Hi My son got into Georgetown MSB early action & also UMD.. he’s still waiting on CMU regular decision.. Aside from cost & size, I’d love to hear pros/cons of all 3 business programs. My son is very academic & wants to go to the best program he can get into. I’m an alumni of UMD & I do worry that it may be too big for him socially (not into Greek life etc).. We live in MD so we are very familiar with the areas…thx!
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This is one of those things - many can see differently. Don’t conflate rank with rigor or academic strength of anything else. Best is in the eye of the behollder.
Any kid that can get into these three is already in a great place - so may be fine anywhere but your concerns are legit.
Gtown will have an extensive core with two religion classes (academic, not necessarily religious) - is that a concern?
Is there a specific major one has that another doesn’t? What is the major?
You can look at career outcomes - for 2024, and I didn’t put in the major, Smith 74% working and 18% continuing their education - with a starting salary of $75.5K and median of $72.5K. They don’t share a knowledge rate - what % of kids that captures.
Top employers - and it will depend on major are:
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EY
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Deloitte LLP
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KPMG LLP
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Morgan Stanley
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PwC
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Accenture Federal Services
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Northrop Grumman
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PepsiCo, Inc.
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Amazon.com, Inc.
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Capital One
McDonough shows higher salaries - but also notes 60% are in finance - not finance majors but in financial services. They don’t show by major - but they note $100K average salary.
Tepper shows an 89% knowledge rate so they’re capturing most. 82% were working of 25s with 7% still looking. They also show a heavy finance backed employment group - and the median was $95K with an average of $93K. This is 2025 whereas the others were 2024.
Hope that helps.
Don’t forget - UMD has D1 sports, Gtown minus football and CMU won’t at that level - if of interest.
i know the dorms at UMD aren’t rated nice - maybe they’ve changed. Food at both UMD and Gtown are not well rated - as of a few years ago, Gtown parents complained they spent a lot of money on meals out. Someone may be able to tell you has that changed? The niche ratings for CMU aren’t great either.
So if housing and food are important to you, you might study up more on that too. To my kids, it was. Everyone is different.
Hope it helps.
PS - on CMU, you may need to reset the filters.
On UMD and CMU you can filter into major…which I didn’t.
Good luck.
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This is super helpful; thank you for taking the time to respond & share all of this.. I do think he would be fine anywhere as he’s pretty adaptable.. he’s introverted & not a partier so that’s why I thought UMD may be a bit tough for him socially to navigate..not saying it’s a party school but just b/c it’s so big. As far as the G town core classes, I think my son would be ok with them.. We are Jewish but I think the Jesuit culture is accepting of all religions as far as I know.. Good question about the major. He isn’t sure yet; maybe accounting or consulting? I don’t really see him in IB which I know G town is good for…they do have a business analytics major that I think would interest him b/c he also loves computer science which he wants to minor in… I also heard the dorms & food aren’t good at G town as well which is a bit crazy with the price tag! thx again
Disagree. Bidness is one major where pedigree matters.
Tepper over Georgetown over UMD. But if he likes Georgetown better, then pick them
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Depends - for accounting, little if any, as an example.
But my comment was about rank and rigor, not outcome.
It’s clear from the data Gtown wins - but it’s also clear they are likely more in financial roles - so if OP, it may not be the case as that likely won’t be their pursuit. And may GTWON may be placing be in higher COL areas. That info is avail.
And OP like computer science so maybe Tepper wins.
But let’s say the student wants to do accounting like the parent says - CMU has a Bachelor in Business Admin and accounting is a concentration with only four courses - so is that the right school to attend? Maybe not.
Many others say CMU is a “fit” school - so OP has to take that into account.
Two other things:
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OP isn’t in at CMU
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While OP said aside from cost and I appreciate that - but if they are a Maryland resident, there’s a $275K difference and from an ROI POV, is ti worth it (only they can decide). I don’t know if they got Honors / Scholars - and heck, I don’t even know if they’re a Maryland resident.
So in this case, OP might not be the traditional student - chasing $$$ through IB.
Can you do a minor in CS at all three? It appears yes although UMD might have some “hoops” - not sure, OP can decide.
If they get into CMU, lots to decide. If they don’t, lots to decide 
Computer Science Minor | Undergraduate Computer Science at UMD
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thx why do you think Tepper over G town?
thx yes I neglected to put that we are IN STATE for UMD so it’s a big difference in price.. he did NOT get honors; he got a FIRE research program (but no housing perks & no living learning with a cohort of kids) which could make the school smaller so that was a bit disappointing.. & thx for that info on CS as a minor; all great things to consider
I would very strongly recommend that he participates in accepted student days at these schools. My kids (and I) found them hugely helpful/insightful - particularly at CMU. My experiences (as well as my husband’s who is an MSB alum) at Georgetown are likely less relevant to a decision today, but I will say that I was a jew at Georgetown and agree that the jesuit culture is very accepting and the societal ideas align closely with Tikkun Olam. I’m sure you are correct that your son will do well at any of these schools and they could all position him well for a future career, but, in my view, they have very different feels and I think that choosing the one that is the best fit (yes, I am a believer in fit) could really make a difference in his experience. Good luck to your son!
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It shows you how zany admissions are - he got into Gtown but no Honors or Scholars at a UMD.
Honestly, I would not let that dissuade my opinion of a school. Many of those programs are marketing - to make kids feel special - so they can win them over in a situation like this. But many are also fluff - and many kids rue them and drop out (depending on the academic content and if it meets their need). But it’s the school trying to make a kid feel special.
