Hi! I was wondering which one of these options would set me up better for a career in finance. If anyone has any experience or advice it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Define finance. Finance encompasses many areas.
If you want to study finance, you can’t at Wellesley.
If you want to study Econ, you can’t at Annenberg. But you can in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences.
If you mean investment banking (and I suspect you do), ask each school for a career outcome report down to the job and major. Both appear to have placed. They might each set you up with a recent alum so you can ask about their experiences.
Or if you look on LinkedIn, you’ll find recent alums for both. Perhaps you can reach out and ask for a discussion.
Umass does appear to have an Investmebt Banking Club. Perhaps they would be good to speak with about current and past opprtunities they’ve witnessed from campus.
Good luck.
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Have you been accepted? If you are accepted to Wellesley wouldn’t it have to be a binding ED decision? If you have not yet been accepted then no need to choose now.
But both can set you up for success. Hopefully they are comfortably affordable.
The options you present are so very dlfferent in terms of the college itself – large public v LAC, single sex v co-ed, and the curriculum itself (liberal arts major v b-school) so I really think you need to decide what environment YOU like and what YOU want to study. My D loved her LAC experience and my S loved his undergrad b-school.
One suggestion is to look through the course catalogs and compare a b-school curriculum to a liberal arts curriculum. You can also see if there is any career placement data available.
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Here is a thread that may provide insight. If in fact by finance you mean IB, I will be happy to offer some further advice?
Please let me know if I can answer any specific questions. As a career investment banker and alum of the best Seven Sister School I do have some first hand experience and opinions 
FYI if I banking is the goal please note the recruitment process is somewhat idiosyncratic and unique so please consider the sources and experiences of those offering guidance carefully.
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Hi, thanks for all the responses so far, I realized now that my question was kind of broad. I guess to specify, I’m interested in financial advising and I wanted to know about the connections and career prospects in finance at both schools. I know Wellesley is a LAC and doesn’t offer finance, but I heard many alums end up in finance jobs because of the strong econ program and alum network.
I’m also asking now because I really like Wellesley as a school and am planning to ED next year but I’m worried about job prospects and the higher price tag.
I hope that clears some stuff up, again TYSM for all the advice I really appreciate it!!
The first step would be to have the money talk with your parents (if that hasn’t happened already.)
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You can achieve this goal from either school. Trying to handicap which might have higher odds of becoming a financial advisor isn’t possible. Do well in school, network, join clubs, get internships and you will be able to be a financial advisor if that’s what you still want to do come graduation time.
Which subject do you want to study more? I encourage you to look at the classes required for the major, read the syllabi, and think about which classes appeal to you more. Have you taken any econ or finance courses in HS?
Run Wellesley’s NPC with your parents to get a cost estimate. If it looks affordable, it would be ok to ED if it’s your first choice and you don’t want to compare offers from other schools. Net Price Calculator
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When you say advising , do you mean someone who helps an individual plan for retirement or college costs or helping to manage a stock portfolio. A personal financial advisor ?
Or someone who might advise corporations - on cost efficiencies or mergers, etc.
If it’s the former, the school won’t matter - any school. Nor will the major.
If you love Wellesley - great. If you ED, know the cost today is close to $90,000. Can your family afford that ? If yes, do they want to afford it ? I put a net price calculator below that your family can fill out to see if you’d qualify for need aid. If you ED and get accepted, you are bound. If you like the idea of a woman’s college but need merit aid, there are other possibilities like Smith, Mount Holyoke, Bryn Mawr and more.
In contrast, UMASS in state is about $35k with merit possibilities.
One last thing - what would you like to study ? Econ is a social science whereas finance is a business course - they are vastly different in what they are. Look at each majors four year course plan.
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However, some LACs offer courses in finance. Available topics may include accounting, corporate finance, international finance, financial economics and financial econometrics.
Not to be a downer, but I wouldn’t focus too much on Wellesley (with its 14% admission rate) until you get in and see that it is an affordable option. As a junior, your focus should be on creating an application list that includes reach, match, and safety schools that appear affordable and that you would be excited to attend. Some things to consider:
–If you particularly like LACs and/or women’s colleges, you can expand that part of your search. See what offerings exist at the schools which could lead you to your desired career;
–Research the differences in curriculum between an economics major and attending an undergrad b-school;
–Think about what size of school you prefer.
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This person at the bottom of the link might be a good resource - and one nice thing about Wellesley is that you can cross register at Babson, which is a top b school.
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As an opinion on your interests generally, a student who studies both economics and mathematics may develop a more substantive preparation for a career in finance than a student who majors in finance alone.
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Those are both amazing options, but very different campus environments and programs. If you visit both and spend a little time on campus talking to students, I would guess one or the other would feel like a better fit.
Consider expanding your search in both directions–look at a few more schools with a separate business school ex, BC, BU and look at a few more LOCs with a strong alum network where you could study econ. Both paths can lead you to a career in finance, but you may be much happier and more at home one way or the other.
We have a student at BC in the business school. He got in to Umass Isenberg, Bentley, Holy Cross and a few others. Ultimately, he wanted a full undergrad business school. I cannot say enough good things about the alumni network of BC grads willing to mentor, coach and spend time chatting with current students. It’s impressive. The students who are in the business school are driven, ambitious, smart and focussed on their careers. It’s a competitive environment in terms of getting into the finance and investing clubs. Definitely not for everyone and I suspect being an econ major at a LOC would feel very different.
Best of luck with your search!
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