Study Business or Econs in NUS/NTU?

[Wathen]

Hey guys,

I have been really at a loss on choosing which to study in uni, business or econs. I wanna work in these sectors next time but I am really having a hard time choosing.

I got a place in NUS fass but I am really hesitant about it because it is considered a social science degree and I am not sure if my maths will be good enough for it because I went for the poly route instead of JC. The Bachelor of Social Sciences degree also has a low full time employment rate of 76% in a 13-14 survey. (nobody wants econs graduates?) NUS Graduate Employment Rate AY13-14 - Digital Senior

That lead me to thinking of studying business instead in NUS/NTU but I don't know how hard it will be, or if it's more difficult to study than econs. According to the survey, if you don't get an honors in your Business Admin degree you are pretty much gonna get a lower salary than a social science degree. Pretty much screwed if you don't get honors.

I am really confused right now. Can anyone help to provide some advice? Please help.

 

[AhPORK]

What course did you take in poly?

 

[Wathen]

What course did you take in poly?

I took banking and finance from SP. I got only a 3.8gpa so I am under the cut off point for NUS biz (3.82) and just nice for NTU (3.80)

 

[Havok_ex]

Hey guys,

I have been really at a loss on choosing which to study in uni, business or econs. I wanna work in these sectors next time but I am really having a hard time choosing.

I got a place in NUS fass but I am really hesitant about it because it is considered a social science degree and I am not sure if my maths will be good enough for it because I went for the poly route instead of JC. The Bachelor of Social Sciences degree also has a low full time employment rate of 76% in a 13-14 survey. (nobody wants econs graduates?) NUS Graduate Employment Rate AY13-14 - Digital Senior

That lead me to thinking of studying business instead in NUS/NTU but I don't know how hard it will be, or if it's more difficult to study than econs. According to the survey, if you don't get an honors in your Business Admin degree you are pretty much gonna get a lower salary than a social science degree. Pretty much screwed if you don't get honors.

I am really confused right now. Can anyone help to provide some advice? Please help.

Doesnt matter what course you go, if you dont get honours, youre pretty much screwed. That said, there is a big difference between econs and biz.

Firstly, there is a difference between the natural sciences and the social sciences. Its an existential thing, without humans, the natural universe would still be in existence, hence the natural sciences would still be prevalent. However, without humans, there would be no economics, sociology, anthropology, politics, hence no social sciences. Is it still a 'science'? Yes, it is, but the difference is more metaphysical than anything.

Business however, is neither natural or a social science, its a very applied line of study. Its like teaching, you can learn all the pedagogical theories but you can still be a terrible teacher.
If salary is your main concern, go for business. If you are more sociable, business would be great.

Econs is more academic than business. Which benefits academically inclined people who want to remain in academia, work in public policy studies etc. Business is not very academic per se, you study more about how to apply, how to present yourself, etc. Basically, they are two very different fields, and the careers available would be quite different as well.

Its like comparing Theoretical Physics and Mechanical engineering, both has similar roots, but study totally different things and work in very different fields.

Math in FASS shouldnt be that difficult bah. Doesnt even come class to the math that is performed in the science and engineering schools, basically its the easiest math you can get in university, probably a tie between biz and fass as to which of their 'math' is easier.

You should take the employment rate with a pinch of salt. NUS doesnt seperate their majors in the GES. You should take a look at NTU's econs employment rate. Its at a high 83.5%. This is a mix of both honours and non-honours students. Meaning, if you do get honours, your employment rate should be higher. Out of all the majors in FASS, econs has to be one of the more employable ones, so you shouldnt worry much if you can get employed or not.

The problem with FASS employment rate is that you have arguably useful majors like econs mixed with things like English Literature or European Studies which might pull down the employability rate.

 

[Wathen]

Do your friends have honors in their econs? Actually after reading Havok_ex's reply I was more inclined towards business but now :/ oh man it's so hard to choose!

