Many people close to me donât even know I study FinTech and entrepreneurship at a liberal arts school at NYU. I decided to not even bother applying to business school and no pun intended, go down the stern path at Stern because Iâve never been a good test taker, horrible at memorization, prefer smaller classes not 400+ person lectures and knew my chances were zero to none to get in.
NYU was my top #1 school and I thought any chance of getting in was slim. Itâs disappointing to look back to HS and remember being convinced at the time that every school was impossible to get into while beating myself up day in and out for 4+ years hoping to get in anywhere.
Back when my parents applied to college, every school had relatively the same acceptance rate near 70%+. Even attending, let alone graduating wasnât all that common in itself. I know countless people who worked as secretaries at banks with no degrees and now are head of departments.
What a strange time back then but it wasnât a whole lot easier.
Now with millions of students each year applying to the same 5â10 schools, no wonder they are ashamed and depressed! They tie their self-worth to institutionsâ decisions disregarding the fact that the system is unfair a lot of the time. Watch âVarsity Bluesâ on Netflix for the disappointing reality.
HS was not that memorable or fun. It was full of late nights struggling to pass AP computer science, grind through standardized tests and take classes I really didnât need nor want to take but decided I should due to immense peer pressure and college.
Since majority of my HS colleagues were born into wealth from upper-class families with enormous inheritances and already a 3 generation legacy at a certain school, I couldnât imagine the pressure they were feeling to keep up the family tradition.
Maybe it wasnât that bad for me after all. There was only internal pressure which is arguably the worst.
Having too much privilege or too little both provide fear no matter what. Thatâs part of the cycle of being a student. You cannot escape from it because no matter what you do, something always feels wrong.
Although I have to say all I honestly remember from HS is from my STEM classes of computer science, physics or economics, I havenât used much of the skills to this day anyway besides in my early startup freshman year and getting through a prerequisite last year.
As many students can attest to, high school is a pain and the most awkward time of your life since all you are thinking about is college and how you can best prepare yourself. Enjoying the moment doesnât start until you graduate and even then, a few months later into freshman year you already start to panic about recruiting season, the GRE/GMAT for grad school and the future once again!
Living in the present doesnât seem to exist for us humans.
There is so much mental and external pressure to belong somewhere and not only that, the perception and ranking of it is grueling something young adults cannot grasp with at this age induced by social media and this digital transformation age.
Nonetheless, the past is gone and Iâm exactly where I hoped to be. The path wasnât easy nor straightforward as intended yet that doesât matter anymore. Things happen for you not to you and I couldnât be more excited and grateful for the second half of my in-person college experience.
Business-Like
The perks of attending Gallatin, the individualized school of study at NYU is that it is very personalized and of course, individualized. Yes we still have requirements and credits to fulfill yet there are a plethora of courses to choose from that can fit into your major in some way or another.
You can experiment and have fun trying classes at any school inside NYU.
This is a terrific opportunity to meet new people and test out what you want to get out of college. Truthfully many of my colleagues in the corporate world and recent graduates majored in a subject remotely different than what they are doing now because they didnât get the opportunity I have to explore various fields early on.
Earlier than later is always your best bet. Donât be persuaded by others or parents. Itâs your life.
Last year I had the chance to take NYUâs acclaimed sold-out classes, âThe Science of Happinessâ, âDigitalized Livesâ and âThe Science of Sleepingâ . You may think at least two out of the three have nothing to do with FinTech which may be true in some sense yet they helped me tremendously in my own life as someone whoâs dealt with troubling thoughts, anxiety and insomnia.
These classes have made me a better student and changed so many areas of my life for the better which I can bet you I couldnât get from a programing class. Itâs important to have fun as well, one of many graduatesâ regrets along with networking.
I have to admit, having a quirky specific concentration such as FinTech gets weird looks time to time, mostly from family at our gatherings. Itâs not that FinTech isnât applicable in this world because it couldnât be more beneficial or relevant at this time when technology is ruling our lives, rather I get questions as to why Iâm studying FinTech at a liberal arts school instead of at a traditional business school.
