College Selection Advice - Admitted Business Major

College Search & Lists
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I understand that I am asking random strangers on the internet for their opinion, but we need an outside perspective. DD has been extremely fortunate to have been accepted to quite a few schools. She is an aspiring business major - thinking Finance with a minor in business analytics. Not really sure what she wants to do, but likes math and wants a well-paying office environment.

She has narrowed her top 3 to University of South Carolina, Georgia and Virginia Tech. She is having a tough time making a decision. She thought she wanted U of SC, but has been a bit turned off by the heavy Greek and party culture and is not crazy about the kids she knows that will be attending. We visit Georgia in a few weeks, but Terry College of Business is not direct admit and does not appear to offer business analytics. She likes VT, but ā€œeveryoneā€ from her high school will be attending and she really thought she wanted OOS. Plus, Blacksburg is a bit remote.

Which would you choose for your kiddo? Cost is not a consideration. Is the fact that Terry is not direct admit a big deal? Georgia states that 80% of kids are admitted into their major, but it is still a risk. She wanted big, warm, rah-rah schools so here we are. She was also admitted into NC State - trying to convince her to at least take a look.

Thank you if you made it this far. She is truly tied up in knots over her decision.

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Itā€™s such a relief to meet parents who had very similar concerns that we did. So my daughterā€™s realistic options were UVA (in-state), Virginia Tech (in-state), and UMD (out-of-state). Iā€™m giving my daughter my guidance, and she is ultimately deciding. She was torn over these schools during the application process.

UVA had the same issues as Georgia on your list. It wasnā€™t direct admit but their business school admission after 2 years was 50%. My daughter decided she didnā€™t want to take the risk, despite the reputation of the school and her academic skills. She decided it was important to her to get a degree with the major she wanted, and not a degree that she felt like she had to settle for. And with her being a young future business woman, I felt like it was important for her have that sense of empowerment for the rest of her life. Then it came down to VT and UMD. My daughter also didnā€™t like the remoteness of VT. The more admissions stuff we receive and look at, the more she does not want to go to VT. So weā€™re really leaning towards UMD.

I think your daughter should do the admitted student days at each school, and as she receives and reviews the information each school sends, it might become clearer to her on what she wants, and clearer to you on what she is going to like more, because no one will know your daughter and advocate for her better than you. No school is going to be the perfect package, each is going to be very different. So Iā€™m starting to realize that our job as parents is to help our kids process their decision, help them figure out what they really want, but ultimately let this be their choice. Then they will experience the positive and negative outcome of their choices, and weā€™ll be there for them again. I hope this helps.

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So U of SC she knows some kids attending. And ā€˜everyoneā€™ from hs will be at Va Tech.

So sheā€™s eliminating lots of schools like she should have applied to Wyoming :slight_smile:

Id say this - many schools have Greek but even at the most Greek, they are far more non Greek than Greek.

You have 3 different environments. U of SC will be the smallest of the three campuses - foot traffic wise and is in city. Va Tech is huge but others who have kids attend say itā€™s wonderfully laid out - so the size isnā€™t an issue.

When you see UGA, hopefully youā€™ll find it stunning as we did. But it is definitely huge. Athens is a small city as is Blacksburg - but itā€™s very different than Blacksburg. And less remote although Blacksburg has everything you need and then some. .

I do think fit matters. I donā€™t think sheā€™ll see everyone from hs. Many from my sons went to Alabama including his best friend who was in an adjacent major. He barely saw anyone.

These are all big schools and kids find new packs to travel in.

You might contact Terry about the link below. Many schools will have analytics but you might find in math or stats but it appears they offer it.

Good luck.