I have a friend who entered econs 1 year before me so I might be able to get notes beforehand to read up. Now I really can't choose whether to study econs or business!

 

[Darkzi0n]

take econs lar. the onli useful thing about biz is that they train u to be more proactive, more opportunity for presentations and maybe how to package urself to potential employer... which i think is not something worth taking 4 years to learn full time. most of the other content can probably be picked up by anyone who know how to read and has the time.

i know a few prof that openly look down on biz major one. one even said "y would anyone spend 4 years learning nothing" during lecture.

 

[Havok_ex]

take econs lar. the onli useful thing about biz is that they train u to be more proactive, more opportunity for presentations and maybe how to package urself to potential employer... which i think is not something worth taking 4 years to learn full time. most of the other content can probably be picked up by anyone who know how to read and has the time.

i know a few prof that openly look down on biz major one. one even said "y would anyone spend 4 years learning nothing" during lecture.

Kinda agree with this. Only in Singapore is there a phenomenon whereby biz is the harder course to get in. Most western countries dont see much value in a business degree. Business is the dumping ground course in those countries whereas the sciences are the ones that are hard to get in.

Here's a study by Wall Street Journal:

WSJ.com

Although you can see that business grads earn a decent amount at the start, by the time they reach mid-career, even a Philosophy major ends up earning more. This is pretty consistent with a few other studies done, starting salary is not a good gauge.

Taking a look at OCBC
https://www.ocbc.com/group/who-we-are/leaders-board-of-directors.html

According to their bachelor's:

Directors:
3x Econs
2x Arts (Probably econs as well)
1x Math
1x Engineering Science
1x Civil Engineering
1x Banking and Finance
1x Business Admin
1x Not-stated(Although he is an associate prof to medical schools and is a psychiatrist so I believe it should have something to do with medicine/psych)

Management Team:
3x Accountancy
2x Econs
2x Business
1x Philosophy
1x Computer Science

Overall I see more econs, and accountancy.

 

[simon_84]

if can try to specialize or else look for jobs that does not require a specialized degree.

3 Well-paid Jobs You Can Get Even With a Useless Degree | MoneySmart.sg

LIFT: Limpeh Is Foreign Talent: Is a degree really that important?

 

[Wathen]

Well guys. Thank you for your inputs so far. I guess it's fair to say studying both won't be much of a difference in the careers prospects next time right. Both you can still get a job in the finance/biz areas. Econs win however as it pays out better than biz as you guys pointed out.

However I just read that the exposure module you need to pass is harder than H2 Econs at Alvls, and being a poly grad, that has really made me feel depressed. Guess I will choose business when if I have the chance to. If I take econs, I have to study both H2 econs and calculus to pass the exposure module, and that is really daunting. I have already started reading O lvl A maths again to learn calculus but I don't know if I will perform well in my 2nd/3rd years if it is so hard.

I guess for business I can at least memorize and get on through with it. I am also quite interested to study business and finance laws.

 

[Wathen]

You're in for a shock...

can tell me how is it like then? I searched online and there's nobody who writes anything about their nus business experience.

At least when I searched for econs there's this guy who graduated already. And he even got the slides for econs though the link has already expired. (I downloaded 1 before)

thoughts » Reflections: Majoring in Economics at NUS

 

[Darkzi0n]

The calculus not difficult lar. Most, if not all of the time is jus simple differentiation.... Atleast until lvl3000 modules (I havnt taken any lvl4 modules yet)

 

[happi123]

can tell me how is it like then? I searched online and there's nobody who writes anything about their nus business experience.

