Parent unsure of kid's college choice

P.S. I know of two kids who went from UD to very good grad schools - Columbia and Harvard

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It is an accelerated program that provides a bachelors and masters in 5 years.

Accounting BS/MS
Economics BS/MS
Finance BS/MS
Hospitality BS/MBA
Math and economics double major/Economics MS
Music Industry Studies BA/MBA

I may have missed one. It seems the student is interested on one of these offerings.

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Students from UDel move on to all kinds of careers and graduate programs. She will not be limited at all, even for career paths that are very competitive.

This is off topic but I will comment anyway: often grad schools that are highly rejective at the undergrad level are ā€œeasierā€ admits at the grad level….depending on the career of course.

Andā€¦ā€easierā€ admits at the undergrad level are often highly rejective/very competitive at the graduate level…depending on the career path.

Grad school admissions is a different ball game and has a lot to do with the specific career.

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As someone who works in this area, you are correct. A strong undergrad gpa will open up a lot more doors for graduate school that may not have been available to her at undergrad.

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Yes…agree…but it’s often/usually a lot more than GPA.

Grad school is different and is often career dependent in terms of selectivity/acceptance.

That being said…she can absolutely get there from UDel. It’s on her.

I don’t want to stray too far off topic.

all good info! I’ve also only heard good things about UD as well. there is a 24/7 urgent care across the street from campus and I’ve also already contacted a gastroenterologist just down the road as well. all other meds can be transferred to a local pharmacy with virtual visits with her current docs.

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yep, she is going the accounting BS/MS route.

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Sounds perfect. Best wishes!

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UD is a great school. congrats to your daughter on all of her acceptances! She has some great options.

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Accounting BS/MS is a five year program regardless of school attended, therefore your daughter can earn an MS in accounting at a different school if she wishes to do so. Many elect to earn an MS in Taxation rather than in Accounting as both usually (almost always) satisfy state board CPA licensing requirements.

FWIW The most prestigious schools for accounting are different than the typical Top 25 colleges and universities. Schools such as the University of Illinois, U Texas, and BYU are among the most prestigious school for accounting. But, in the world of accounting, one’s undergraduate school doesn’t mean much. GPA & CPA licensing are really all that matters in addition to accounting internships.

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As the rules stand one needs 150 college credits to become a CPA. Some people can get to that in four years with APs, overloading, summer classes, etc. While the required coursework to become a CPA should be completed as an undergrad, many do get a MS in Accounting to get to the 150 credit mark. Most of the MS in Accounting programs have a tax track which I recommend to those who wish to specialize in taxation.

And yes, one can definitely a MS at a different college (although many colleges do have a auto-admit program for their undergrads who meet the required GPA standards) – as one example, my S did a one year MS in Accounting at Notre Dame.

BUT Back to the OPs question…I think UDelaware is just as prestigious as the other options (it has a strong reputation where I live), it is a college students enjoy, and it seems like a great fit so buy your D that hoodie and enjoy her success!

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I agree that one’s ug college doesn’t matter much for accounting.

With that said, UD did very well in WSJ’s accounting rankings, at #16 on the public college list. I expect the schools you mentioned didn’t end up on these two lists (public and private) because the methodology includes salary data, and most of the top 20 publics are on the coasts. Like all rankings all the typical caveats apply.

Gift link: Top Colleges for High-Paying Jobs in Accounting - WSJ

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I think your spouse is just unaware of how competitive it is nowadays. It is unfortunate your H was not more involved in the process, which may have allowed him to be accepting of the results. Since you said the in state rejection to UVA was expected, it seems you were the one who had all the insight: kudos to you and glad your student has your support! Keep hugging and supporting them and encourage your spouse to keep their mouth shut in front of your kid.
UDelaware sounds like a wonderful opportunity, & a good fit—which makes it the best option based on her acceptances! Congratulations !

