Is college major or college GPA more important?

[Entertain Us]

I'm an economics major and doing ok so far, but am afraid I will do badly in the more advanced econ classes. I know I want to go to grad school for International Relations , so I've considered switching my major to International Studies which I will probably do better in. Is this a good idea?

I'm worried b/c Econ seems like a more respected major, and I have a great Econ adviser.

[Erik]

What can you do with a degree in international relations though? Even if you get a masters in it, the only thing you can really hope for is working in government intelligence for the FBI or something.

Otherwise you may be handing out french fries with the Anthropology majors.

[Amanda]

GPA

[Sugar Rush]

Relevant background (coursework and professional/research experience) and your academic performance (i.e., GPA, especially in advanced-level courses) are both important.

I am not sure what the International Studies major at your school is like, but especially if it tends to lean more on the humanities side, I would recommend that you stick with Econ (do your best to take some courses in development and international political economy) and supplement your major with some courses in political science, foreign language, history, regional studies, etc.

Econ is more likely to be marketable on the job market and, as you said, tends to be viewed as more rigorous than humanities-oriented majors (including International Studies). Moreover, IR tends to be based in the social sciences, and quantitative methods skills can come in very handy, so Econ is a better preparation overall.

Considering that you have a great advisor in Econ already, I would encourage you to work with him/her to make sure that you do well in your major as well as get a broad array of coursework relevant to IR.

Good luck!!

[ctrapking]

I say go with the major that you're more likely to pursue a career in after college. The major is more important than the GPA when it comes to putting it down on your resume for experience. You can have a good GPA, but if it is in a field that is impertinent or irrelevant then the company/employer will most likely disregard it. However, you can have an average GPA in the career for which you are applying, but it looks better and is more impressive than a high GPA in an irrelevant field,