I think Fordham is a great addition to your list, which you’ve decided to do.
I’m going to second Fairfield (whose admit rate has really been dropping, it was 25% in the most recent cycle). Providence would be another one to consider. I don’t know what its admit rate was for fall 2025, but for fall 2024 it was 50.8%.
Overall, I think you have a nice list.
I note there are a ton of people doing Finance stuff in CT offices as well as NYC, which I think is part of why Fairfield is so strong in that area (and also a good college in general).
I will definitely have to take a good look at Fairfield now.
Another post to say I think Fordham is a good idea, and think it’s great you will visit both that and NYU.
Question, are you done on SAT or planning to retake? Asking because NYU’s middle 50 SAT is 1470-1570, and I suspect some of the others on your list (BC etc) are also higher than your score. I know many schools are still test optional, but being able to show a SAT in range can only help. Although to align with what others have said, if you’re happy with Kelley, which is excellent, you don’t need to add the extra stress.
Do you intend to take the SAT again? It could help open a few more opportunities.
Fordham Gabelli should be on the list. It was on S20’s shortlist and one of his favorites.
FSU is a low reach/reach for OOS nowadays. Plus Kelley is a safety. FSU and UGA wouldn’t be upgrades for business.
That’s pretty much my feeling, and I also think Indiana has a really nice campus, Bloomington is a really nice college town . . . there is a lot to like about Kelley!
Not to say the OP has to eliminate those colleges, but I do think some reflection on whether all those applications really are necessary would make sense.
OP, my senior has very similar stats and SAT scores. We are OOS and applied to most of the schools on your list including UT Austin, UF, SMU, FSU, UGA, Indiana, Richmond, and few others. Was accepted to all with merit except rejected at UT Austin. After much discussion, my kid has committed to UF. Of all the schools, UF was the least expensive of all on the list. It has everything, academics, sports, weather, school spirit, college town and greek if you like that. Best wishes on your journey and reach out with any questions.
Thank you so much for reaching out. That is very encouraging! I hope your senior has a great time at UF! I might do another SAT as I was sick when I took it last time. If I were to get the same score should I send it to my reach schools (the ones that it is a bit below their 25th percentile)?
It may be worth looking at each college in the context of “would I choose it over IU?” (assuming that IU with direct admit to business continues to have published auto-admit criteria that the OP meets). A college that one would not choose over the safety under any circumstances need not be on the application list, so that may give a way to reduce the list by removing unneeded applications.
Could you please elaborate on why you think that Babson is too focused for this student?
I’ll defer to others but I think the consensus is that if you’re below the middle to apply TO if possible.
I would also add that if you’re not planning to do additional prep for the SAT don’t bother to re-take. That said, an additional 50 points could increase your odds. It would also open doors for honors programs and scholarships. Don’t lose sleep over it. A 1420 is a very good score.
Have you also considered Notre Dame?
I have not really thought about notre dame because I always thought of it as much more of a reach than all the reaches currently on my list. Thanks for the comment!
I wouldn’t say ND is any more or less reachy for business than some of your other schools.
Since you have BC, Villanova and possibly Fordham it seemed like a logical leap.
UT, UF, UGA and FSU seem odd unless you’re looking for that big-time sports environment. They’re great schools but odd for your list. S21 graduates from FSU soon so I’m a little biased. They just don’t seem to match the rest of your list.
With Kelley and UMass as safeties your list looks solid. Good luck.
Schools will generally tell you to submit if it is in (or above) the middle 50, and not if it’s below. And yes, these tend to be skewed upwards in the TO era, but it is what it is.
i hesitated to correct here, but since you mentioned… Babson, as you know, would not be too focussed for this student.
If you haven’t checked already, confirm which business schools on your list have direct admission to desired concentrations. My nephew went to Penn State and they were told day one that there were a finite number of slots in finance (which everyone wanted) so students would be placed based on their freshman GPAs. Not everyone who wanted finance got it.
OP, this is a valid concern if you’re considering schools with secondary admissions for business degrees like UGA or FSU. All things being equal a direct or guaranteed admission to your program is preferable. Why risk it.
You also mentioned that you’re ok with other majors like Econ. Be sure about that. Econ is not the same as business. Not really even close.
Good advice. Smeal has always had admission criteria to move from pre-business into a specific major. My understanding was if a student takes the required classes and achieves the requisite GPA (e.g. 3.5 for finance), they are guaranteed admission to the major. Are you saying that’s not the case, or are you saying if one doesn’t achieve all the requirements they have to compete for any remaining spots?
Yes, I agree. I didn’t understand the objection.
Frankly Babson would be at the top of my list for this student. A little bit of a reach, but a school that should be on his list, given that he seems to have the rigor and extracurriculars that they are looking for plus test scores which are a match and very good grades.
Thank you all again for the insightful comments! Are there any LACs that I should consider? I barely know any.