<p>My daughter is Interested in a Career in Business so the logical Default Major seemed to be econ. Her Freshman year in the large impersonal Econ classes was painful, but she managed to run in the middle of the herd. after preparing by taking multivariable calculus this summer at a large state univ. she hit the wall on the first test in her third Econ class. An unredeemable low grade and has withdrawn. Time to declare a major and French looks like the only viable candidate. She feels like an Econ minor is possible and possibly a certificate in management and marketing. How would this path shape or limit her possibilities upon graduation?</p>
<p>I would encourage your daughter to reach out to one of the many adults on campus. If her academic advisor has not been helpful, the global advisors are GREAT to talk about interests with: <a href=“http://globaladvising.duke.edu/”>http://globaladvising.duke.edu/</a>. She can also make an appointment to talk with Dean Fox, head of the Advising Center during Dean Fox’s evening office hours (in the advising newsletter). There are also peer advisors (<a href=“http://advising.duke.edu/peer”>http://advising.duke.edu/peer</a>) with sophomores, juniors, and seniors who have been trained in how to talk with students about academic interests/possiblities, and they’ve all hit brick walls. A lot. A lot a lot, and learning how to talk about it and think about it is important.</p>
<p>She also still has a semester to declare a major! If she’s sophomore, she doesn’t have to declare until right before spring break.</p>
<p>@Paintedlady: I, too, strongly endorse seeing Dean Fox . . . and, perhaps, Dean Sue as well. They are wonderful counselors, they have abundant Duke expertise, and they deeply care for all Dukies. Further, you and your D really shouldn’t panic; these sorts of things are not terribly unusual among freshmen, at Duke and its peer institutions. More important, in the vast majority of instances, with a little time everything works out well. Your D was bright, conscientious, and tenacious enough to be accepted in Duke '18; those same highly-positive attributes – and others – will doubtless overcome this comparatively minor “speed bump.”</p>
<p>An econ major is not all that much more valuable than other general studies without certain courses taken, IMO. I know people who hire in business where the money is good, and they could not care less whether the prospect is a French or Econ or Business major They look at what they know and have taken in the way of certain courses. A STEM major is a whole other thing because it is implicit that certain tech and math courses are under the belt when one has gotten degrees in anything in that major. Unfortunately the types of courses that add value to the ECon major are highly likely to be the very ones causing problems for your DD. </p>
<p>Our cousin DD is a Duke Econ major who hasn’t been able to get a living wage job for a number of years now, and she is going back to school now, at a state satellite school to pick up some courses that will improve the odds of her finding a “good” job. She’s not a lone in the number of kids we know who graduated from top schools that can’t find a job that pays well. </p>
<p>With 205 I’m pretty sure you can drop the lowest test and replace it with your final. I know a lot of people who did that, but I don’t know the policies for this teacher. The class really isn’t that hard compared to other upper level econ classes though, so if that is not going well I doubt 208 and 210 would, so it is probably best for her to reconsider. I don’t think you need 205 for the minor, but the econ minor doesn’t really require any of the technical classes so while it isn’t useless it doesn’t help as much as the major. </p>
<p>That said I know a lot of people who drop out of Econ and just get the minor with the MMS certificate and major in something like PoliSci or PubPol who get fine jobs. French is something good to know for business if she has any interest in working with or in Europe. </p>
<p>Thank you all who have commented. I plan to pass this information on to her,but today is her Birthday ,so I’m trying to layoff with all the good advice.</p>
<p>After facing some challenges in early econ courses, it is common for girls to switch majors while similar performing boys stick with the major. Read the first couple of paragraphs at this link:
<a href=“Female economics majors: Claudia Goldin study shows women leave economics to preserve their GPAs.”>http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2014/03/11/women_economics_majors_claudia_goldin_study_shows_women_leave_economics.html</a></p>
<p>One conclusion is that girls could be told not to bail out so early – once the required courses are out of the way in econ the electives are often easier and more interesting.</p>
<p>I would just let her know that what she’s experiencing is common at Duke and similar schools. Students arriving at Duke are used to being at the top of their class, with coursework coming relatively easily, and showing great success. At Duke, it can be a different world and a shock to the system (and one’s self esteem potentially) with coursework being much more difficult and your peers being much smarter and accomplished than high school (and they set the curve). Frankly, while I think Duke does a great job at preparing its graduates for careers, it often is not good for people’s confidence in that regard. It’s only when you step outside the University that you realize Duke is not normal. </p>
<p>That might not help resolve the situation, but I think perspective is important. Being “below average” in one course at Duke doesn’t mean the person isn’t smart or won’t be a huge success. I really think she just needs to be honest with herself and what she thinks would be best for college career. Struggling in classes sometimes isn’t worth it and a change is curriculum makes sense. Seeing an academic peer tutor (which Duke pays for, but is free to the student) or finding a good study partner or group would be my advice going forward. Seeing Dean Fox or Dean Sue sounds like a good idea in theory, but I’ll tell you there are VERY few students who would actually be comfortable doing that. And, honestly, while they might have some general words of wisdom, there’s no “secret words” of advice. </p>
<p>Hi Paintedlady,</p>
<p>I’m a junior at Duke who, like your daughter, came into Duke as an Econ major. After struggling with the coursework and having to withdraw from a class, I switched majors. I’m now a History major with the Markets and Management certificate. I’ve had no problem finding internship opportunities and have found that students from a diverse range of majors have been able to get great business-related jobs. Many of them completed the MMS certificate that you mentioned your daughter is considering, so that could be a great option for her. Ultimately, I think getting a high GPA in a major that’s easier for her than Econ would be more conducive to her future success than trying to stick out the Econ major. Another note: a lot of people who drop Econ switch to Public Policy. </p>