Realistic expectations for college.

MYOS1634
Sun, 03 Aug 2014 11:18:59 +0000

Yes, they’re taken into account - of course!! (I wouldn’t have written it otherwise, but just realistically, counselors may not know all educational systems so you need to give them a way to compare results, but since raw numbers don’t mean anything on their own, it would be pointless for them to think an 81% in Brazil is the same as an 81% elsewhere. Numbers always “mean” something and the meaning must be taken into account to select the best students.)
I would recommend Economics, since more good colleges offer it - Management can be a good major but only at a few colleges (Notre Dame, Stern, Wharton…) and at most colleges business majors tend to be less demanding. Finance requires more math so it’s often a strong major at most colleges but an applied math major with a finance minor would get you further - as an international, the odds of your finding an H1B job with a BS are almost non existent, therefore a major that readily allows you to go on to a Master’s degree would be best. Do apply at these super selective schools, especially if you have strong math skills (calculus, statistics, probabilities) but don’t limit yourself to this major and look at programs with economics, economics with math, or applied math.