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I live outside Columbia. It is a small city without the positives of bigger cities (sports, concerts, shows, museums, cultural events, etc.) but has most of the negatives (crime, grimy, doesnā€™t really have traffic issues, but that wonā€™t matter to a college student). Yes, the college does bring in some concerts and stuff, but so does any big college, even those in small towns. Columbia isnā€™t like an Atlanta, Boston, NY or even Charlotte. I guess what I am saying is that going to college in Columbia is a lot like going to a big college in a small town only with more crime and people around. 5 Points, the big USC hangout area, is a string of restaraunts and bars like those that probably exist in every major college town, but you do have to be aware/careful there and the neighborhoods close by. I only bring this up because you mentioned other options being ā€œremoteā€ so I thought the perspective might be useful. Like I told my first, every college has the similar college scene (dorms, bars, sports, etc.) and as a student you may not have the time or money to do a lot of the other stuff the area might offer anyways. Focus on what the school offers first.

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@TexasHookEm - Iā€™ve been reading various threads and feel like you, @DcMdVaMom & I are all sort of in the same boat here. :wink:

D24 is down to NC State or Virginia Tech. She has been admitted as a finance major at VT, and in the Bus Admin program at State. UNC-CH was her #1, but she was waitlisted, so weā€™ve been pivoting. With UNC, I was nervous about another application process into Kenan-Flager her sophomore year (50% acceptance). My advice was if admitted, she would have to be okay with being an Econ major, and getting into KF would just be icing on the cake. I wondered how much career services support Econ majors received at UNC, but now we donā€™t have to worry about that. Not sure if UGA is the same way, but the students at KF stressed to basically jump through hoops your freshmen year - show up to b-school events, join clubs, network, etc. I also understand at UNC (not sure if UGA is similar), since everyone is basically ā€œundecidedā€ the first year, there is little to no advising until you get to the business school. One parent compared it to the ā€œHunger Games.ā€

But you mentioned your D was accepted to State too. Thatā€™s IS for us. Sort of your Dā€™s same situation with VTā€¦most of my Dā€™s friend group will likely go to State (most plan to be engineers, so she likely wonā€™t see them). But Iā€™ll be honest, I feel like Stateā€™s business school (Poole) is sort ofā€¦meh. However, what they do have going for it is location, location, location. Seems like most graduates stay in NC (but also over 80% are from NC), and especially with Apple, Google, and other big tech coming/expanding to RTP, there are plenty of opportunities (and RTP is consistently ranked a top place to live). Sounds like there are coops or internships available during the school year because employers are literally right down the road. If they intern during the summer with a local company, they have the option to live on campus, or of course if theyā€™re living off campus, they can just stay in their own apartment. Iā€™ve heard that Poole advising isnā€™t great, but they still seem to have great outcomes for the students. Their starting salaries arenā€™t as high as VT, but I have to guess cost of living difference between NC & DC Metro plays a role in that difference.

I like NC Stateā€™s campus - IMO, itā€™s not as nice as VT, but I liked it way better than UNC. Campus seems a little chopped up, but in an urban setting guess expansion is difficult. But it also means the central part of campus seems smaller. The student center is new, modern. They have an INCREDIBLE gym. Itā€™s enormous. I didnā€™t think my D would be excited about the gym, but she was. The football stadium is off site, as is the mens basketball arena (PNC Arenaā€¦which also host major concerts & the Carolina Hurricanes NHL team). The engineering campus is a few miles away and located there is the new Hunt Library, which is again, very modern, overlooking a lake. Itā€™s often the photo they use to promote the school. Nelson Hall is where Poole is housed and thatā€™s at the corner of campus, on Hillsborough St. Theyā€™re in the preliminary stages of planning a new building to house Poole, but it wonā€™t be done in 4 years. It doesnā€™t necessarily feel urban to me when on campus - several pockets of green space, but itā€™s easily accessible to downtown Raleigh, plus RDU airport is right down the interstate.

