While the fit might be better, how is the education better at Villanova than at the state schools? The only thing I can think of is that a happier student might take advantage of more.
I am not sure I understand. A company that hires two grads for the same job- one from Pitt and one from Bucknell or Villanova, will not give the private school grads a higher salary based on their school.
I think this is almost always true, particularly for an accounting major. Almost always true also that new grads in the same position at the same company will be earning the same salary, regardless of undergraduate college. There is a little wiggle room here because some kids are able to negotiate a higher salary based on competing offers (one of my kids did) but definitely not a guarantee.
However, particularly in finance, some schools skew higher in average salary because they place a higher percentage of people on Wall Street or in consulting firms. This wonât have any effect on how much you make as an accountant.
Not âalmost,â âalways.â
Having worked at an Investment Bank, Strategy Consulting firm and been in the Consulting arm of a Big 4 Accounting firm, there is no pay difference based on where you go to school. As said elsewhere, its how many go into these various industries that skews the comp numbers at these schools. Banks and Consultancies put the majority of their recruiting efforts towards a limited number of schools, and while itâs not impossible to get a job outside of the targets, its definitely more difficult.
This is not the case with accounting firms as much. The recruiting is local office-focused and the local offices are in every major (and not so major) city. The reach of the local offices is pretty broad, so if youâre a strong student and can land an internship, youâve got as much chance of landing a Big 4 accounting job if you went to Delaware as you would if you went to Penn. And youâd be paid the same.
And even if your kid wanted to pivot to banking or Consulting, business school is still a path available to them. Of course it would have to be a top business school, but its an easier path to be a good student, good accountant from a name firm and go to Sloan than to try to get into MIT as an undergrad and get into trading.
If theyâre interested in accounting, do whatâs best for your kid and your family and forget the name business. My firmâs at the top of its industry and I canât tell you of any Audit and Tax Partners or Leaders off the top of my head who went to the fancy schools we talk about a lot on this site. And yes, theyâre relaxing the hours requirements for CPAs. Big 4 leadership is at the forefront of this move.
Good luck.
Iâm sure thatâs true for those sorts of environments. It is also my experience in large regional and national law firms. The kid who went to Harvard Law had the same starting salary as the kid who went to UGA Law.
Our experience is in engineering and one of my kids was able to negotiate a higher starting salary than the others in his offer class because he had four other competing offers. One of his friends was told he was being offered $20,000 more by the hiring manager (different company) because he went to Georgia Tech versus the other engineering grad they were hiring. That is why I used âalmostâ. So Iâm sure thereâs variations but certainly not something to count on.
Miami University is good if you get the scholarships. Has a solid reputation.
If she likes Villanova perhaps look at some other Catholic schools which are an easier admit and where she may get merit aid. There are many great options (Fordham, Fairfield, UScraton, St Joeâs, Loyola-MD, Providence to name but a few.)
But note the (new in PA) 150 credit requirement for licensing.
Apply to Pitt ASAP if she hasnât. Rolling admission should provide a quick answer. Excellent in-state business school with direct admission. Plus she likes the school. Win-win. Donât overthink it.
Accounting is a very portable degree and thereâs no salary premium for attending an expensive private university.
St. Joes or Duquesne might work. Delaware and WVU too.
Thanks for the replies. I got the information on salary from the published data on sites like collegesimply, etc. it does not control for major so I am sure that makes a difference. For example, collegesimple puts the average salary 10 years after graduation as $55k at Penn State vs $85k from Villanova.
I donât think she really wants to be an accountant in the ordinary sense. She wants to work in tge corporate world. I am recommending accounting because I think it will limit her less than other majors.
People asked about cultural fit. Sheâs basically a pretty, blonde white Christian girl. She kind of preppy and outgoing but not a big partier. She has never done great on standardized tests but studies and works hard in school. She has a great work ethic and has a good gpa (Iâm not sure what it is but itâs over a 4.0 weighted). I had a very different upbringing and was generally tge opposite. I performed better on standardized tests than I did in class. I slacked off a lot. I think she is turned off by places like PSU because sheâs worked hard and her classmates with poor grades have consistently been admitted there. To me, that just means she will likely outperform them in college.
This may be an antiquated thought, but she may meet a future spouse in college and meeting a quality partner seems more likely at less of a party school. I have a lot of Nova grads in my circle - friends, co-workers, etc. Two of my close friends from Nova are married to medical doctors they met in college. One family member was a VSB grad and has been exceptionally successful in his career. (He makes more than 10 times what we do in a year). She has good judgement but I would prefer her to mix and network with goal-oriented people. I know they exist in publics but Iâm talking odds.
