Hey,

Next year when I go to University, I am planning on doing a BA in Economics. Once I have that degree I hope to go on and get an MBA or a Masters in Economics (hopefully from the London school of business), I would like to eventually become an investment banker.

My question is, will doing a BA over a BS negatively affect my chances of doing what I want?

Hey,

Next year when I go to University, I am planning on doing a BA in Economics. Once I have that degree I hope to go on and get an MBA or a Masters in Economics (hopefully from the London school of business), I would like to eventually become an investment banker.

My question is, will doing a BA over a BS negatively affect my chances of doing what I want?

from what my school has told me, and from what i've read (google!) a BS in economics would be better if you plan on pursuing graduate studies IN economics. a BA would be fine for an MBA. an investment banker (also google it!) doesn't need a masters in economics, that's something an economist would possess. you do need an MBA though, so yes, you could do the BA in econ and then get your MBA and work 80 hours a week trying to get up to that $1,000,000 average salary them investment bankers have, according to princeton review.

if you want a real answer to your question and not just speculation by a bunch of people on a forum, go on your university's economics department website, and i bet somewhere in the faqs or something there will be a question like "what's the difference between a BA and a BS?" failing that, email an advisor.

i think i'm about to major in economics myself (BA) since i have no intention of being an economist and just want to go to law school.

if you're real set on being an investment banker, and i feel like you aren't and will change your mind, finance is perhaps a better degree for that.

You won't get anywhere with a BA Econ, or I should say you would be making things inconvenient. Since your profile says you're from Canada, a BCom degree from Queens, McGill, etc. would probably give you the most specialisation options (preferred) or it could give you a much more general perspective. In any case, you would need to structure the curriculum carefully to get into the more specific finance fields or graduate programs.

But I ask you this. Without searching Google or other outside sources, can you tell me in your own words what an Investment Banker does? Surely you're doing it for love of the field and not the money, because the latter won't make you a very good candidate.

You won't get anywhere with a BA Econ, or I should say you would be making things inconvenient. Since your profile says you're from Canada, a BCom degree from Queens, McGill, etc. would probably give you the most specialisation options (preferred) or it could give you a much more general perspective. In any case, you would need to structure the curriculum carefully to get into the more specific finance fields or graduate programs.

But I ask you this. Without searching Google or other outside sources, can you tell me in your own words what an Investment Banker does? Surely you're doing it for love of the field and not the money, because the latter won't make you a very good candidate.

i wouldn't say "you won't get ANYWHERE with a BA in econ." it all depends on what you want to do. they don't just have a useless version of the degree, there's a reason why many schools offer both.

at my school, the difference pretty much lies in whether or not you want to take calculus. two calc classes are required for the BS, plus the higher level courses are calculus based, whereas no calc classes are needed for the BA and the higher level courses don't use calculus. you still learn about the banking industry, about how the economy works, and you still have the opportunity to do internships. i don't see a lack of calculus knowledge holding you back a whole lot, even as a banker.

He either won't get anywhere in his field, or it will make it more difficult. I said that in context.

And lack of calculus will definitely hold you back, are you kidding me? You can't even scratch the surface of the derivatives markets let alone the basics of econometrics without having that minimum of mathematical background. Even if he's doing M&A consulting he won't get anywhere in that industry without the math. That's just how it is, and investment banking has been that way since the '70s.

i wouldn't say "you won't get ANYWHERE with a BA in econ." it all depends on what you want to do. they don't just have a useless version of the degree, there's a reason why many schools offer both.

at my school, the difference pretty much lies in whether or not you want to take calculus. two calc classes are required for the BS, plus the higher level courses are calculus based, whereas no calc classes are needed for the BA and the higher level courses don't use calculus. you still learn about the banking industry, about how the economy works, and you still have the opportunity to do internships. i don't see a lack of calculus knowledge holding you back a whole lot, even as a banker.

It will hold you back from getting an ibanking job, or at least make you less competitive. Why would someone be an economics major if they didn't like math though, that doesn't make sense.

It will hold you back from getting an ibanking job, or at least make you less competitive. Why would someone be an economics major if they didn't like math though, that doesn't make sense.

for the theoretical part of it? economics is a major in the school of social and behavioral sciences here, not in the math school. i view accounting math and graphs as a different animal than calculus and all that shit.

but like i mentioned, finance. if you look up investment banking online, they tend to recommend a finance degree more than an econ one. and here at least, finance requires two business calculus courses and various accounting and finance ones as well.

toolow, i don't know much about econometrics (yet) but at my school, the only prereq for that is a stat intro class, which itself only requires precalc math.

