Are you interested in an LAC?
Few have business - and few would (with business) get you to IB or consulting - but some would through ECON.
You can look at a Bucknell or Richmond - but Richmond is a large LAC and yet its business program is the biggest program on campus - so is it really an LAC? Skidmore, Dickinson and others have business programs - but do they accomplish what you want career wise?
Those that would are non business and likely out of reach academically.
If you are interested in alternatives to the big university experience like you would get at Kelley, I would definitely suggest checking out at least Bucknell. It is not an easy admit but I would think with your numbers it is definitely a plausible harder Target sort of college. As far as I know there is no secondary admissions into Finance, although you could check that to be sure.
The way I view them, Babson is effectively an LAC for business majors. Their enrollment of 2700 puts them in the small college category. Their philosophy is to mix in a lot of liberal arts with their business courses. Like other LACs, there will be no large lecture halls. There are zero classes with over 50 students. Most of the classes you take will be in the range of 20-40 students.
Other LAC type schools might include W&L, Richmond, Emory or Colgate.
Improve your test score and a school like Williams might work.
You might have to consider Economics as a major for a LAC.
Union College in New YorkāsCapital Region offers several business oriented majors, which is unusual for an LAC:
Financial & Actuarial Mathematics
Data Analytics
Managerial Economics
Coincidentally I was there last week and found myself in a conversation with a student from the Boston area. I asked how he liked it, and said that he loves it. When I asked why, he said because of the collegeās community. A bonus is that itās a beautiful campus.
University of Rochester is an exceptionally well resourced university with excellent faculty - in general, comparable to more selective colleges. But its acceptance rate is around 40%. An academic bargain, in my opinion. Itās Simon School of Business is first rate and worth a look.
UR is on the smaller side as research universities go with an undergraduate enrollment of 6500. Its student:faculty ratio of 9:1 is more like what youād find at an LAC.
Here are the PSU finance secondary admission requirements:
Washington and Lee, Bucknell, Richmond
Iām guessing our HS sends 20-40 kids or more to PSU every year. I have no proof. Only hearsay but I seem to recall some conversations with a parent that said the reality was that it was more like a 3.6 GPA to guarantee Finance. At least that year.
claremont mckenna is well-known for econ if you donāt mind moving cross-country
CMC specifically has business-flavored economics*, although not a true business major.
*Compare the economics course offerings between CMC and Pomona, which has a more of a liberal arts / research focus in economics.
I donāt think anyone has suggested Lehigh yet? Itās a mid-sized university (almost 6K undergrads) with a well-regarded finance department (Perella Department of Finance | Lehigh Business), and would be a match for your stats. Seems to fit the pattern of schools you like.
Iām assuming you mean UMass-Amherst (not Boston, Lowell, or Dartmouth, right?)
Yes
Edited re IU KELLEY
Congratulations on your outstanding accomplishments to date. My comments are meant to give you a realistic perspective. I know of students with similar stats and profile who have been disappointed with their admissions results in recent years. My recommendations are intended to alleviate that for you.
Coming from Massachusetts, even you have an additional hook, connections, BC even as ED1 is a huge reach. When applying to BC, you will be asked to choose which school you want to attend. Carroll is the B School, and without direct entry is VERY difficult to transfer into later. However, if you get into Carroll as a freshman, itās an excellent education. If applying EA, Northeastern is more likely, as is Wake Forest if applying ED1 very early. UMass is now factoring in demonstrated interest, so go visit and make connections within Isenberg.
IU Kelley is not a safety unless all direct entry requirements are met like deadline, GPA, test scores. Applicants from schools that do not report a GPA, or are below the specified stats might get admitted to IU, and then will need to submit a petition/appeal to reconsider admission to Kelley
If you want finance, research undergraduate business schools on poets and quants, and apply to those with direct entry.
Coming from MA, you need to consider regional advantages and disadvantages. Please consider adding Univ of Minnesota, Carlson School of Business onto your list and apply EA. Carlson is highly ranked and students have opportunities to come back east because of its strong connections.
Since you have included SMU Cox, you might also consider TCU Neeley. Also consider an application to University of Richmond (Robins) and Wash U (Olin) (a reach).
Most importantly, research the chances of being admitted to undergrad B schools post entry. Wake and Wisco are highly competitive, while Richmond (Robins) has been historically less competitive.
Also, research the required core curriculum for each of the sub schools, within the universities. For example, at BC Morrissey and at Wake, foreign lang is required vs. BC Carroll it is not. Also research what the study abroad options are for B School for each school.
Others to consider, Bucknell, Lehigh, Colgate, Providence College School of Business, Syracuse. If majoring in econ or math, many of the LACs have strong connections to the finance industry (Amherst, Middlebury, Swarthmore, Bates, Colby, Lafayette).
Lastly, just because cost is not a factor, please note that receiving a merit scholarship and/or being part of an honors program comes with advantages like preferred housing, additional advisors and supports, access to certain classes. So while an opportunity to attend BC Morrissey might seem to outweigh attending PC School of Business, if PC comes with merit and honors, you need to holistically consider what opportunities and education that brings.
IU Kelley is a safety, because OP meets the direct admit criteria (assuming said criteria donāt change for next year, wGPA is from one HS and on the transcript, OP applies by Nov 1, and affordability, which OP said is not an issue.)
Hey! Just wanted to add that you might want to take a look at Santa Clara University if youāre open to going to the west coast. They offer EA and ED, and give merit scholarships. The business school seems very linked in to the Silicon Valley businesses that surround it, which appealed to my kid. We knew nothing about SCU before application season, but it popped up when we started looking for west coast options for business programs. Good luck!
Thereās some great information in this post, @dk3421. Some of the key takeaways include:
@annaliese67 also mentioned a number of great schools which would be worth investigating to see if they might be a fit for you.
I know of someone this year with nearly identical stats who got into IU but not Kelley and has appealed that decision and waiting. IU is safety. Kelley is not unless specific deadline, GPA and test scores are met.
Santa Clara is a great suggestion. There is a geographical advantage applying from East coast. And the campus is gorgeous with a beautiful surrounding area.
