All my roommates in college were finance majors. Finance undergrad is lol easy. idk about at top schools, Ivy league. But, the business school at my college was recruited by the big firms and was fairly reputable regionally.

Finance is lol easy anywhere for the most part. Even 400-level classes aren't too difficult. Some ivy leagues are actually easier as they don't want to ruin their "3.9 average gpa"

Cheers for all the replies.. Yeah I'm good with maths and have a decent passion for it so will be doing as much maths as possible, and my university does have an actuarial studies major so will most likely be doing that (as they don't offer a maths major)..

That's probably true with regards to the first exam, and the second one doesn't require too much heavy math background actually. I only say that because I'm doing an independent study to prepare for exam MLC (half of test 3, the other half is MFE and they're essentially two separate tests) and I feel like I would be having a much easier time if I had more mathematics training. The exam is definitely not less math intensive (although you're right that it is much more actuarial-specific).

Since U of M (Carlson School of Management) won't take me I'm thinking about St. Thomas University. Anyone know anything about this school?

I don't have a background in actuarial science, but I took and passed the 1/P and 2/FM exams this summer, because I was seriously considering being an actuary after graduating. If you want to know about the testing process, or what I know about the field, PM me (preferred, since I'll almost certainly check it) or post in here!

Thanks!

I'm heavily debating what to do folks.

I'm hearing a lot from both aisles. Some are saying if you get a finance degree from a non-top 10 school you're going to be a loan officer at a bank, while others are saying just having the degree and putting in some hardwork after school let them land some 70k+ jobs after being out of school for 2-3 years.

I'm willing to bust my ass for a company if I know the opportunity for advancement is there. I'll learn everything that is needed.

Thing is I'd just like to stay in Minnesota for a bit longer and from the looks of it none of the schools in Minnesota are really that top tier.

This is deifnately not the case if you are willing to work hard. Get a > 3.5 GPA and get the most relevant internships you can find. I went to a non-target, interned with the Central Finance Office at the state my junior year and with the only PE firm in town my senior year and also held full time employment. I got a few offers from some rotational programs and financial analyst programs at MM banks and F500 companies.

Companies love recruiting from the midwest because they tend to be much harder workers. So just work your ass off and don't take no for an answer.

People at targets LOVE saying that non-target degrees are worthless, but this is just not the case. State schools are fine you will just have to work a little bit harder to get where you want to go.

I graduated from NYU Stern and now work as a trader at a big sell-side bank. I majored in Finance and Stat, here is my take on your questions.

First, finance isn't just the stock market, it's laughable that people think that's the major component. Fixed Income is what the true Wall Street is and for that you will need math skills. Second, the most important thing isn't how much complex math you know but how quickly you can do stuff in your head while being precise. Finally, all the banks want math and stat majors because being just a generic finance major will get you no where.

Thanks for your response. I'm currently a junior at Fordham major in Business Administration concentration in Finance. I am thinking about doing a minor in something like English or Philosophy, would this benefit me? I really feel I can write and convey thoughts better than most Finance students, but I might be slightly behind as far as complex math skills. However, I think I am really good at the "quick math" you mentioned, but I dunno how I can display that to a perspective employer.

Don't get a minor in English or Philosophy, it will be laughed at by the junior traders when they look at your resume. Your quick math will be tested if you do interview