DaNDHSIrishGuy

Hey guys, I'm thinking about attending BYU, but I have a few questions... I'm methodist, but go to a Catholic school; I don't know if that will effect me or not.

How respected is Marrott as a whole at finance?

I'm planning on becoming an investment banker for bulge bracket or middle market botique, and I found this hidden school a while back for it's prestigious business school and LOW price. It would save me a lot of money for a top class education.


It's ranked 8th for undergraduate business schools on businessweek, but any cons? Is it better than the Indiana "Kelley school of business?"

Just tell me the ropes.

Can I have an apartment my first year, or is it mandatory to live on campus as a freshman. I ask this because my gf is going to live with me through college, and I need an apartment to support her.

I'm a part time personal trainer, and does the school have a workout facilty?

I appreciate it so much.

bobdylan

I attend BYU, and I know its undergraduate business program is top quality. It placed first in some regional bussiness ranking, which was not just limited to the mountain west or west in general. I know it is really strong in accouting, and that alot of students enter the college for its investment banking. I have a friend right now, whose goal it is to go into investment banking. You can live at an apartment freshmen year or even a house. And there are two Gold's Gyms really close by and also a pretty nice training facitlity (two gyms, several full courts, and a pool and other stuff). I know to get into the business program you must recieve excellent grades in Calculus 112, Econ 110 (tough) Statistics 221, Accounting 211, and ISYS 111. You must seriously get A's and A-'s if you are to be competitive with the rest. It seems everyone wants to go to the undergrad school so honestly I would shoot for all A's. Other than that BYU is a great school for a cheap price. But i don't know how well you'll adapt to the mormon culture. Oh and if you are on BYU housing which you might be forced to, your girlfriend will not be able to live with you unless you get married. Look into it though.

heeje_90

I'd say that in finance/accounting related majors, Marriott is a better choice than Kelley. Multiple sources consistently rank Marriott's accounting and finance programs higher than Kelley's.
Here are some rankings comparing the two schools:

Brigham Young is placed 8th for its overall business program as opposed to Indiana's 18th (BusinessWeek)
BusinessWeek conducted several specialty rankings - basically rankings for different areas of the business curriculum. BYU ranked #1 in ethics, #6 in corporate strategy, #3 in financial management, #1 in accounting. Apparently, Indiana didn't make it onto any of the specialty rankings in here. I'm giving you the links to these sites on the bottom.

Here are the top 10 for the financial management specialty:
1 New York University (Stern) New York
2 Virginia (McIntire) Charlottesville
3 Brigham Young University (Marriott) Provo, Utah
4 Georgetown University (McDonough) Washington
5 Emory University (Goizueta) Atlanta
6 University of Michigan (Ross) Ann Arbor
7 Cornell University Ithaca, N.Y.
8 University of Richmond (Robins) Richmond, Va.
9 University of Pennsylvania (Wharton) Philadelphia
10 Washington University (Olin) St. Louis

Indiana was 11th.

Here are the top 10 for the accounting specialty:
1 Brigham Young University (Marriott) Provo, Utah
2 University of North Carolina (Kenan-Flagler) Chapel Hill
3 UC Berkeley (Haas) Berkeley, Calif.
4 Emory University (Goizueta) Atlanta
5 Notre Dame (Mendoza) South Bend, Ind.
6 Lehigh University Bethlehem, Pa.
7 Virginia (McIntire) Charlottesville
8 Wake Forest (Calloway) Winston-Salem, N.C.
9 University of Richmond (Robins) Richmond, Va.
10 University of San Diego San Diego, Calif.

i thought this was kinda weird cuz Illinois and U. of Texas-Austin were left out from the top 10. Both of these institutions have recognized top accounting programs.. Something's wrong. But there's no doubt about BYU being in the top for its accounting program.

Some more rankings:
Public Accounting Report 2006 ranked BYU 2nd for both its undergraduate and graduate accounting programs. BYU's accounting program has ranked in the top 3 since 1995.
US News 2007 ranked BYU's accounting program 3rd.
US News 2008 ranked BYU's accounting program 3rd. After University of Texas-Austin and University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign.


Undergrad B-School Rankings: Interactive Table
Undergrad B-School Rankings: Interactive Table
Undergrad B-School Rankings: Interactive Table
School Rankings


All these rankings attest to the strength of BYU's finance and accounting programs. But really, rankings should not be the biggest factor in deciding which colleges to apply to. Try to glean more information from the tons of articles, reviews, and reports swimming around these rankings sites. They've been great eye-openers, and makes sure you get the "inside story." It also gives how these schools are ranked. After I read a couple of these articles, i realized that it was impossible to come up with a complete, unbiased ranking. somewhere in the process, the rankers rely on personal opinions- polls of professors, recruiters, students, graduates, etc.
Hahaha. hope this information helped.

DaNDHSIrishGuy

hey, you guys are incredibly helpful! thank you guys so much!