I've heard many different things about Business in Uni.

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ebec11
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06 Aug 2009, 9:47 pm

I've been told that it's really hard in University and it's a breeze major that nobody thinks is important. I really like business, and feel that I'll be happier if I do that then if I do English. I'm still fighting with the idea of taking Psychology, maybe in the research area because I don't think I could deal with all the socializating, but I love business too.
Anyways, I'm off-track :P What I'm asking is what you've heard/experienced with business majors and what I can do to maximize my chances of doing well after University (especially since I don't know if I'll be able to work and go to school at the same time)



TheDuck
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06 Aug 2009, 10:25 pm

I was in business for my first year in university and wasn't at all what i was expecting. I personally hated all of the business courses , the only courses i ended up liking were economics classes so i switched over to that. Learning about business ethics or memorizing a 12 step thing to make decisions is not my idea of interesting. Also making presentations about extremely vague case studies sucks also. But from what my friends who stayed in business told me it gets a little bit better when you start taking marketing / finance classes and learn real things.



ebec11
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07 Aug 2009, 11:33 am

Do you think though that they are similar to business courses in high school? I've already taken two in high school so far and LOVE them. I hope they're not too different :(



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07 Aug 2009, 12:51 pm

The only business related course i took in high school was accounting class. And the university i went to you only get start doing accounting in 2nd year so i did not get a chance to do it. I did not research anything before going into business (stupid me) so i thought i was going to learn more about the entrepreneur side of things. Also most people in business are extremely career oriented (which i am not) and were already doing some networking. It really depends what you would rather do. Where i live i can get a lot of government job with an economics degree (government is way better imo since you don't have people on your ass who are trying to make profit). But if you are career oriented and don't mind making some sacrifices in your life to make more money then business is not a bad choice.



Katie_WPG
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07 Aug 2009, 3:10 pm

The good thing about many business schools is that they have connections with the business communities in that particular city. Because of that, there are many networking events (I know, not a very strong suit for us) and many opportunities to meet potential summer employers. But the good thing about business schools is that most of them also have resource centres that give tips on resume building and networking skills.

People in Arts programs tend to be screwed in terms of meaningful summer employment, due to the majority of Arts-related work actually BEING in the University (in terms of psychological/sociological research). There isn't that much work there for Arts graduates in general (unless you just want a standard office/government job that will give low-skill Arts degree holders preference over low-skill high school graduates).

There are some Arts disciplines that are more practical (Economics, Criminology), but if you're debating between English, Psychology, or Business, I would take Business.



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07 Aug 2009, 5:37 pm

I wouldn't recommend business, but try it and see what you think. It's mostly group projects and yes, it is an easy major. If you are really serious, try and get into a top 10 business school... this is no easy task, however.



ebec11
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09 Aug 2009, 10:33 pm

Thanks for the advice everybody :D
I don't know if I want that much group work, but I'm at least willing to give business a chance. I don't really want to do psychology or English because I know that it's practically impossible to get a good job with just a bachelor's. I know I wouldn't go past a bachelor's in English, and I might do a Master's in Psychology if I did that route, but I don't see myself doing a Phd. Something I'm considering also is to get two majors (Business and Psychology) so I can give myself a bit more time to decide which one I like more. Plus I love both subjects.



gassy
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14 Aug 2009, 8:01 pm

You may or may not want to read this as i'd imagine as Im studying in the UK the course might be slightly different.

Anyway I've just finished my first year of my Business degree and thoroughly enjoyed it.

We've studied a broad range of topics to do with the "business world" so far, including Economics (which i found particularly interesting due to the current climate), Finance, Statistics, IT, Management (this involved quite a bit of psychology like finding out how people are motivated, leadership styles etc which i also found fascinating).

Next year i'm specifying more into entrepreneurialship. This will allow me to learn more about how to set up my own business in the future, which is something i've thought about in the past. But even if i dont, i should still to move into a slightly different career path like in the areas stated previously, as i'll hopefully have a fairly good knowledge of those fields by the time i've finished.

Either way it allows me to keep my options open after uni.

My advice is, if you havent already done it, identify the different modules you'd be studying especially in your first year. Also, if you can, try and find out how the modules are weighted with coursework, presentations and exams etc

Just reading your post you might be interested in Business Management if your college does it as that would probably have quite a bit of psychology (but more in a business setting).

Also, from my last year, i only did one marked group presentation. I dont like doing them but if i rehearse well and know what to say when, as well as knowing what everybodyelse is saying etc, without disrupting the "flow" of it much then im usually okay with it personally.



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14 Aug 2009, 10:02 pm

It may be different where you are, but in the US business is the stereotypical cake major- the preferred choice for drunken frat boys and dull-witted football players. Again, this is just the stereotype. Study what you like.


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zer0netgain
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15 Aug 2009, 8:33 am

Don't know about business degrees at the BA/BS level, but I know MBAs are pretty much worthless unless you already have a job and the MBA is a fast track to promotion where you are at.

In the marketplace, if you didn't get your MBA at one of the top 5 business schools in the nation, it really doesn't mean anything. So many people have MBAs that none of them stand out.



ebec11
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15 Aug 2009, 10:49 am

I'm sorry to be ignorant, but what is a MBA? Is that just a USA thing or do they have them here in Canada too?



zer0netgain
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15 Aug 2009, 6:26 pm

Master of Business Administration.

It's a waste of money to get a Master's Degree in business. Ivy Leaguers use the MBA as their ticket into very high paying jobs.



Jaydog1212
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15 Aug 2009, 8:06 pm

Orwell wrote:
It may be different where you are, but in the US business is the stereotypical cake major- the preferred choice for drunken frat boys and dull-witted football players. Again, this is just the stereotype. Study what you like.


At my home state university all of the football players were communication majors. I think sometimes people pick business as a major for all the wrong reasons. I think they think they will immediately be on Wall Street after undergrad graduation. Like any major you have to work your ass off after graduation to get anywhere (assuming you didn't go to an Ivy).

My favorite physics professor got sick of working for nothing in higher education and went back to school to be a quant. Financial engineering uses a TON of math. He loves it and is now working on Wall Street. I am happy that he is happy but it's sad that my school lost an EXCELLENT professor!



ebec11
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15 Aug 2009, 11:08 pm

It sounds like to me that Business is a good enough major, you just have to work hard to show off your personality in the crowd - much like everything else in life.
Thanks for the clarification, I thought it was a master of some sort. I'm not interested in Business Administration, so that doesn't apply for me :D



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16 Aug 2009, 1:49 am

If you want a B.Comm that gives you a job, accounting is your only sure bet. You can go to any crappy business school and that major will probably still net you a job.



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16 Aug 2009, 4:18 am

The advice I generally give to students who want to major in business: major in a specific discipline such as accounting, finance, or human resources. The employment prospects for people with general "business administration" degrees are about on par with liberal arts grads. The money is in the specialization.

Take a variety of business courses your first year and see what you like. Yes, in my opinion "general business administration" is a cake major and won't really give you any particularly strong skills at most schools. If you want to go in to marketing, I usually recommend taking psychology, anthropology, sociology, and some PR/comm courses; IMO you learn more that way.

If economics is grouped under business, look there too.