My son is a sophomore at Purdue’s Business School. He’s overwhelmed and miserable. I’m frustrated at the grading at Daniels, as they actually curve down. To me this is intentional to make transfers difficult because it certainly does not help job placement. That said, he has a 3.06, and we’re finding that GPA will preclude him being accepted to many other places. He would like an easier school, with better weather, and an actual social life. What are the steps we need to take? I advised him not to go back this semester, and to take classes at a local college where he could certainly get close to a 4.0. But instead he went back and he’s already not keeping up with the 6 classes he’s taking (I also told him to not take so many!).
It’s really hard to see a normally happy, athletic, social kid, be 1,000 miles away, in over his head, friendless, and miserable. For those that have BTDT, please help me with direction.
College isn’t necessarily meant to be easy - you’re there to learn. It may be difficult but if he has a 3.0+, he’s doing something right
Many jobs want a 3.0. I wouldn’t say he’s eliminated. And it would be field dependent.
Maybe business itself isn’t right for him or maybe the discipline he’s in isn’t right?
Sounds like he should go south or west or the mountains depending on what you mean by better weather. There’s lots of great b schools where you can transfer with a 3.0. Note some credits may not transfer.
Do you have a budget and any no way places ?
Is the campus too big or just right ? Same with town - ie would a smaller or more urban matter ?
Does he truly want business or maybe his interest lie elsewhere ? It business, what major.
For many, even great students in hs, college is hard with a rigor level or workload maybe not experienced prior.
As he went back against your wishes, are you entirely sure he wants out ? And yes 6 classes of 18 credits is nuts - and that may be part of the issue.
I wouldn’t assume elsewhere will be easier though.
My S didn’t attend Purdue but he had a less than experience at his first school. He ended up transferring to U Delaware Lerner school of business, loved it and did well. It changed his life. So, I would put that on the list.
Other schools he applied to included U Miami and Santa Clara (not the business schools, as an Econ major in liberal arts school) and was accepted to both. He was also accepted business school/major at Pitt, Oregon, Oregon state, Tennessee, umass amherst, Michigan state, and u Arizona. That’s a lot but we had to get him out of his situation and didn’t know how things would play out as he had a 3.1 GPA. We were full pay.
Transfer deadlines are coming up fast and some may have passed. You can PM me if you like.
I am so sorry to hear all of this! I remember your name from a couple years ago. My S24 app applied to many of the same school as your son, I think.
I think you have to start back with the basics — before thinking about where he can get in, think about what he wants: Where does he want to work after graduation? What does he want his major to be? Who does he want to hang out with on campus and how is he going to find those people?
This last one is a big issue. Particularly coming in as a transfer, he needs a plan for how to find and make friends and a support network. That often doesn’t just happen organically, it needs to be planned out and thought about. So, if it’s through Greek life, can you rush as a junior? If it’s through a religious organization, then you need to be looking at that religious organization on this campuses he is considering. Or maybe you want to look at schools that have a robust transfer orientation program, where he will meet other similar students. It’s a lot to research, but it is so important to do that work ahead of time.
Then when thinking about where he can get in, with a 3.0, instead of aiming for a flagship, I would look at directionals (like a Northern (state) University, instead of just (state) University). A directional university that is in the area you want to work is probably going to have just as strong of placement as a flagship, for most normal jobs.
If your son liked the state of Indiana, I would recommend Butler. Wonderful business program, and definitely less intense than Purdue. I understand they have a lively Greek scene. And maybe at a smaller school it is easier to make friends.
He’s not a STEM kid. He’s great at public speaking, human geography, history, western civ, and many general business classes, but courses that are slightly STEM elsewhere are uber hard for him at Purdue.
The campus is too big at 50,000 undergrads
He would love access to an ice hockey rink. The nearest to Purdue is an hour away, and there’s no way he can do the 4-5 hr round trip and pass his classes there.
No budget.
Suburbs or rural, great if close to a city, but not in an urban campus.
He went back likely because he doesn’t want to run away, but run-to something. He went back in the Fall to give it another chance - this time with a better roommate, better living conditions. He really didn’t decide to transfer until he was on his way back this Jan and just dreading it. Like many things with him (at 19), he’s late to planning.
I thought U Miami would be a good choice, but they require a min 3.0, he’s just above, and say they won’t tell you which classes they will accept as transfers until you are matriculating. yikes. Looking at Tennessee, Arizona. U Del was one of the few that outright rejected him from HS, so we doubt they would take him now.
He would like to be South East. Ideally a smaller school. We are in NJ (but split our time in NC), sometimes I wonder if a smaller Pennsylvania school (ala Lehigh) would work for him. He doesn’t want a school that’s politically oriented though.