I know quite well what an investment banker does. It's not so much that I hate math, it's that I don't like math which doesn't have a practical application that suits me. I'm in trig at school (an elective it's easy as fuck), and I hate it because when will I ever have to find the unknown angle of a right triangle unless I'm an engineer? This stuff has no value to me, so I don't really feel like I need it. But it's an easy 90 so I stick with it and keep my mouth shut.

I'm well aware of the challenges in becoming an investment banker. These 80 hour work weeks and what not is all part of the fun (I really enjoy business so yes, it is fun). But getting started in any field of business is going to require that much work (100 hour work weeks aren't uncommon for young stockbrokers). I know from my own experience that I have the drive to put in that kind of effort to do what is needed to achieve what I want. I'm also ruthless enough to cut down my competition. I'm not so much concerned about the BA in Economics (or Finance I haven't decided on which yet, it's an open ended degree) as I am concerned with my MBA.

I'm not so much concerned about the BA in Economics (or Finance I haven't decided on which yet, it's an open ended degree) as I am concerned with my MBA.

cross that bridge when you come to it, man. you're still in high school? you've got a long ways to go before you need to be worrying about finishing an MBA. hell, most people change their major/career paths in college. you don't know what's going to happen.

cross that bridge when you come to it, man. you're still in high school? you've got a long ways to go before you need to be worrying about finishing an MBA. hell, most people change their major/career paths in college. you don't know what's going to happen.

This. As one wise totsean once said,

"Anyone who doesn't feel anxiety in high school is either dead on the inside or has a career plan (essentially the same thing)."

One day you might find something you would much rather do than investment banking, and the dream you have now is likely to hold you back quite a bit from achieving your new dream. Just go with the flow because opinions change. Have a medium-term goal (i.e. get a degree in something serious), but don't overspecify.

I know quite well what an investment banker does.

What does an investment banker do? In your own words. I'm not doubting you, just trying to get some insight on your perspective.

Get a real fucking degree you inhuman piece of particulaly stupid shit.

if you want a real answer to your question and not just speculation by a bunch of people on a forum, go on your university's economics department website, and i bet somewhere in the faqs or something there will be a question like "what's the difference between a BA and a BS?" failing that, email an advisor.


Listen to the man

Hey,

Next year when I go to University, I am planning on doing a BA in Economics. Once I have that degree I hope to go on and get an MBA or a Masters in Economics (hopefully from the London school of business), I would like to eventually become an investment banker.

My question is, will doing a BA over a BS negatively affect my chances of doing what I want?

I don't what school you attend, at Mac we have a honours econ and B.a. econ (ba is a fucking joke won't get you to grad school), and then if you're really hardcore you do the Honours Mathematics and Economics.

Double major ftw.

My friend just got a job in a major firm for an investment banker. Here is how he did it

1) Got a 4.0/4.0 gpa cummulative BA business degree at a quality top 10% 4 year university.
2) Got an internship in a small investment banking firm. (while still in college)
3) Started working for that firm after the internship was over. (still in college)
4) Interviewed with every major firm, and made major connections. (still in college, over the summer)
"If you don't get a couple people pissed off at you, you are not being persistent enough." -him

5) Now is a Junior Analyst.. working 80+ hours a week and making ~$160,000 first year salary. (depending on bonuses and overtime, $60,000 base)
6) Future: Work your way up.. make smarter choices. Then start your own firm once you have enough money.

Good luck doing that, it is a fierce and competitive field and you ALWAYS have to watch your back... people will fuck you over in a heartbeat. It is a cutthroat world, where greed rules.. have fun with it.
:D

I'm majoring in economics. I don't even know what economists do, I just went through a list of majors on the university's website and chose economics. Hopefully I didn't fuck up.

I'm majoring in economics. I don't even know what economists do, I just went through a list of majors on the university's website and chose economics. Hopefully I didn't fuck up.

uh, you do realize it's perfectly normal and common even to go in with an undecided major, right?

uh, you do realize it's perfectly normal and common even to go in with an undecided major, right?

I've already been in college for 2 years and
I gotta figure it out sometime so might as well major in economics. I've taken a few economics classes and it seems interesting.