@dman19: If the ECON BS has more quant courses it may make you an attractive candidate for management consulting firms & for investment banking firms.
My question: What is the difference in terms of courses between earning a BA versus a BS in economics ?
Plus, if you are quant oriented there are some very valuable certificates offered by a few schools for those interested in consulting or banking careers. Since you are already attending college, you need to check whether or not your current school offers such certificate programs. (Typically, accept a limited number of students & it is fairly competitive to get accepted into the certificate programs with which I am familiar.)
@Publisher Thatâs how Econ BS is at my school, and BS majors take much more math-related courses than BA. That was one of the reasons I wanted to take Econ BS over BA originally. Econ BA at my university, from what I have heard, is more about the history of Economic systems and significantly less about the application of those systems in real-world examples than a BS would be.
I can ask my counselor about possible certificates and the requirements for the programs completing those. One of my main reasons for wanting to work after Undergrad is figuring out if I could actually see myself wanting to practice law there. I will say though I donât think I can see myself working as an investment consultant for a career as it does not have as much interest to me a law does, though.
Do many STEM graduates actually apply to law schools?
Is History, English, Economics or a STEM field of greater interest to the OP or another undergraduate student?
I hung around a STEM University years ago and only a small number of students wanted to go into law. Recently a niece graduated with a biology degree and job/pay prospects were very poor at the BS level in her field. She did discover a gold mine of interest from law schools and later from law firms. She experienced a demand for STEM trained students in the patent law areas. Demand was very high for lawyers in CS and in other STEM areas. Boston firms wanted patent attorneys.
We cannot predict the demand upon receipt of your BS or BA X years from now, but STEM fields are likely to continue growth in demand relative to most majors. Unless STEM majors are actually frowned upon by law schools, these majors may offer both a stronger BS market and a valuable preparation in todayâs technological dialogue.
How about an orating scientist? Did Rome have them? I know the Greeks did!
I cannot speak to the LSAT score. I never understood the SAT.
My only law related experience was selling tax law services during the Tax Reform Act of 1987 to major law offices and corporations in the Greater Boston area. Because tax law was exploding, phones rang off the hook starting before my office was open. Demand counts. Is our future replete with technological legal arguments? People needed to know!
It turns out my niece was not enjoying logging billable time in a large Boston law firm. After less than three years on the job, two classmates from her old STEM class took her out to lunch and offered her the newly created, full time counsel position in their five year old company. The company had outgrown purchasing all their legal advice off premise.
@retiredfarmer I agree with you, studying what you excel at is most important. Thatâs kind of why I had the question, to begin with. One of my friends had told me that Econ BS is too much âmathâ and it would be more âworthwhileâ of my time to major in something that has more writing and reading (like an Econ BA).
Donât get me wrong I understand the importance of those, but I just didnât think it was right for him to right off the importance of math and business as well. Something you hardly get in the BA. I excel at math and to me, it has been much more interesting to work with. In addition, you take many business-related classes.
If you excel at math, then pursue a BS in Economics. This is fine for law school & outstanding preparation if you later decide to enroll in an MBA program rather thanâor in addition toâsuch as a joint JD/MBA degreeâlaw school.
Additionally, I did a bit of research on offerings at your current school. You may be eligible to pursue a minor in âbusiness analyticsââwhich is great for internships & immediate employment after finishing undergraduate school. But only pursue this minor if it is of interest to you.
Do you prefer to work alone or do you prefer to work on projects as part of a small group ?
I stared in engineering and ended up with a BS in economics where we spent a lot of time working with data in Federal project work. The two year government research project was very interdisciplinary. My basic engineering courses also gave me the foundation and confidence to talk with environmental and civil engineers about economics forecasting issues. A broadly interdisciplinary approach to problem solving vastly improves communication in this rapidly changing world.
The worldâs problems are largely interdisciplinary. It helps to respect that reality. Look for universities that seem to respect and accommodate flexibility and interdisciplinary thinking. It helps if your program is a dialogue.
I am very biased here and believe many smaller colleges and Universities are better at interdisciplinary dialogue than are schools with very large departments where students and faculty never leave their academic neighborhood. Having 100 departments and tens of thousands of students does not necessarily lead to interdisciplinary dialogue. It is an academic culture.
Different question my daughter is going to graduate in 3 years with a BS in Economics and most likely a 4.0. I know that getting into A top14 and merit money will be largely based on her LSAT scores which she hasnât taken yet. I have been encouraging her to apply to the London School of Economics for a Masters in Economics and Public Policy before going to law school. Any thoughts on if that would help her assuming she has the requisite LSAT scores.
It might help to distinguish her application from others with similar LSAT score & undergrauate GPA numbers.
Also, earning a masters degree in economics should open up more career options & may lessen her desire to attend law school.
Among the top 14 law schools which offer merit awards, it could help at the University of Chicago law school if her LSAT score & undergraduate GPA are above both 75th percentiles for Chicago.
Harvard, Yale & Stanford law schools do not award merit scholarship money, just need based financial aid.
Chicago & Columbia & NYU compete for Harvard admits with offers of merit scholarship money. (Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Chicago, Columbia & NYU are widely considered to be the top 6 law schools. These law schools comprise the top 6 law schools in US News rankings.)
P.S. Since your daughter is graduating in just 3 years from college, earning a masters at LSE could help her feel more comfortable in law school as many top law schools are admitting the majority of each class with some post undergraduate work experience.
Also, if could help with respect to career options after finishing law school.
But do not expect your daughterâs law school admission odds to increase due to a masters in economics from LSE as law schools focus on applicantâs LSAT score, undergraduate GPA & URM status.
Nevertheless, earning a masters in economics from LSE is an interesting & attractive option which I would recommend if your daughter has expressed strong interest.
@burghdad: Earning a masters degree in economics from LSE could help your daughter stand-out with law firms when interviewing for summer clerk positions & associate positions.
When examing the law firm profiles of the nations most prestigious firms, it is apparent which firms place a high value on post BA/BS degrees & on foreign language skills.
Thatâs not quite accurate. Law schools are more than happy to âpayâ for high GPAâs. Of course, the most merit money comes from both a high GPA and high LSAT score.
And agree with Publisher: a Masters from LSE (or other highly ranked school) will be a nice-to-have for law school admissions, which are primarily all about two numbers, but it will be a good discussion piece for job interviewing.
Thanks for the insight folks. My advice to her has been to study up for the LSATs this summer and try to knock it out of the park. Also since she is graduating in 3 years, and will not have any study abroad that going to the LSE for a 12 months masters can be a way To Add more depth To her application and as you mentioned maybe better job opportunities out of law school. And at the same time get she will get that study abroad kind of experience she didnât get in undergrad.