When college admissions officers visit Xavier, they seem to brace for an onslaught of questions about their schools’ respective business programs. The question, “Who is interested in studying business?” is often met with a room full of raised hands and eager eyes from Xavier students.
The trend is unmistakable – the average Xavier student wants to study Business, and their actions reflect that fact. The AP Statistics and Economics classes – common classes for prospective business students – each pack three full senior sections, with Xavier also offering Financial Accounting and Entrepreneurship coursework. Additionally, the Entrepreneurial Investment Society boasts over one hundred-fifty members.
After surveying the senior class, a staggering forty-five percent of students identified their prospective major as Business. That number compares to fourteen percent nationwide, according to Student Choice. That puts Xavier three times above the national average in terms of students interested in business.
Xavier is not alone with its overwhelming interest in business among seniors; a degree in business is the most awarded undergraduate degree in the country according to The National Center for Education Statistics. However, given Xavier’s Jesuit tradition, it remains unclear whether or not studying business in college contradicts this tradition and its key Ignatian principles. Identifying the societal pressure and motivations behind studying business is critical towards understanding the community and culture of Xavier’s prospective business students.
A Jesuit education, as described on Xavier’s website by a quote from Go Forth and Teach, intends to produce students who “[give] priority to the needs of the poor and…sacrifice self-interest for the promotion of justice.”
Dozens of students who answered YES for a business major in the anonymous poll cited reasons for their answer such as “I want to make a lot of money,” “high-paying salary,” and “personal interest,” as the factors that informed their decision on the survey. Mr. Stelzer, a Xavier Religion Teacher, said he “doesn’t want to generalize that all of those seniors are solely focused on wealth,” but admitted, “that it [the survey responses] could be the result of a failure to truly instill Jesuit values into them [the students].”
Considering that Xavier boasts a wide array of AP-level lab sciences, English pairings, and history classes, it is perplexing how centered the students’ interest is in business. Also, Xavier has Art, Film-Making, Journalism, and Robotics classes that are equally accessible to classes like Economics and Financial Accounting, yet the majority of seniors are choosing to deviate towards the ladder.
In an interview with prospective finance major Nick Ferrara ‘26, he cited “learning by doing” as a draw to business, but argued against the stereotypes about the ease of the major, saying, “I’m planning to apply myself just as hard as any engineering major.”
Xavier students may think fiscally, rather than religiously, resulting in the wave of interest in business. Whether you think it is fair or not, the data shows that studying business is the most effective way to secure a comfortable lifestyle. Considering that Xavier’s cost is climbing towards $30,000 per year, the students at Xavier are exposed to the value of money, especially through affluent students themselves. Ferrara, along with many other anonymous students, cited their fathers and their work experience as inspiration for studying business.
Michael Crish ‘26 bluntly stated in an interview, “You can’t expect kids who come from money to not want to go and make money.” While Xavier has a financially diverse student body, the exposure to money that Xavier provides, along with kids who come from affluent backgrounds themselves, fosters students who will strive to accumulate wealth in their adult lives.
It is important to acknowledge that not every Knight looking into business as a major expressed their interest based solely on a financial motive. Many polled responses noted genuine interests in markets and the analytics behind finance. Nick Ferrara shared that he has “always enjoyed building things,” and he wants to “build deals” the same way.
Head of College Counseling, Ms. Fraker stated that she sees great communicative skills, an entrepreneurial spirit, and a knack for math in the business majors she assists. Yet, the odds that Xavier students exhibit these qualities at three times the national average are slim. One honest student in the survey admitted he “has no expertise in any specific areas,” which led him to choose business, and Ms Fraker observed that, for many without a decided path, “business seems to be the default.”
According to the Bureau of Labor, roughly 13.5 million people in the U.S hold an undergraduate business degree, with their median income being $75,000 – barely enough to cover one year worth of tuition at the country’s highest-ranked private schools. The numbers support that most business majors will fall into the middle class, contrary to the visage that studying business is some sort of “get rich quick” scheme. This idea that studying business will automatically equate to wealth often prevents undecided students from exploring their interests and finding something they are legitimately passionate about. Successful people in various fields will often say that they made it because they love what they do, not because they wanted to make money, or because their father did it. Despite this fact, many Xavier students believe that if they just go into business, the money is guaranteed.
Despite the concern that some Xavier students may not be taking the time to explore their interests, this new “default” is not representative of the entire senior class. Adger Smyth ‘26, who is planning to major in psychology and law to become a social justice lawyer, claimed that, to him, business appears “impersonal.” A similar sentiment appeared in the anonymous survey, with one respondent answering, “I don’t want to work in a place where the only motivator is money.”
These responses align with Catholic Social Teaching, which places the accumulation of wealth in the backseat for service, care for the poor, and justice work. Mr. Stelzer did note, however, that under Catholic Social Teaching, “everyone has a right to pursue a successful job and to accumulate wealth.” But, the allowance for the accumulation of wealth is under the condition that one will use that wealth for the good of society.
Lastly, it is important to acknowledge potential positives that may come out of this spike in business interest. Theoretically, young men who have completed 100 hours of Christian Service, and have been taught classes on social justice, will go on to continue to serve the poor and act outside of their own self-interest throughout their professional careers. Mr. Stezler expressed hope and praise for Xavier students after seeing the results of the survey, saying, “We need more people of integrity in the field of business.” Ms. Fraker, while holding Xavier students in high regard throughout the interview, conceded that, “sometimes kids struggle to make connections from class to real life,” alluding that this dramatic wave of interest towards business might be one of these failed connections.
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