My junior has recently decided to apply to some business schools next year as opposed to only applying to arts and sciences colleges within the universities he is considering. He is interested in majoring in finance (and possibly double majoring in Econ as well).
He is currently taking AP Econ and AP Calc BC (he will take Advanced Calculus next year). However, he has not taken any business classes to date and is a leader in clubs, but not business related clubs.
Do business schools expect to see business related extracurriculars? He has experience working in food service jobs. Is there anything else to consider in the application process that’s different from applying to the colleges of arts and sciences?
Any advice for this parent with a liberal arts background would be greatly appreciated!
He is totally fine. No need for HS business classes or activities. Taking AP Econ and calc BC is a plus.
Application process is the same really. I might suggest he look at the coursework required for a business school program v a liberal arts degree so he understands the difference and chooses the the path he prefers.
At Cornell, for example, in the hotel school, they want to see hospitality related ECs. But really that’s all that I can think of that wants to see directly related things.
You have a what’s what of activities out there. Sure, on the CC we read about curing cancer or starting multi billion dollar companies -but that’s not the norm.
The norm is a kid in band or who runs track or who does robotics or who walks dogs at the shelter or who has a job like your student.
Typically, it’s easier to transfer from B school to A&S then vice versa. So it’s a fine place to start.
Your quest now should be to find the right type of campus for him as business is offered everywhere today, including at small liberal arts colleges - which offer business to stay relevant. Then you have your mid and large schools, including the publics. But you also have schools like Babson and Bentley, that are mainly business focused - in everything they do. They have the A&S stuff and even majors but most everything is business oriented. That’s the ethos of the schools.
The other thing, if you’re concerned that business might not be for him, you could send him to a summer program at a local or distant college to either validate - or invalidate his interest - before he starts applying next year.
But he’s in fine shape as he is to really, apply for any major out there - assuming he’s hit 4 years of English, Math (we know), science (3), Social Science (3), and Foreign Language (3) but preferably four in all if applying to tippy top schools.
Some simply let you change - or even pick a major later. At UF, you can major in anything. You get admitted to the school. At LACs, you often can’t pick a major til later.
Some are not direct admit, meaning you go to school a year or two and then apply - UGA, UVA, UNC are examples. Some, like Indiana, has both - direct and not direct.
Personally, I’m a fan of direct admit - why go to a school and then find out a year later you can’t study what you want. There’s enough fine DA schools out there.
Every school is different so your son might be right on the averages, but not for a specific school so as he decides where he’s applying, he can look at their policies. Do you start in business or as pre business? If pre business, what does it take to get into business? If he wants to transfer in or out, what are the hurdles?
First, I’d figure out what type of school I want - from size to location to environment (urban, rural, etc.) to sports or Greek life - and most importantly budget - are you able/willing to spend $100K a year (USC) or does he have grades and SAT to get him down to $23K a year (Alabama) or something in between. Or do you qualify for need aid, which could help extend the budget. When I mention size, you might have a huge B School within a huge college or a smaller one. IU Kelley, for example, is massive whereas a Pitt is much smaller - in total and as a % of the overall university.
Just flagging that, depending on how certain your kid is and what kind of curriculum interests him, there are some direct and not-direct admit b-schools that have more of a mix of business and liberal arts classes. My kid wanted business but also wanted flexibility for other academic interests, and she looked at Wake Forest (focus on liberal arts, then apply into b-school as a sophomore), Boston College and Georgetown (direct admit but Jesuit vibe led to different curriculum), as well as U Richmond. Dartmouth had some business classes students can attend but no undergraduate b-school. That general idea was what she was looking for.
FWIW I haven’t heard of business-specific ECs being that important for direct b-school admission. More good math grades and scores. But bc my kid chose to ED the non-direct admit route bc/o her broader academic and vibe interests, my info on that is all vague and secondhand…
I had 4 business majors (accounting, finance, management). In HS they worked at a garden center, pizzerias, babysitting, tutoring, were in the HS plays, top choirs, ran track, varsity soccer, Irish danced, church peer leadership, took calculus and stats.
They are not applying to hotel school. I was simply pointing out the one example where I know they seek. But I’d say absolutely.
We also seek students who get involved with their community, demonstrate entrepreneurship and leadership, and have an interest in the business and the business of hospitality—about half of our first-year students have work experience, whether in a restaurant, supermarket, family business, or startup.
Having just applied to UG business schools with my son, I was surprised to see an evolution where many business schools have more of an expectation to see business interest, business knowledge, and business activities. Certainly, this would be the case for the top 20 UG business colleges.
At this point it is what it is. Honestly, I think the applicant will be fine. Work experience (in any environment) is a plus as is taking calculus and economics in HS.
I do not know the OP but if you are applying to top schools essays are more business oriented.
For example - The Cornell Dyson (SC Johnson College of Business) essay prompt asks applicants to describe their interest in business, economics, or management, focusing on personal experiences, topics they care about, and how these align with the school’s mission of utilizing business for a better world (approx. 650-word limit).
or
Michigan"Choose a current event or issue in your community and discuss the business implications. Propose a solution that incorporates business principles or practices. The review panel will look for creativity, drawing connections, and originality." (Approx. 500 words)
I think the OP has the potential to write meaningful essays based on work experiences and HS coursework. And many non-top tier business schools do not require essays.
My S’s main extracurriculars were community service based and he got into a number of very strong b-schools (he did not have academics to apply to hyper-competitive schools).
There are others like this, which require thought, not direct business experience but overall experience in life. If they required direct experience, they’d have awfully small classes.
They will have lots of kids without formal work experience and this student has worked.
although what @happy1 and @tsbna44 are suggesting is 100% possible it is also 100% more difficult from an admissions perspective. Your junior has the ideal math track, and econ is a great complement so the coursework is right where you want it. On the other hand, the business programs are valuing experience more than ever. Be certain that I do not agree with what is trending (I think kids should be kids), but I would be doing you a disservice if I did not share a differing view as I see things first-hand. At Babson, for example, I see the large majority of the admitted applicants for finance having finance and business experiences. This is no different at BU, BC, Northeastern, and other similar schools. Food service can absolutely be that experience as can club leadership but it needs deep thought and refection for it to be competitive in the undergraduate finance pool. If you message me directly, I would be glad to help you brainstorm strategies.
I agree that having some business type activities are valued in business school admissions. Generally the more selective the school, the more important it is to show activities related to the intended school/major. For example, some business school supplements directly ask why you are applying to X major, and those can be more difficult to write if there aren’t any business activities to speak about. I also agree that applicants should think broadly about what constitutes ‘business’ activities…jobs and club leadership can 100% be applied to business-y types of goals and support a solid application.
Here is an example of the type of prompts I’m talking about from UIUC:
Folks, it’s important to remember that blanket advice typically doesn’t cover all schools. At many relatively selective schools that admit by school/major, the student needs to have some activities that support that major. Sure, it can be paid work when we are talking about business, but there are so many HS clubs that are business/business adjacent…DECA, FBLA, JA, BETA club, investing clubs, etc etc.
Like I said above, the more selective the school, the more likely a competitive applicant needs some supporting activities (and it’s important to think broadly about business-y type roles, which can be found on robotics teams, to take one example.)
Can one get into Tippie without business activities? Yes. Gies? That is much more difficult. Wharton? Forget it.
I do think real work experience (and related coursework).can be parlayed into an essay that is unique and meaningful. Agree that we don’t know details of the student’s experience and application list so it is hard to opine.