I have coworkers from UVA, UNC and a couple other state schools who are plenty smart. I have a family member at Schreyer who is bright and is a great kid. I am sure sheâll be successful just based on her personality. I am not meaning to disrespect these places. I just know I and my friends had no direction at her age and multiple acceptance to Villanova helped me despite underachieving in general. It could be worse but I want to put her in the best situation to have a good life.
Iâm suck at work but will post more when I get a minute.
Funny typo!
Re: meeting a future spouse or partnerâŠthis can happen after she graduates from college alsoâŠat her workplace or wherever. It might not happen in college at.all.
Fact is, there are smart, motivated, not party animals at every college. She will find her tribe wherever she attends college.
Well my daughter who turned down Villanova met her current boyfriend at UD orientation in 2019, both were in honors. They both now have their doctorates (heâs a chiropractor). She was ranked 8th in her HS class of 300+, he had similar stats. She worked her butt off in HS and got some pushback from friends choosing UD, but it was definitely the right choice for her. There are top students all over, budget plays a big part.
No, thatâs not what I said. I think better companies recruit more at better-regarded business schools. I really donât know, though, because I donât work in that field. I know my relative I mentioned before was hired at PWC but the salary wasnât very good. He used it as a stepping stone and landed a job where he makes big money. I imagine you could do this from any decent school. He trashed Pitt when I asked his opinion but he was positive about Nova, Lehigh, Bucknell, and Delaware.
He works in NYC, though, so things are different. I am leaning toward encouraging Delaware because itâs reasonably priced and close to home.
There are plenty who party at Villanova, and plenty who donât. Several of my coworkerâs kids currently attend/attended.
One of my kids graduated from a well known state school that you referenced in your most recent post (with the odd typo lol). She never attended a party- not once- yet was very busy for all 4 years. There were parties going on if she wanted, just like at all schools. She was a very strong student in HS and found the academics in college (state school) to be just right.
Pitt is a great school and there is no reason to think that âbetterâ companies will not recruit there. We met many exceptional students when we visited. At the end of the day it will really depend on budget and personal preference. There are no poor choices here.
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She either did or will shortly. I actually liked Pitt a lot better than she did. She thought it was âokay.â We have no interest in St. Joeâs or Duquesne but thanks. The only other Catholic schools she had any interest in were Fairfield (I didnât like it) and Holy Cross (she didnât like it).
Sorry, I am at an event on my phone and havenât quite figured out this app. My prior reply was to the person who recommended she apply asap to Pitt.
I loved Pitt and to this day it is one of my favorite schools.
Yeah, it seemed like a fun environment. I donât think she loved the location but I thought it seemed like there was a lot to do. She is going to visit PSU soon. Iâve never thought highly of it, but I have friends who attended and were happy with it. My negative opinions may not be well-founded so I am keeping an open mind.
You want to find the unweighted. If she doesnât have, simply take every A and give it a 4, every B a 3, C a 2 and divide by # of classes. Everyone weights differently so a weighted GPA doesnât tell you much.
As for PSU, she could be a straight A, all APs and 1600 on the SAT and there will be more accomplished kids. Itâs huge - and kids that get into certain colleges - doesnât mean they graduate - but if theyâre in business or engineering there and graduate, you know theyâre legit. Different majors - different qualifications. I was thinking it was size.
Are you sure you donât want the South?? 
Look at a school like Furman or if big state schools are open, thereâs plenty - party and less party.
hmmm - people party at Villanova. One guy I canât keep up with is a Notre Dame grad. Every year at our fantasy football draft, he puts us all to shame.
You never know where you meet someone - at college, in a bar or party at college, at work, on an airplane, at the mall - or as so many kids seem to be doing today - on an app. Personally, I wouldnât pick a school based on this.
And yes, I met my first true love in collegeâŠand my wife at grad school.
It happens - but new era. My kid, in college, met his 3 year gf on an app - I wanna say tinder.
Thatâs the way of the worldâŠheâs a non party, non sports kid.
Focus on budget and fit - and not a future mate
Good luck.
I donât know a lot about PSU.
My niece is here before moving into her apartment in manhattan, Richmond graduate, working at PWC. Her brother is at Pitt studying physics, he had a 35 act. My Clemson recent graduate is making about $20,000 more a year as an actuary in NJ than her cousin in NYC. My Rutgers graduate is a CPA and easily found employment (couldâve easily gone to big 4 but had no desire, she is actually a musician and her firm allows her to work only 40 billable hours a week because her rigorous performance schedule).