I want to get a BS in CS for a good job while I get a Master’s in Business from one of the M7 schools, preferably Stanford.
The college/institution must be accredited by a regional accreditation association. I want to be able to go to Stanford for a Master’s in Business afterwards.
I’m fine with going to any state but I would prefer it not be so expensive like California. There isn’t really a cost constraint but cheaper is more preferable.
I’m not really needing the “college experience” meaning partying or large social gatherings. I’m fine with on-campus or online school.
I’m in Chicago so going to any of the colleges in Illinois is not a problem.
I’m looking for a college where they will allow me to transfer most of my core requirement credits.
My parents would prefer I go to a Christian college (Denomination doesn’t matter too much)
I’ve looked at colleges such as UIUC, UChicago, LeTourneau, Northwestern and more.
I have college credits/AP scores that I will want to transfer.
Please shoot out some suggestions for me and explain why it might be a good choice.
If your goal is to combine CS with business, look into whether your credentials might get you into the Raikes School at UNL. You’d get the MSEP reciprocity discount, and it’s a fantastic program for what you want - you could major in CS while also gaining a very strong background in business. https://raikes.unl.edu/ Of course, you haven’t told us anything about your qualifications so it’s hard to calibrate what’s appropriate to suggest, competitiveness-wise. Raikes is quite competitive to get into.
DePaul is another school in Chicago with strong CS, and it’s Catholic which might appeal to your parents. There are business minors available to non-business undergrads, as well. There’s an honors program if you’re overqualified for general admission.
I think the poster might have interesting experience from midwest/ potentially Christian college with Deere CS internships. Some financial analysts project double digit growth.
Interesting to see profile of Stanford GSB entering class, lots of global students , finance, tech backgrounds, almost five years work experience.
Short term - You have not given your academic information (GPA, standardized tests), information about your ECs, financial constraints or much else that would help us to pinpoint undergraduate colleges that could be a good fit.
Long term - Please do not gear your life towards attending a top tier MBA program. Take one step at a time. Understand that the acceptance rates at these programs are extremely low (under 10%) and they all will have a highly competitive applicant pool. You will need: an outstanding undergrad GPA, meaningful work experience (minimum of 2 years, preferably closer to 5) with increasing levels of responsibility, a high GRE score, great references, strong essays etc. to be competitive.
I have a 4.0 GPA and I really don’t think it would be an issue academically for me to go to any college. In my post I said that there weren’t really financial constraints but I would prefer a cheaper one. My family has had the blessing to be able to afford most schools. My older brother is attending Georgetown Law School to give you an idea of our financial circumstances.
I realize that the Ivy League schools have a very low acceptance rate but nonetheless, I still plan to try to get into Stanford.
A 4.0 and a 36 will make you slim pickings at Stanford. No one is saying you shouldn’t try. But you didn’t give info - that’s all.
You say - you want to go to Stanford and don’t have financial constraints - but prefer a cheaper school. So that right there is contradictory - because Stanford has only need based aid.
So if you want to have “alternatives” that are cheaper - if you want to stay elite, you need to go to who offers scholarships - but those won’t be easy. In fact they are unlikely - the Vandy, WUSTL, Rice, Washington & Lee, etc. They are also not a gimme even with a perfect GPA and test score - we don’t know your rigor - but even if you are the perfect student, with great ECs and LORs - the yare still stretches.
If you want a cheaper and good school - you can look to your neighbors - Arizona and Arizona State and use the Honors Colleges and you’ll find great schools. Or moderately priced schools such as Pitt, Purdue or Florida. Or solid privates where you’d find aid (some good, some not) - a WPI, RPI, CWRU, Rose Hulman, Rochester.
Many a student on the CC talks like you - and applies only to top 20 and gets shut out. So be careful. My daughter’s valedictorian had a 4. something (4.0 UW with a bunch of AP) and a 36 ACT. She applied only to 16 of the top 20 - rejected at all. She got into NYU with no money and now is going to Tennessee and she will do fine.
So be careful - I’m sure you are very talented - but every talented kid in the country is like you - applying to these schools. And some that you would deem less talented are also applying and getting in. My son had a classmate - they ranked then - she was not in the top 25 and is at Princeton. In my daughter’s class, she has a Chicago and Penn and neither was on the valedictorian or salutatorian stage.
So aspire and reach - but also have some safety nets that you could be very happy at - because for everyone, it’s the likely destination. For the few that make the top of the top, it’s wonderful for them…and in your case very expensive.
Thank you for your response. What I meant was I would prefer to go to a cheaper school for my Bachelor’s degree since I’m aiming to go to an M7 school for a Master’s degree which would require a significantly larger contribution from my family. I’ve gotten quite a bit of recommendations from other people to go to UIUC, so I will be looking into that.
You may not need to do an MBA at all. I know CS grads who moved into management and make hefty salaries with a BS and no business at all. In any case, I would let life happen for a few years and not plan too much ahead. Some planning is great, but if premature it can actually get in the way
I’ll tell you - you don’t say where you are from but since you looked at Illinois (great school), Northwestern and Chicago, i’ll assume from Illinois.
Many Illinois kids are leaving - Arizona, Alabama, UTK, etc. They’re cheaper OOS than in-state.
Illinois is great. But other schools are fine too.
Here is one list. There are many rankings out there but if you find commonalities (and Illinois is typically a top 10 and sometimes higher), you can assume they are a well thought of school (which doesn’t necessarily mean a good program…just good rep). Always research to make sure the program is right for you.
You don’t find Christian schools on these lists. I looked at US News Grad - not undergrad - and the first religious school (Catholic) was Notre Dame…so going to the Christian college for CS probably not in your future.
As for Stanford and B School - get that out of your mind. You are a long way off- and your undergrad is important but not as important as your GMAT and most importantly the work experience you get after you graduate. You will see kids at Stanford Business School from Harvard - and Southern Illinois. You may get out - and decide B School isn’t for you. You may get a job you love and never leave. You may not even finish in CS. No one knows the future that far in advance - that’s what’s exciting about the future.
So take one step at a time - find a good undergrad, get accepted, go, learn and enjoy. Worry about the next step long after this step is done.