Hockey, warm weather, suburbanish -ill look later but first schools I thought -
UAH - has a hockey team and U Denver if great weather = sunshine (not necessarily full year warm).
The 3.0 is fine but you will need to go down far below Miami in selectivity .
I’ll look at more when I get home but they popped in my head. Huntsville, great chill city. It’s right there but more suburban than urban. Nice weather. One magazine recently named it tops for young kids.
What major in business ?
Knowing what will and won’t transfer is likely everywhere.
And you need smaller schools but with ice hockey access - so not UTK but a UTC. But I’ll check tonight if they have hockey access.
Arizona and ASU are too big if Purdue is too big.
Set a criteria and don’t deviate. There are schools.
A directional university just means it has a direction in the name. Like Northern Illinois, as opposed to University of Illinois. They tend to be mid to large size universities, less intense than the flagships. They also tend to be known very well locally for hiring, perhaps not as well nationwide.
Speaking of Miami’s… Take a look at Miami University (in Ohio). Highly regarded business program. Warmer than Purdue and has two Olympic-sized ice rinks on campus.
This is common. My S did have to take an extra semester because he went from an LAC to a business school. So even though the new school took all his credits, they didn’t fulfill many of the business core courses, which are no joke! Your S might not have that issue coming from a biz school.
I would still try. His HS record won’t play too much into the decisions.
Throwing out some ideas…Elon, Furman, College of Charleston. TCU and SMU would be big reaches, but full pay plays well in the transfer game. You could try Lehigh and Bucknell too. I am convinced that being full pay is why my S was accepted everywhere, including his reaches (Miami and Santa Clara). You’ll have to cross reference these suggestions with hockey.
I second the suggestion of Miami Ohio, although not Southeast.
I’d make sure he spends time at Lehigh if it makes his final list.
It attracts a pretty competitive group of kids. Not in every major, but in the more pre-professional majors for sure. If he decided to major in history for example- he might find his “people” just sitting around a seminar table the first week of classes. Great vibe, smart kids, wonderful faculty. But I think he’s going to find a lot of “gunners” and grade-grubbing types in the more pre-professional majors. Just something to think about. Lovely school in many ways, but he needs to check the vibe.
It’s not what he wants geographically (not Southeast, not warm) but it sounds as though he might be the kind of kid who thrives at Providence? If he’s gung ho on finance, that’s a major that tends to attract the kind of kids who obsess about the curve and I don’t think that’s the peer group he’s looking for. But Providence, Stonehill (another cold location)– different vibe there. Two underrated schools in my opinion.
Is it too late for him to drop one or two classes? If not- he should. There’s no way to predict which college is going to accept which credits– but getting C’s across the board because he was overloaded is definitely the wrong move right now. If he could focus on the more manageable classes he’ll be in better shape, no?
And another thought- if studying finance is frustrating him- there are lots of cool business careers that only require the “finance 1 and 2” courses which he’s probably already taken. He can major in Psych- a great background for Marketing. He can major in Urban Planning- a great background for facilities planning, real estate management. He can major in Sociology- great preparation for Human Resources. Etc. If the only “business discipline” he knows is finance– that just means he gets to explore lots of other pathways.
It is undeniably the major that attracts the most competitive kids (except maybe bio and the pre-meds). Engineering has that reputation but in my experience, it’s not true. Engineers work in teams. Engineering students work in small groups, large teams, cooperative/learn from other pods. So the vibe is sharing, helping, teaching, learning from each other.
Finance majors are much more solitary and self-directed. And the group projects usually have one person whining that they are doing all the work and everyone else is slacking. So not always the nicest experience…. he’s only a sophomore, this doesn’t need to define his life!!!
interesting feedback on Finance, thank you. He could do History or Sociology with his eyes closed, he’s a natural in them. I suppose I dissuaded him since I found myself in a clerical job after a politics degree (from Lehigh) when I graduated. I think he might like Marketing, even SCM - though I know that’s very competitive at many schools.
I don’t see SCM as any more competitive than any other major. What does he want to study ? That’s what he should study ? Not something to make him miserable.
Classes at other schools are unlikely to be much different than he’s had. There’s a big difference between say Org Behavior (more like a social science) and Managerial Accounting.
It may be he’s not cut for a Bus major. What are his interest in life - professionally - a true maybe passion ?
So this doesn’t speak business to me. Maybe it’s something more interdisciplinary - like for example, Urban Studies.
Take look at this below - I’m not suggesting the school but look at the program at Charleston. Or the Politics and Business Program at Iowa State - just for ideas. Wondering if something more interdisciplinary might be more his liking? Or a Global Business Major.
Just food for thought - more the areas and not these schools.