work and she never looked back.
I would also add that many Engineering programs are now including a couple Intro to Engineering classes in the Freshman Year of college to help students better understand if Engineering is right for them. As such, I agree with others that looking at schools with both top flight Engineering and Business programs may work best for you.