<p>I have a 4.4 gpa and top 5% in my class with a 34 ACT…I am almost positive I will receive close to a full ride to Miami OH which has a top 25 business school…I plan to major in finance. Is it worth it to go here instead of a school like Wharton, UVA(if I’m lucky enough to get into these) or UNC(almost positive I’ll get in here)</p>
<p>Are you in state for UNC? Because if not UNC is quite difficult to get into. My out of state naviance reports a 22% acceptance rate which is only marginally higher than acceptance rates to top schools (from my school - it’s actually LOWER than the acceptance rate to UChicago, Cornell and UVA Out of State, if that tells you anything) and an average GPA of 4.5 early and 4.6 regular (assuming your GPA works like ours does: 1.0-5.0 in Honors and APs, 0.0-4.0 in regular classes). So yeah, not a shoe in out of state. </p>
<p>As for your actual question, Wharton’s probably worth paying for and UNC probably isn’t if it comes down to that vs free, UVA is up in the air. I’d look very closely at job placement if you can find that. </p>
<p>Do you understand the difference between full ride and full tuition? Miami OH offers 1/2 to full tuition for your stats, but not full ride. Full ride opportunities are really not that common. </p>
<p>What state is instate and what can you afford? The latter question should really be the first step in planning for applications. </p>
<p>What’s your parents’ budget? Have you run the Net Price Calculators and talked about it with them?</p>
<p>If you can afford it, Wharton is certainly worth it, particularly for what you want to major in. UVA is also very good. You should consider taking on some student loans to be able to attend these over Ohio, but only if you can keep your total debt down. Even Wharton isn’t worth 50k in student loans. But if you can attend these schools with less than 35k in student loans, it might be a good option.</p>
<p>UNC isn’t so much better than Ohio to warrant significant debt.</p>
<p>At the end of the day, it depends on how much you can afford.</p>
<p>I suspect UVA has a relatively high admit rate for OOS thanks to their $50K price tag with little aid. They would love for OOS kids to come there. Same with Michigan. Both great schools with private-like OOS prices that admit plenty of OOS kids. UNC is $10K less than UVA, with comparable quality, hence the tougher admit.</p>
<p>So, for undergrad b-schools, rankings are pretty useless.</p>
<p>Do you have much of an idea what industries you’ll want to pursue after graduation yet?</p>
<p>@Chardo, UVA is highly competitive OOS because they are the only other school besides UNC that meets need for OOS students. </p>
<p>I think that I could afford any of these schools, my parents make just enough that we probably won’t receive any financial aid however. Therefore, they would really prefer me to go somewhere cheaper such as miami or penn state (I live in PA). And for UNC there was a kid from my school with a similar gpa and slightly lower test scores that got accepted into their honors last year. I had a 4.8 my junior year and am taking the hardest possible schedule next year. Also, for miami I read somewhere else with a 34 Act I would have a really good shot at full tuition is this not the case?</p>
<p>Yes, I think you would have a good shot at full tuition from Miami. However, that’s not a “full ride” - does not include room/board, etc., - so I think that’s what the previous poster was telling you.</p>
<p>So then miami would be around $10000/yr while uva unc Richmond Wharton etc would be 40000-60000. I would feel guilty asking my parents to pay this much and was wondering if it is really worth it. I do know that the average start salary at uva is high 60’s while miami is mid 50’s, but if I was a top student at miami vs mid student at uva would this gap still exist?</p>
<p>So any ideas on industries after graduation yet? If it’s Wall Street, for instance (and you absolutely want to study finance), Wharton is obviously best, but McDonough (G’Town), Stern (NYU), Ross (UMich) and even Kelley (Indiana) (so long as you can get in to their IB workshop) are better than UVa and UNC.</p>
<p>Ask each b-school for their employment reports.</p>
<p>For IB on the Street, I should say. IU is also a little cheaper OOS than the privates and you may be able to get scholarships.</p>
<p>Also, I know a sales guy at GS who went to Richmond and they have competitive full-tuition scholarships.</p>
<p>UVa gets bandied about as a Street target, but their placement doesn’t seem that great. Also, if you’re willing to pay for Wharton, you should consider Sloan (MIT) as well.</p>
<p>Also, if you’re not aiming for Wall Street or investment management, a lot of b-schools would be fine. Miami may be perfectly fine for your target jobs/industries.</p>
<p>Where do you want to work? Look at some company websites and see where they recruit. Choose a school where a lot of companies recruit.</p>
<p>Discuss with your parents what they are willing to pay for what options. Some parents will come up with more money for certain opportunities. Often it’s when it’s all on the table, the true picture emerges. While everything is a probably, anything is possible. </p>
<p>Frankly, IMO, Wharton might be worth the premium, but free tuition at Miami or a discount at PSU at the Honors College or for Schmee would be a better deal than full freight at UVA or UNC_CH. </p>
<p>Yes, job placement is key. Try for the full-tuition scholarships at Richmond. If you get one of those, your choice is easy (I would just go there). If you don’t, then it comes down to where you want to work (geography and industry). It probably wouldn’t surprise you to learn that not just Rice and UT-Austin but even Tulane have closer ties to the energy companies in Houston than most East Coast schools, for instance.</p>
<p>Richmond gives 45 full tuition scholarships (6 of which are for the arts) in four designated areas, according to their website. Seems exceedingly difficult, and someone who would qualify would likely get huge merit elsewhere as well.</p>
<p>Is anyone aware of the qualifications for some recipients of Richmond Scholars?</p>
<p>My daughter who graduated in 2013 got rejected from UNC with an ACT of 34 and a 4.5 GPA with national level accomplishments and many good EC’s. UNC is a total crap shoot for out of state kids. I am not sure where you get are getting beginning salary info but both of those numbers seem high for undergrad business majors. </p>
<p>Right. Miami U, for instance. But would the merit elsewhere be at a school that has the opportunities Richmond has? This kid is well within the top quartile at Richmond by stats, so I wouldn’t discourage him from trying for it. </p>
<p>Anyway, while average salary is good for bragging rights, remember that employers are looking to hire an employee, not a school. The most important thing is figuring out which companies recruit where and how many kids go to what companies.</p>