At least when I searched for econs there's this guy who graduated already. And he even got the slides for econs though the link has already expired. (I downloaded 1 before)

thoughts » Reflections: Majoring in Economics at NUS

This is the blog of a NUS business graduate: lIAn jIAhUI | thE typIcAl lIfE Of An OrdInAry gUy

Also for comparison of econs vs biz in university, check out this: Should you Take a Business or Economics Degree? -

I personally did NTU biz and think that it is useful. Its true that the content is not so technical, but that is only in the first year where they cover the basics. 2nd year onwards, we specialize in a field and go more in-depth into it. I also like it that it is not as heavy as technical courses such as engineering, freeing more time for CCAs. There's huge project and class participation component, which prepares you for real work-life scenarios

 

[Havok_ex]

can tell me how is it like then? I searched online and there's nobody who writes anything about their nus business experience.

At least when I searched for econs there's this guy who graduated already. And he even got the slides for econs though the link has already expired. (I downloaded 1 before)

thoughts » Reflections: Majoring in Economics at NUS

from the blog:

"You will be expected to be comfortable with calculus mostly dealing with partial differentiation. It will look daunting at first but if you break it down it can be manageable."

Partial differentiation is what an engineering student should know how to do in his sleep I honestly wish that all the math in engineering is just calculus, though we're just not that lucky. Nevertheless, I think its all relative. It is a fact that humans tend to be afraid of what we dont know or what we are not familiar with. But trust me, once you get the hang of it, you will wonder why you ever worried in the first place. Like how we look back at O levels and A levels as undergrads, and we think to ourselves "why the heck did we ever think that was difficult?". You have to keep pushing your boundaries, if you havent tried anything harder, you'll never truly realise your full potential.

Though I admit that I am biased towards econs for their more academic aspect of things. Sure, biz teaches you to do projects and presentations and be more outspoken etc. But such reasoning paints a very narrow view of what the very diverse working world is actually like. It all boils down on where you end up working. Your presentations dont count for much if you're working as say, a researcher. Furthermore, such skills dont require 3-4 years of university study in order to develop. Taking 2 or 3 presentation based modules can do the same thing. But hey, its all up to you. In the end, you should choose something you like, or else you may end up in regret. Try not to think about prospects. If you are not invested or passionate in your study, then you wont be able to do very well. And those great prospects would not apply to you anyway.

 

[simon_84]

In the end, you should choose something you like, or else you may end up in regret. Try not to think about prospects. If you are not invested or passionate in your study, then you wont be able to do very well. And those great prospects would not apply to you anyway.

true to most extend, without any form of interest it will be very tough to push oneself to soldier on during the course of study.
not only the grades affect the morale of the student, you will also find yourself dragging your feet to sch everyday.

 

[Geforce3]

choose something you want to do, not something that will guarantee your future, it might bite you in the ass

 

[happi123]

Yup, that is true. If you are interested and curious in what you read in newspaper(finance part), then you won't find economics concepts very daunting and overwhelming since you have the motivation. In my case, I am just not very into all these. Then again, if you are not sure what you want, biz is quite a safe bet, since u can choose your specialization later.

However, if you are planning to do MBA down the road, then you might as well get a specialized and technical degree first. Or else, you will just repeat what you learnt at bachelor's level.

 

[Wathen]

Hey guys, thanks for your comments. I think I will need some more time to decide which I like more.

One last question if I may, anyone know which is more difficult to study? Business or econs?

 

[AhPORK]

Hey guys, thanks for your comments. I think I will need some more time to decide which I like more.

One last question if I may, anyone know which is more difficult to study? Business or econs?

I think it all depends on your interest. If you have interest in the course, it'll be easy for you to study.

 

[happi123]

Hey guys, thanks for your comments. I think I will need some more time to decide which I like more.

One last question if I may, anyone know which is more difficult to study? Business or econs?

As with all difficult questions, the answer is 'it depends'

It depends on what you define as difficult.
If you think that communication and working with people is a chore, then business is hard.
If analysis and understanding abstract concepts are not your forte, then economics will be an uphill climb for you.
Of course, it is not that straightforward, you may want to choose a course to train yourself in an area you are weak at if you think that particular skill will come in handy in your career in the future. Otherwise, why bother. It all boils down to an understanding of yourself: your strengths and weaknesses and what you want to be.