Dad is trying to figure out - regardless of school - do they beat Fordham and he initially surmised that maybe USC/Michigan do but he’s not sure - which is why I noted and there’s likely more - the Tulsa, Bama, UTD, Maine types…because they’re the only ones that could truly beat - from a value POV (not necessarily “better” for OP POV.
Note - this student is not looking to go into banking but rather investment/portfolio management and dad notes his age and notes desires could change.
I believe this is a case where ultimately, the parents have to determine a budget they are comfortable with. Given the student’s success, it may run counter to the student’s desire.
Someone mentioned it upthread; entry into the business school isn’t easy, though I don’t know if it’s a reach for this student. SMU does offer merit, which may make it appealing. As I’ve written elsewhere my son had a great experience, and landed a great job on finance at a major investment bank after graduating.
With a screenname of “VIKI” I am surprised the OP is not mom! OP has said they are looking for reaches, with an interest in IB, not other bargain safeties. OP can you clarify your goal?
Gabelli was high on S20’s list. Great program. I think most classes were at Rose Hill but a few at Lincoln.
Considering a free ride and great location for finance the list of upgrade schools would be short and not all offer business. Wharton, Yale, Harvard, Tepper, Emory, BC, Georgetown or Notre Dame maybe. Boston schools would be on my list. Maybe the best college city.
I would stick to direct admit programs. Why add stress? He could also look at big schools like UGA or Ohio State but why compete with 5,000+ other business undergrads.
SMU would be interesting with scholarships and BBA Scholar which is direct admission into Cox plus other perks. It was tough to turn down but didn’t visit because of Covid. OP would be very competitive for these awards.
If more math is ok then maybe switch gears to quant finance? Engineering or STEM might be better. Some examples.
If value is an overriding concern, I just don’t see anything trumping Fordham with the scholarship. As long as he does well there, he should have the same opportunities in asset management or IB as any of the non-feeder schools listed. IMO, he should shoot his shot at Wharton and Yale, and maybe 2 or 3 others (time is running out) in places where he would like to spend the next 4 years.
My D23 applied/accepted last year into Gabelli and it’s my understanding that only their Global business program is located at Lincoln Center and their other business programs are at the Rose Hill campus. My D23 didn’t ultimately land at Fordham, but were very impressed with Gabelli.
Quite a feat to get a full tuition award.
Congrats to OP’s son!
Gabelli is also housed at the Rose Hill campus, we visited and walked around the Gabelli building there. I wish I was paying more attention ! At the time we visited neither of us had even heard of NMSF and we visited because we were in NYC and had 4 hours to kill before heading to Philly !
You are correct. We are thrilled to have full tuition at Fordham, it was not something we were expecting. So, no, we are not looking at Bama or Tulsa or other free ride schools. And yes, now that Fordham is secure, I am urging him to spend the next 10 days focused on high far reaches. He has no hooks - no legacy, outsized research etc. And yes, location is of some importance, this is the reason he did not apply to Indiana Kelley, much to my dismay. He definitely wants to apply to Haas and has the supplementals for Haas to finish up and then probably Wharton and Yale.
That is correct though right now his desire is more towards investment management. However, I don’t think he truly understands the differences and things can change. I don’t think it is going to swing so dramatically that he will decide to switch majors to Gender Studies or something like that. He has been practical (wanted to work every summer so he could have $$ to spend through the year) so far and is looking for gainful employment after college that is also fun and prices, markets, numbers, trading whether it is playing Fantasy Football or AP Calc / AP Econ is “fun”
In the big-but-not-'Bama-big merit category, how does he feel about USC vs. Fordham? If USC matched Fordham’s full-tuition offer (which is possible), would he prefer USC? If so, how about USC half-tuition vs. Fordham full-tuition?
I definitely see where there would be only a tiny handful of schools, if any, worth full-paying for when you have Fordham and maybe USC on the table with full tuition merit. Being in-state for CA does make Haas a contender though!
Great points. Both USC and Haas were and are still up there. If he got the full tuition at USC he would definitely pick USC, at half tuition I am not sure though we will support it if he sees that much incremental value. Same with Haas. Basically both USC and Haas are high reaches as well and from what I read in last year’s USC stream if he does not in EA he will not be in consideration for the full tuition scholarship. It is extremely hard for us to consider giving up full tuition at Fordham though !
