Help with Undergraduate Dilemma

SEA_tide
Wed, 25 Nov 2009 04:54:33 +0000

I don’t think any of the schools you mentioned give out merit aid except for very very top students. Plus, we one starts looking at private schools that require the CSS Profile financial aid form, that $30,000 your parents are willing to pay may be only a fraction of what the school expects them to pay. I didn’t apply to any Profile-required schools because I knew that my EFC through that would be through the roof compared to my lowish EFC.

Back to your question, it really depends on the student. Some may need the extra confidence of a HYPS degree to get into a prestigious MBA program, while many, if not most do not. Remember that MBA programs generally want 5 years work experience before applying, so your undergrad degree matters a little less. You are correct in that prestige matters for an MBA, and my advisors tell me that every time I see them. IMHO, see what school you like best. I cannot stress enough the importance of this. Personally, I chose Alabama because I liked it most out of all the schools I researched. I think that I will be better motivated and thus more desirable in an MBA or PhD program.

Simply put, an undergrad degree from UA will not be a disadvantage unless you make it to be. It appears that you want an undergrad business degree, in which UA and the other schools you are looking at make lots of sense. However, this is not required per se for an MBA. All in all, do well on the GMAT, and get a high GPA (4.33 is the max at UA), and stay motivated. Also, UA has a program called University Scholars were you can earn an MS in certain Business topics along with your BS. Call the number listed in mom2collegekids’s post and talk with them about setting up a meeting. I’ll also be happy to help you with any additional questions about UA or business majors.