Welcome to @robNNN and @Cubanmom3!
I haven’t been checking in we are on a much need vacation but I didn’t want to get too behind.
@NerdMom88 I’m glad to hear your daughter I doing well I have been thinking about her and hoping she was!
As far as fit I think it is important to put your child in an environment where they are going to succeed if you can.
We are lucky that our DS is able to choose whatever college he feels is right for him and thank goodness he has a few choices at this point. The amount of pressure on these kids is enormous and in my book happiness is at the top of the list for my DS…that is just my 2 cents. But you know what is great about CC is that everyone in entitled to their own opinion and what works for our family might not work for yours.
Ok, so here is dilemma, or what is keeping me up at night. S got into Vandy ED2. He has loved the school forever, and it was confirmed during junior year visit. Has many things he wants. mid size, engaged smart kids, Greek life, Sports, and a city with good music scene. The only thing lacking, is does not have a business school, only a bus. minor. This makes post grad job prospects, a bit more difficult. They gave sufficient grant aid to make it work. Of course, in future years, that could change.
On same day as acceptance, he was offered a huge scholarship to Texas business school. Offered to fly him out for a visit. Merit, not tied to aid. Offered a coveted spot in the Business honors program. Amazing opportunities, and post grad work stuff. Pros are great program, greek life, great city. Major con for him is size of school, less prestige(he feels he worked hard and likes that), and student body is not as driven as he might like…
He is leaning to Vandy, I have concerns about career path.
I say Vandy 100%, I’m sure he could find a way to structure his program to meet his needs. If he minored in business what would he major in? Business is kind of a non descript major anyway, I don’t think it’s totally necessary to major in business.
@dfbdfb, you ask a good question. ED2. You can get out of the commitment for financial reasons. They don’t like to publicize that fact, but it is an out. Their aid was solid, but below a bit below our Fafsa EFC…So therefore, you have a technical out if you elect to get out.
@carachel2 She did visit the schools last spring, and feels that from that visit, Facebook groups, course descriptions, etc, she can make a decision, but how much does she really remember? She also says that she doesnt want to go unless she is sure she is going to attend.
@itsgettingreal17 Have you heard anything from IU about the Fry Scholarship? We attended a scholars brunch locally and were told phone interviews would start in February. My D really loves Kelley but has only gotten 17k so it’s not an option without Fry.
@BigPapiofthree - Vandy, no question. Assuming your finances remain constant, your aid should too. Also, there might be GPA or programmatic requirements or constraints that affect merit aid at the Texas business school.
More than half (I’ve seen the estimate as high as 70%) of the kids that go to college end up changing their majors anyway, and a business major will not necessarily make your son any more employable than an economics or organizational development major would.
With respect to fit vs. job prep, I come down solidly for fit. Moreover, I am a very firm believer in liberal arts education and feel strongly that, all things being equal, the purpose of college should be to discover and explore one’s passions, not vocational training. That’s what graduate school is for. The only undergraduate business program that might be worth sacrificing a Vandy education (personally, I don’t think ANY business program is) might be Wharton’s.
Lastly, there is the commitment issue associated with ED.
But YMMV. (Glad we cleared that one up, @vandyeyes ;)) )
D was able to decline Case without completing the survey. She figured it out!!
@BigPapiofthree, I was told that the academic major ranking is not as important as the overall school reputation and your GPA from the school. YMMV, FIW
@BigPapiofthree - Vandy, no question. Assuming your finances remain constant, your aid should too. Also, there might be GPA or programmatic requirements or constraints that affect merit aid at the Texas business school.
More than half (I’ve seen the estimate as high as 70%) of the kids that go to college end up changing their majors anyway, and a business major will not necessarily make your son any more employable than an economics or organizational development major would.
With respect to fit vs. job prep, I come down solidly for fit. Moreover, I am a very firm believer in liberal arts education and feel strongly that, all things being equal, the purpose of college should be to discover and explore one’s passions, not vocational training. That’s what graduate school is for. The only undergraduate business program that might be worth sacrificing a Vandy education (personally, I don’t think ANY business program is) might be Wharton’s. Although, I grant you, BHP at UT Austin is probably quite prestigious and UT Austin is admittedly a top public U. I wouldn’t pass up Vandy for it though and it sounds like you think Vandy is the better fit.
Lastly, there is the commitment issue associated with ED.
But YMMV. (Glad we cleared that one up, @vandyeyes ;)) )
I have no advice really. Just commiseration–you can wholeheartedly tell your kid there are LOTS of hard working kids who “deserve better/worked super hard/have amazing stats” but who absolutely don’t even apply to schools like Vanderbilt because they can’t afford the $60K + those schools expect them to pay. He should be reminded that kids at Vanderbilt are high achieving kids whose parents can either afford it or they are getting good aid (either merit or need based).
The kids who are at other schools are not necessarily there because they are not Vanderbilt caliber—there is a very real possibility they are at other less expensive schools because that is what their parents can afford to pay. He will find high caliber, like minded kids and fantastic opportunities at both schools!
I know kids at Vandy that I’m not impressed with. I know kids at UT that I’m not impressed with. I know kids at Vandy that I am super impressed with and I know kids at UT I am super impressed with. They are both amazing opportunities. He should go where he feels there will be the most opportunities and on the campus he likes the best!
@BigPapiofthree BHP has a 3.5 requirement. So you should factor that in. I also think your S is committed to Vandy under the ED2 contract. Yes, if it’s not affordable you can back out. But if it’s minimally above your EFC, that’s stretching that out, as you should ask for additional financial aid before withdrawing from the ED contract. Keep in mind how you could hurt future classes at your S’s hs by withdrawing without strong cause. Econ is perfectly fine for a career in business, so don’t let that be a significant factor. Business v. Econ comes down to personal preference for the curriculum, imo. Which does your son prefer?
And as for employability…no difference between the two for business. Jobs aren’t handed out. If he builds the resume necessary, he can get the same job from either.
@BigPapiofthree If he is a business major and intends to go on to get his MBA you may want to look at matriculation from both schools into business schools. It probably won’t change anyone’s mind but it could make you feel better about the long term outcome of his education.