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Talk to your neighbors and parents from your schools. I bet they didn’t all go to Ivy’s and ā€œprestigiousā€ schools but yet you all live in the same neighborhood and probably drive similar cars and go to similar schools right??

Whatever job she gets she will also be with students from vastly different types of schools yet be employed by the same employer… Fit and comfort at a good school outway the insecurities of the parents…
We kinda all been there

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I’m not sure where your husband is from, but I’m a product of the hyper-competitive DC metro area, so I can understand how he feels. I think its just going to take time for him to understand. He should go to the admission events with you and your daughter. I wanted my son to go to a big in-state college like UVA or VT, but he ended up at a small out-of-state college.

It wasn’t until we went to the orientation that I felt comfortable with his choice. My son was already thriving at the orientation. He was asking questions about the school, showing excitement for the program, initiating conversation with his peers. All the school resources were just a hop, skip, and a jump away from eachother, which was something he needed.

Reflecting back, it was the best choice for my son and a life lesson for me. He thrived and blossomed there! And not that it matters, but my son ended up at one of the most prestigious grad schools because he did so well in undergrad in a major he loved. Now he’s in a leadership role at a good organization and well-paid. I don’t think he would have succeeded like this in a school he didnt fit into.

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Glad to hear this story. I think that it often works out very well for kids, no matter which school they wind up at. I’ve got one who went to a flagship, for whom it has worked out extremely well, professionally. Their only problem is that at young professional social events in your area, they encountered extreme snobbishness, said that at mixers young recent grads were very concerned with the status symbol of where others had gone to college. But their career rapidly progressed beyond that world.

I have another who attends one of the ultimate status schools, for whom it is also working out very well. People assume the kid is brilliant, just because of the school that they attend. The name has undoubtedly opened doors for them (not that the kid’s achievement doesn’t merit it), but the simple fact is that they could have gotten just as good an education at a flagship, and it probably would have served their career path just as well, at one third the cost.

And I have another who did the community college to flagship route (with strong parental encouragement), mostly while working full time, just so that they’d have a BS degree to put on their job applications. That one too has found their niche, but they’re a little bitter that they had to do it at all, frequently proclaims that they could have done their job just as well without ever having had any college at all - but they do acknowledge that they probably could not have gotten the job without having had a degree on their resume.

There are so many routes to successful, fulfilling careers. They don’t all start with acceptance to highly selective colleges; in fact, most don’t. I wish I could broadcast this to the homes where a few weeks from now, there are students and parents who are disappointed because they didn’t get into their reaches, or even matches.

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We were very unsure about our son’s choice to attend his midsized public with no football team. He always claimed he wanted rah-rah. We thought he would regret choosing his college and asked him several times if he was sure about it. His closing argument was ā€œI’m not going to be $50,000 a year happier at the more expensive school.ā€ Can’t argue with that.

He had a great experience. Probably partied too much, but he has his degree and is working in a job he enjoys. He pays his own bills. Can’t ask for better than that!

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My wife went to Delaware (for free as a faculty kid). I went to a fancy college. If anything, she has had the more successful career.

She worked for a bit after college, then got an MBA from a highly regarded program, and then had a very successful career in banking. I went to a fancy PhD program, after a long time changed course to a fancy JD program, but eventually opted for a practice area where there is a real mix of different legal backgrounds. I like the work but it is not maximally rewarding financially.

So . . . we are the living embodiment of how there are different paths to success on your own terms. I don’t regret my fancy college, but my wife doesn’t regret the free ride at Delaware, because we are both happy with what happened next.

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This is very true. It’s definitely because recent grads don’t have a long work history. Once you get out into the real world and build your work history and connections, there’s a lot of different routes to take in life. In then end, we just want our children to be happy.

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He is all set to attend admitted students day with us in a month and I know he will love the campus too. he had just started a new job and was traveling for that when we toured schools so it just didn’t work out for him to join us on tours unfortunately. I already think his worries have subsided. He sees how excited she is.

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