You may assume itâs because I couldnât get into Stern which donât get me wrong Iâm not denying. Itâs extremely competitive and as an average human being, itâs not for me. What I was really looking for was more of a holistic approach towards learning. What I read online about the individualized school was that it is tailored for highly motivated, persistent, creative, ambitious and dedicated students who believe in the generalist approach of having baseline knowledge in various subjects than having a close-minded specialist outlook only exceptional in a few areas.
Wouldnât you prefer the first? It comes in handy in real life especially when changing tires.
Of course, this sounds generalized but in reality, itâs the truth. I havenât met more students with a go-getter mindset than at Gallatin.
Out of the Classroom
Obviously at school you want to invest in yourself, the best investment of all but also make sure your money is working for you. The reason the cost of higher education increases by a few percentage points each year, not including added inflation and doesnât even adjust when it transitions to fully-remote non-comparable learning is because someone is always willing to pay the price no matter what.
It produces inelastic demand just like with Apple products or Rolexes yet unlike materialistic items, there is a better chance the degree will pay off big time in the long run which is mainly dependent on what the student puts into the experience to tailor what they get out.
This starts with taking note of the major. Students have a choice and all information is readily available at their fingertips. They could study business or the arts and both are very similar and different in their own ways but one is naturally more risky and less stable than the other due to fierce competition, crowded market and audienceâs preferences.
While applying I also did extensive research on the benefits of attending liberal arts institutions and why having a background in various unrelated areas is extremely beneficial no matter what industry you decide to get into.
No one knows what they want to do at 30 let alone 50 and even adults are uncertain. It takes me 30 minutes to choose a dish at a restaurant! Life gets in the way and being agile and flexible is all about being prepared as liberal arts students have done.
Thereâs no doubt classic requirements such as accounting and financial modeling are vital but isnât that what work is for? Training programs are at companies for a reason. All the interviews Iâve done for Wall Street firms to consulting agencies are mainly based on character, people skills, my varied experience and testing my interview skills.
If youâre going to be working 10 to 12 hours in the corporate wold each day, you better be a compatible, empathetic good listener and co-worker otherwise no matter how exceptional you are at Excel Macros or Python, if you canât speak, work with your teammates or most importantly ask for help, you are doomed.
Liberal arts is focused on round-table discussions, something I find rigid business students donât prioritize. Being immersed 24/7 in the books is dangerous. College is about networking, connecting, making reasonable mistakes, failing fast and forward and most importantly learning from others with differing interests. Taking a business class in a liberal arts school exposes you to students with differing interests not just those with the same major doing the same exact thing.
The Real World
Now lets snap into the real world. Iâm assuming most students hope their degrees pay off for them in the long run. As the student loan debt crisis looms, there is more pressure from parents on students to get their bang for their buck and that ultimately begins with finding the right major and connecting with the right people.
After all, itâs not always about what you know but who you know! There are thousands of hidden jobs that arenât posted.
For most students, I see one of those factors weighed more heavily than the other. Students do tend to want to learn and discover new interests through experimenting with elective classes but on the socializing side of things in terms of networking and taking initiative with professionals in the industry, not attending sorority parties and just going out, I think students should focus more heavily on this, including myself. Liberal arts institutions really excel at this practice.
For one, my school is smaller compared to the rest of NYU schools which allows me to feel more comfortable and at ease meeting new people and finding outlets to connect with them at. It can get overwhelming fast as a freshman at club fest to find which niches and events are right for you yet here, everything is organized with not too many people.
Half-way through my college career, this has propelled me the most in my studies. In fact through a mutual connection in a club, I found out about the Leslie E Lab where Iâm currently working on my startup aspirations and have declared entrepreneurship as a part of my concentration!
The classroom should be the real world and I believe that starts within a liberal arts background.
Future Guarantee?
Speaking of entrepreneurship and running a company, there are remarkably successful CEOs, founders, entrepreneurs, world leaders, peace makers and wonderful down to earth people that hold liberal arts degrees.
It gets a bad wrap.
Going to business school implies that you want to be a CEO of a Fortune 500 company or crunch numbers all day but a liberal arts degree tends to imply the opposite.
Why would that be?
Is it about the word, âartsâ or âliberalâ that throws people off?
Getting a business degree doesnât mean you will earn more FYI.
The obsession with earning money can be a huge hindrance as well.
Similarly to young pro-athletes, they get burnt out by following a specific routine, path and lifestyle that majority donât make it to the pro level. Same thing with kids who are focused from day 1 of college on a sole major. They are very close minded and donât open themselves up to what business is all about!