We visited Pamplin/VT last weekend. D24 loved it, and as an alum, I think itā€™s a great fit for her. I think weā€™re going to go back to State on Sat to walk around since VT is fresh in her mind (both schools are 2 hrs from us). VT is literally twice the price OOS compared to State for us, which we can do without issueā€¦but it is an extra $100k over 4 yrs. Sheā€™s leaning VT this week, but especially if State comes up with a nice merit package, itā€™ll be a tough decision for her (sheā€™s very pragmaticā€¦you canā€™t put a price on fit/happiness but is the ROI worth it otherwise?). She was accepted into VTā€™s Honor College, so maybe sheā€™ll get a little merit $$ there, but I have low expectations based off what Iā€™ve read.

Besides fit, donā€™t discount where the students end up post grad. For us, D24 realizes if she goes to VT and wants to come back to NC, she may have to do a little more leg work than just talking to on campus recruiters largely based in DC (although theyā€™re sending a fair amount of finance grads to Charlotte for banking).

Best of luck! Such an exciting, but nerve wracking time!!

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Iā€™ve done so much research on Public Ivyā€™s like UVA and direct admit schools like UMD/VT. I feel like I can finally dole out decent advice for my D. In a nutshell, if your child has dreams of being employed at an IB or MBB, a Public Ivy is the way to go. The issue with Public Ivyā€™s is that you have to go through that business school admission process later which comes with some uncertainty (Private Ivyā€™s like UPenn actually have direct admissions into their business schools, so this isnā€™t really an issue there.) When kids arenā€™t admitted to the business school, a lot of them may have to major in Econ as a back up. At that point, it really comes down to what the kid wants to do with their life and how they feel about the outcome data for Econ majors. (I have my own personal interpretation of the data, and many questions on it, so honestly, I just donā€™t think an 18-year-old can comprehend it on their own, or even care.) If they are okay with the outcome data, and I donā€™t mean just salary and getting a job, but the industries, the line of work they will likely perform, and the further education/certifications required in that particular profession, then the Public Ivy is for them. If however, they donā€™t want anything to do with the industries and line of work discussed in the Econ outcome data, then the direct admissions may make more sense for them. Thereā€™s a lot of other thoughts that I havenā€™t covered, but this is the general gist of it.

After all this research, I told my daughter, if she decides to change her major from accounting to finance, we may need to consider a transfer depending on what her ultimate goal with a finance degree will be. Weā€™re still waiting on the decision at Georgetown, which is actually a direct admit school, and if she gets in there, Iā€™m just going to send her there, because she can seamlessly transfer between majors, and get the same opportunities.

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I would like to see this data, do you have any links to share?

Thoughts @catcherinthetoast?

To me, the important issue isā€¦is the student interested in studying econ? Studying econ is not like studying finance, or accounting, or supply chain, or business administration. At all.

Many finance, IB, other banking, and MBB jobs take students with majors that arenā€™t business or econ. Math, applied math, neuroscience, historyā€¦all well represented.

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But many with Econ degrees at the top schools end up in similar jobs. The bigger issue to me is Econ is a social science. Business is not. Itā€™s very different.

Are they interested in studying Econ ?

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So this fact isnā€™t data driven in that I havenā€™t pulled up McIntire outcome reports. If you google Target schools for IB and MBB, it shows where IB and MBB recruit from. Thereā€™s quantifications online too. I got this recommendation from someone I know in the mid-tier IB industry and my brother who is an Econ/MBA business consultant.

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Yes, I agree. It seems like the IB and MBB like to pull from Target schools regardless of degrees.

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I didnt speak too much about this piece because I had to intrepret the outcome data with my own observations and opinions. And I dont want to put out my interpretation of summary data. This is where I actually have more questions for the school than answers. And honestly, most of this research is so I can point my D in generally the right direction as she starts to get a sense of what she wants to do with her life. Other parents will have to do their own due diligence, comparing outcome data and interpreting the information.

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In regards to the later half of your post, the in-state versus out-of-state struggle is real. In addition, my daughter did get a potential offer for a full merit scholarship at her safety school. I wish we could consider it. But weā€™re pretty sure the school isnt the right fit. But it complicates the decision, beause who doesnt want free school.

