Business Analytics major

[Anonymous]

DD’s school has a business analytics major, which DD is interested in because she likes math, but didn’t do well enough in Calc 3 to be a math major. The only thing is she wants to come back to the DC area after school and work in nonprofits doing data analysis. Will she be at a disadvantage when job searching in the NGO field because she studies at a business school that focuses on the private sector?

[Anonymous]

Get her nonprofit internships that tell her story in the summer and it should be fine. There's not a clear set of schools to go to for nonprofit data analytics.

[Anonymous]

"but didn’t do well enough in Calc 3 to be a math major."

Is she a freshman? Was Calc 3 her first math class in college?

If Calc 3 was her first math class in college, not matching her high standards from HS means NOTHING.

Math in college is taught differently than in HS. She needs to give herself time to figure out the college methods that work best for her.

Most of the math in a math major is different from the engineering math sequence through differential equations.

The most important thing she can learn in college is how to come back strong after a set back.

She should talk to someone in the math department to make sure she has all the facts if she is interested in math. Does the math department have an applied math or data science major?

There is nothing wrong with business analytics but you trade many quantitative classes for business classes, once you make the trade rebuilding to the highest quantitative level in grad school is much harder.

It's easier to get a math degree and then fill in the business/NGO gaps with an MBA or MPP or MPA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DD’s school has a business analytics major, which DD is interested in because she likes math, but didn’t do well enough in Calc 3 to be a math major. The only thing is she wants to come back to the DC area after school and work in nonprofits doing data analysis. Will she be at a disadvantage when job searching in the NGO field because she studies at a business school that focuses on the private sector?

Not a disadvantage. Good nonprofits need business skills but I would recommend a minor in something else that would prepare her to a career in an NGO. An internship or two would also help.

[Anonymous]

Business analytics has core similarities regardless of the sector.

[Anonymous]

If she really wants to be a math major, she should either retake or keep going. There are many talented professionals in all sorts of fields who didn't hit the ground running.

[Anonymous]

Business analytics seems like an excellent jumping off point to an advanced degree in public policy, international studies, more math (e.g. statistics). She could work for a few years then go back to school.

[Anonymous]

"If she really wants to be a math major, she should either retake or keep going. There are many talented professionals in all sorts of fields who didn't hit the ground running."

Even "really wants" is too high of a bar, she made the choice to head toward a math major, whatever happened in one attempt at Calc 3 should not be the end of that decision.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"If she really wants to be a math major, she should either retake or keep going. There are many talented professionals in all sorts of fields who didn't hit the ground running."

Even "really wants" is too high of a bar, she made the choice to head toward a math major, whatever happened in one attempt at Calc 3 should not be the end of that decision.

me again. Yes, I think you are right. I suspect "didn't do well enough" in this case might mean her first B.

[Anonymous]

is that a real major, or just a watered-down stats degree with three econ classes?

[Anonymous]

OP here: She earned a A-/4 in AP Calc AB in high school, a B- in Calc 2 and a C- in Calc 3 (took both last year as a freshman). She’s taking non Calculus based Statistics course this semester and is pretty sure she’lll get an A. She’s a sophomore International Studies/Relations Major, so this would be a second major.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here: She earned a A-/4 in AP Calc AB in high school, a B- in Calc 2 and a C- in Calc 3 (took both last year as a freshman). She’s taking non Calculus based Statistics course this semester and is pretty sure she’lll get an A. She’s a sophomore International Studies/Relations Major, so this would be a second major.

And thanks for the feedback!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here: She earned a A-/4 in AP Calc AB in high school, a B- in Calc 2 and a C- in Calc 3 (took both last year as a freshman). She’s taking non Calculus based Statistics course this semester and is pretty sure she’lll get an A. She’s a sophomore International Studies/Relations Major, so this would be a second major.

I think that sounds like a very good track.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here: She earned a A-/4 in AP Calc AB in high school, a B- in Calc 2 and a C- in Calc 3 (took both last year as a freshman). She’s taking non Calculus based Statistics course this semester and is pretty sure she’lll get an A. She’s a sophomore International Studies/Relations Major, so this would be a second major.

I think that sounds like a very good track.

I agree. The "easy" math track is fine if it is a second major.

Although, it is a shame she will see this poor performance in calc as a limitation. If she ever needs to learn it, she can go back, armed with tutors and get over the hump of it. There's something about the teaching of math that flummoxes some kids (like mine, who doesn't do well in college math classes but seems to apply it to college physics classes no problem).

[Anonymous]

OP. Ask your DD to get some experience with "real-world" tools - Excel, Word, Access and powerpoint. I mean expert level knowledge. Microsoft has trainign classes and so do Udemy and other places.

Next pick an analytics tool and get very familiar with how it works - e.g. Tableau, Qlik or Power BI. I beleive you can get Qlik and Power BI for free as an individual and get very familiar with them. Do several projects on her own. Take free classes online, etc.

Third, identify some Data science classes and use cases. Again, if she's not taking them in college, there are online classes that are free to cheap. Same as above.. learn the tools, practice and know how to tell a good story.

With the above list of skills, she'd be head and shoulders above anyone else that interviews for the job she wants.