Adaptability, change, exposure to new things and the world around them not just the textbooks and Excel.
Keeping your interests broad is not bad, itâs beneficial.
Here are some of the most famous CEOs and leaders of companies that obtained a liberal arts degree.
Of course, just because someone is widely successful and makes it on the Fortune 100 list does not make them happy or healthy yet the degree certainly paid off!
Believe it or not, there are more leaders of businesses with liberal arts degrees than with business degrees since it falls into a wider array of possibilities to choose from.
(In no particular order)
#1 Susan Wojcicki- CEO of YouTube
History and Literature: Harvard
Computer Science: Stanford
#2 Steve Jobs-Founder and Former CEO of Apple
Creative Humanities: Reed College
#3 Oprah Winfrey: Entrepreneur, author, billionaire, actress public speaker, philanthropist, and talk show host
Communications: Tennessee State University
#4 Stewart Butterfield: Founder and CEO of Slack
Philosphy: St. Michaelâs University
#5 John Mackey: Founder and CEO of Whole Foods Market
Philosophy, religion, history and wold literature specifically not a sole business class: University of Texas
Believe it or not, Mackey credits his lack of formal business training and his focus on liberal arts for his success.
âI actually think that has worked to my advantage in business over the years. As an entrepreneur, I had nothing to unlearn and new possibilities for innovation.â
#6 Denise Morrison: First Woman CEO of Campbell Soup
Psychology: Boston College
#7 Howard Schultz: CEO of Starbucks
Communications: Northern Michigan University
Whether you are studying arts history or business in a liberal arts school or not, you should be proud of what you decide to pursue. It is never the end all be all in college and there is never just 1 path. As you can see from these wisely successful people from diverse backgrounds, liberal arts degrees offer a plethora of benefits, skills and unique character traits for students to embody to become renowned leaders, employees and overall grounded people.
Something to note is that just because you do have a liberal arts degree, doesnât mean you will be a replica of Oprah. Who wants to be anyway? Be authentically you!
Timing, luck, connections, grit and patience are all virtues and secrets as well. Life is unfair so use what you have and be grateful for it. You have your advantages.
Class Structures
You would think there arenât many opportunities for business focused liberal arts students. Boy oh boy you are wrong. Not only you can take business courses at the business school if you choose to do so, there are hidden features of liberal arts courses because they combine business in some shape or form in almost all classes since business is found everywhere and it doesnât even feel like youâre taking a business course!
Just like personal finance, whether you like it or not, you need to know about money management because everything involves it including that precious degree.
For example my second semester of my freshman year I took an arts and politics class comparing NYC and Argeninain art. You would think it has nothing to do with business but throughout the course, we discussed trade, currency, the wage gape, tariffs, tax, you name it that were all intertwined. I was shocked as to how much I learned about the differences in income and the disparities in South America to the north.
There is certainly a stereotype about business courses and the students that take them.
Students who want a strict clear-cut business major are required to take certain courses that havenât changed much in the past few decades which can harm them in the long-run if they donât seek out outside opportunities.Â
I would argue more innovative, less lecture based classes such as âtesting and failing 101 via a startup lenseâ, AI or even networking should be required to unleash a creative, strategic point of view for future thought leaders, traits business leaders must possess.
Tapping into our soft skills through round table discussions are rarely seen in 100+ person lectures in business schools. Being an empathetic listener and communicator are brushed upon in business school.
There is even extensive research on the number of CEOs, from the banking to health care industries that have liberal-arts backgrounds versus traditional finance degrees. It is fascinating to uncover what is really applied from school in the real world and why companies are less focused now on the specific major and more on work experience in any area, character and soft skills.
I find there are more opportunities in a liberal arts school to think creativity and be open to making mistakes and enjoying the journey process in business. If a student wants to learn the skills required âout of the classroomâ, it is here.
Financial literacy, a subject I advocate for on campus certainly be touched upon as well, even in the business school as the education system tends to neglect the discussion on wealth management.
Overall, taking a mix of liberal-arts optional business courses and essentials such as accounting and financial analysis will prepare any entrepreneur to retail investor best upon graduation.
If youâre interested in Gallatin at NYU or an alum, would love to chat.