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As for the Public Ivyā€™sā€¦my daughter would like to think sheā€™s cut out for Wall Street, but she isnā€™t. Sheā€™d be absolutely miserable (with that said, I have a classmate for VT that worked on Wall Street post grad, so itā€™s possible from there). When I explained what consulting entailed, specifically the travel, she quickly said ā€œnopeā€. So honestly, her dad & I really do think she was done a solid favor by getting waitlisted at UNC. Not that she couldnā€™t have gone to KF and got a job in a different industry, but IB & MBB is just not her path.

And about tuitionā€¦yes, again, itā€™s hard to put a price on happiness, fit, etc., but $100kā€¦it wonā€™t make a difference if we could retire, etc., but its still significant. Heck, we could give her that for a down payment on a house.

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OP this thread seems to have gone into an IB discussion. I am happy to participate but not sure that IB was part of the discussion you were seeking. Please tell me if I missed it and if so happy to share my perspective.

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Same with my D. I donā€™t feel a huge loss over her not applying to UVA. I think her being put off by another admission process in two years says a lot about how she would feel in the IB/MBB industry. So a school like Georgetown, UPenn, or NYU was a better fit for her to apply to, since they are direct admit. I agree, it is possible to get to IB through other routes, if a person wants to pursue it. I was in Big 4 consulting with an accounting degree, and most of my colleagues were MBAs. (Big4 consulting actually makes more combined revenue than MBB. This is excluding the accounting and tax sides that the Big 4 operate. I need to confirm this, but it may be that the MBB recruit only from Target colleges because its more cost effective for them, while the Big 4 has a broader college reach because they make more revenue and provide services MBB donā€™t.) But ultimately, there are so many different routes to get to your goals. Its figuring out what those goals are that makes the decision process tricky.

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We are dealing with the same issue here. Business admit at South Carolina and NC State but not for UNC. Nonetheless, DS is leaning towards UNC which is in state for us and Iā€™m ok with that. Although I know that KF is a long shot, Iā€™m not a big fan of just business programs anyway and hope that he can find something in stats or math or even a natural science that he can do. I did Econ myself and found it less applicable to the work force. My biggest worry is that he gets discouraged from working hard because of fewer internship opportunities (without KF) but the job market keeps changing so rapidly, I feel like itā€™s impossible to plan. Hopefully our kids find a good fit and then just learn to adapt.

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My D wasnā€™t interested in SC or Clemson, but I hear theyā€™re quick to offer IS rates for merit, not sure if that changes USC for you or not.

Theyā€™re building a new building at KF, I asked if that would change their admit rate during our tour. They said they expect they could increase it by 50%. If he goes that route, hopefully there will be more seats available in KF for 2028 grads.

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Good to know about KF. My DS is not big on business ECs so I know heā€™s at a disadvantage for the competitive application process but more slots would help. Yes, we were offered in state rates for South Carolina which definitely makes a difference. I know Iā€™m not in the majority but I really feel that getting undergraduate done under budget is a huge advantage. No matter how great a program and their outcomes are, most students will struggle after graduation. Iā€™d really like to save some resources for that and not use them all up too early. Good luck with everyoneā€™s decision. This is definitely a frustrating time for me since he doesnā€™t seem to be in a hurry to decide. That said, the 3 options are all under budget and come with their pros and cons so I have to grow comfortable with him making the decision going forward.

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Youā€™ve got great options, and I agree about the money. We can pay OOS for VT, but itā€™s a significant difference that could go fund a lot of other things, including an MBA. If VT was to offer IS, it would be a no brainer. Even though she knows weā€™re footing the bill, being pragmatic, she is struggling with the VT price tag. But with 55k applications this year, they donā€™t need to make many concessions. Big decisions!! Good luck to you guys!

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What made you come to this conclusion? I have any accounting degree, so I donā€™t really have insight from an Econ personā€™s perspective, so Iā€™m kind of curious.