Heyo /his/
I'm currently a rising sophomore at Harvard, and am considering concentrating in either History and Lit, Classics or Economics. I want to go down the finance/ consulting track at first. I enjoy studying history much more than economics, but i'm afraid that /his/ is a degree that won't work in the field I want to go into. Any advice? Have any of you gone into finance/consulting with a his degree? I would probably end up with a higher GPA with a his degree as I am much more interested in the material.
I would say major in finance if you want to do finance. Minor in history.
>>1168408
The goo-goo-gaa-gaa factor of a Harvard degree will count for a lot, but won't make up for demonstrated chops in accounting and economics.
>>1168408
columbia undergrad here, i know multiple humanities majors (even art history) who went into investment banking
prestige of school + alumni network + your networking abilities > major, you'll be fine
if you major in history, i would suggest focusing on the history of capitalism (you're at harvard, beckert + others are there), classical political economy, etc. i'd at least take econ up to intermediate level surveys if you haven't already done so
also, be sure to participate in extracurriculars related to finance--e.g. a student-managed investment fund, finance-related student committees, whatever else you can spin towards "experience" for landing internships. consider greek life for further networking if it interests you at all
you'll want 3 somewhat finance-related internships, with junior year summer being the most important, as permanent offers at some banks (especially JPM) are given almost solely to the intern classes
>>1168437
>>1168413
investment banking technicals + consulting case studies are easy to self-study, there are hundreds of guides aimed at non-finance majors (since, outside of penn, no ivies have undergrad business). OP should join wallstreetoasis if he hasn't already
but, something worth considering: why finance? outside of money / prestige it's absolute hell, you'll be working 100+ hours/week guaranteed if you're at a bulge bracket. consulting is quite a bit easier but it's still tedious as hell
if you enjoy history, i would highly recommend looking into graduate studies. you'll be able to land some very solid reccs from profs at your uni
also, if you major in history, law is always an option if finance doesn't work out + you have no interest in graduate studies
>>1169550
>law is always an option
Please don't. We're full.
>>1168408
in addition to wallstreetoasis, also be sure to check out mergers & inquisitions and management consulted. you'll be able to answer any remaining questions from articles on those sites
but the bottom line is that you're at harvard, if you take advantage of opportunities you'll be able to pursue pretty much any desired path