I’m not saying to choose UMD - that’s a decision you have to make. If it’s accounting, I’m 100% choosing UMD - because there’s no school in America worth near $300K more for a degree that’s great from anywhere. My UNLV had recruiting from the Big 4 at his school (from SF, LA and Denver) just like any other school.
I think you have to be careful of - why this over that, etc. - because many are assuming IB and you’ve already shared - that’s not your kid That seems to be the bulk of the Gtown kids, based on their outcomes. It’s why - when you look at an NYU and I’ll make the comment, it’s not better for marketing….and the far majority of the kids are finance. But to spend that for marketing, etc.
You’re not the same but a bit of the same since you’re not gunning for that type of career.
I’m also a believer in that it’s the kid, moreso than the school. Others disagree but given the choices mine made (safeties over elite/semi elite) and how they’ve done (different fields than you) - I think it’s the kid themself that matters more than anything else. You have studs at Hofstra and failures at Harvard.
Like @CUandUCmom , I’d say to visit - and all three are close enough that you can do them back to back to back. I personally, and I think my kids, found less value in the admitted student days and more in day trips but we set meetings with faculty or clubs - like we met Hillel at Charleston and Miami Ohio, etc. We met meteorology at Florida State, etc. The reason I like the random day is - campus is open, you can talk to kids, eat the normal food, walk the surrounds. The admitted student days are sales showcases, they are polished, and at School of Mines - the student panel noted they love the admitted student day because the dining hall suddenly has good food :).
In the end, just get there, one way or another - admitted student days are great for many but if you can’t…just get there. With these three within four hours, I’d love to see a M, T, Wed - back to back to back - because memories fade months later when you have to decide. And immediately after each visit, record his raw, truthful feeling…so when he says in 3 months, I forgot or they’re all the same….you can go back to his actual reactions of the schools, etc.
Also, you say up front aside from cost and size - and I don’t know if that’s let’s find the right school and we’ll figure it out or we can easily afford all three….but if you have to strain financially as a family, if this will impact retirement, etc. - then to me, it’s a no brainer but I would not compromise on those things. We are all different and free to make that decision, of course, but I think that’s a lot of risk for no assured reward.
Good luck.
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this is great to know thx! From what I heard, CMU is a pretty cut throat environment?
yes all true agree & thx again for the additional insight & weighing in. Luckily, we can afford all 3 schools without struggling. We have visited all 3 & plan to go back to G town in 2 weeks as that was the 1st school we say 2 yrs ago before we even knew he would apply.. my son set up a coffee chat with a student from MSB… he has liked all the campuses we have visited; he did say UMD seemed “chaotic.” but I agree that visiting is so important so I’m hoping now he will see the schools in a new lease now that he’s been accepted (not CMU yet)
That was our perception as well. But the bigger issue was that if @tsbna44 is correct and we saw the “showcase” at CMU that made it even clearer. My D’s overnight host met her, let her into her dorm so she could drop her stuff, and then went off to the library to pull an all nighter. She told my D she should follow someone into the dorm to get back in when she wanted to go to sleep b/c that was the extent of what she would do for my D. At the ice cream social my D met a guy who had a similar experience with his host. If the kids cannot even take a break to host on accepted student’s day, that doesn’t bode well for non showcase days. Perhaps we had an “off” experience which is why I didn’t necessarily want to share our experience, but all the feedback we got did not make it feel like a place where my D would want/choose to spend 4 years. Again, best to your son and you in this process.
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wow thank you for sharing
purely on rankings. Tepper is ranked higher than Georgetown, but it’s only slight. Not a big diff. And that applies mostly to Finance.
The Big 4 accounting firms hire from everywhere, even the directional State colleges. If money is not an issue, personally I’d pick Georgetown as the Jesuits do education well. And it closer to home, if that is an issue. OTOH, Pittsburgh is a friendly town, that is relatively inexpensive for college students. Pitt is a few blocks away, so plenty of college kids in the 'hood. And of course, CMU is fantastic in CS, and has robotics. Agree with the above rec to visit CMU on accepted students days, if he gets in.
If money is consideration, i.e., $100k at GU would hinder your retirement plans, then take the instate tuition. Best ROI. (which is what he’ll learn about in Biz 1.)
No wrong choice here, fit is more important.
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It’s great he already has a comfort and Gtown and maybe not Maryland. Makes decision making easier
But yes, record him right after - and make sure to eat in the dining hall everywhere.
Is something like Hillel in play for him? I know Gtown has and UMD has. I think CMU is shared with neighboring Pitt.
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thx got it! yes great advice especially about the fit.. He’s our only so I’m personally biased towards G town or UMD since he’d be closer to home but I want him to be where he will be most comfortable..he actually got into Pitt with honors & merit & he liked it but he wants more of an academic school.. he certainly would’ve had no issue going there though if that’s all he got into. thx!
We are encouraging him to get involved with Hillel or whatever jewish life exists on each campus; not sure if he will but would be great!
What am I missing? Pitt is extremely academic, a leader in so many fields, probably one of the schools most well rounded with strength in everything from the humanities to social science to science and engineering, and business.
If UMD is academic enough, then Pitt is definitely academic enough - at least from the outside looking in. And Pitt Honors is hlghly reputed. It’s a sub worst case - obviously different, smaller, etc. but a FANTASTIC NAME as is UMD.
Will the b school at US News show as high a ranking? No. But is it - on par if not above academically - absolutely. IMHO. And there is opportunity to take a class each semester at CMU although there might be restrictions - like - if not offered at Pitt. You’d have to look.
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Does your son have an interest in any particular stream for FIRE ?
Did he apply for FIRE or was he invited ? Why does he think that he was invited or why did he apply ?
No he doesn’t seem to…