Note that Northeastern DM and Babson compete, but would not likely compete with BC and BU Econ if someone is looking for business.
Northeastern and Babson have been shooting stars over the last 10 years. Co-op seems to be very powerful for kids who pull the good ones and Babson’s entrepreneurial leadership has become the absolute best. BC may have been a top option if finance was the goal and major, but Econ is less exciting if you want business. BU may be 4th place even if Questrom, so definitely in 4th as an Econ major if you want business. Maybe I am stating the obvious, so ask if you have anything more specific.
Adding…you mention a possible econ major. Econ is actually not similar to studying traditional business subjects like finance. Has your S had enough econ to know he would like to major in it? What if he gets to X school and doesn’t like econ, with no option to transfer into traditional business majors?
Initially you also said it was important to be able to still finish undergrad in four total years. Has your S mapped out if that’s possible at these four schools? Has he talked with transfer admissions to get a sense of what might courses might transfer over? Even if schools ‘accept’ credits, they might not fulfill the core (whether business or non-business) courses at a given school. IME students going from an non-business major LAC to a business school have to go at least another semester of college.
Thanks. He wants 5 years now. Econ is definitely less attractive than business to him. International Studies/Political Economy track and finance minor at BC being considered as alternative. There is a strong social fit /overall college experience preference for BC, but Northeastern looks very strong all around, except large class sizes, seeming difficulty getting some classes per Reddit and so so customer service so far (his current LAC is great at that). Babson only takes 15 students in the Spring so we are concerned that cliques will be well established and not enough transfers coming in: you also miss out on first year FME experience; looking too small and not different enough in social structure to existing LAC.
This is even further afield from a straight up econ major if what he wants to be majoring in is “Business”. Has he looked at the actual course catalogue to see what he’d be studying? Learning about the history of Marxism and planned economies in China, Russia, etc. is fascinating– but not if you want to be studying supply chain management and organizational behavior.
And I think a transfer student needs to have a well thought out “here’s what I’m going to be taking” plan, since they’ve already finished freshman year- where there’s typically a ton of experimentation- some of which yields “I love this” and some of which is “I’m never taking THIS again”.
Looks now like he would be sticking with Econ/finance minor at BC if he went there. Transfer to CSOM would be preferable but apparently is “impossible” according to S.
I understand the concern about the limited number of spring transfers, but I don’t think this should be a preemptive “con” - I’d look into how the school helps them to assimilate on campus. Babson only has about 700 per class, so it’s not as if those 15 are lost in a sea of thousands.
My daughter had a college friend/roommate who transferred out of their school and into a Babson-sized school that made a point of housing the small incoming cohort together and getting them integrated into campus life, and it was reportedly a very positive experience. She also had a friend who transferred in, and had a smooth transition despite a very small transfer cohort.
My sense is that Babson may actually hit the sweet spot for your student. If he likes the BC “vibe” better than the larger and more urban BU/Northeastern, Babson is more in this vein, and its business reputation is arguably the strongest of all four schools, with obviously no barriers to pursuing the full business major that he would prefer.
I am not sure re Babson having the strongest business reputation of all four, as that seems to depend on career goals and geography. We appreciate the analysis. He visited all four schools and was very impressed by BC and Northeastern, did not like the BU campus and its linear nature, and found Babson too much like his current LAC in terms of size, look and feel and location.
That’s fair, as Babson is the only one of the four that’s not on a T line. (Can still get into the city on public transit, but being on the T grid vs. not does make a difference.)
Sounds like you can cross off BU, since he didn’t love the campus and it’s also a compromise major-wise.
If it comes down to Northeastern vs. BC, he has to decide whether the available major path at BC will work for him. There’s a lot of flexibility at Northeastern to do straight-business or to do one of the combined majors, and the co-op opportunities can be a big plus. But it’s definitely a different experience vs. BC. He can’t really go wrong - it’s just a question of which is most right!
Yet BC does offer a perfect social fit and a terrific social and alumni network, perhaps elite. And that also matters in the real world, especially in finance.
If BC is a “perfect” intellectual and social fit- terrific.
Once you bring “elite” into the discussion…. you need a skootch of a reality check. BC is not Georgetown (which for business is typically considered the most “elite” of the Catholic U’s) and it’s not Wharton and it’s not Dartmouth and it’s not Michigan/Berkeley/UVA (the three “most elite” of the public U’s).
If it’s the right fit for your kid and has the major he wants then it’s “perfect” for him even if it’s not elite. There are parts of BC that punch above their weight– the law school, for example- which has a very solid reputation in Boston, decades of its grads in the judicial system, etc. It doesn’t matter what the national rankings say- that’s how entrenched its reputation is.
For business/Econ– it’s a fine option. But if the purpose of this entire transfer operation is to trade up to “elite” I’m not sure BC is going to satisfy YOUR needs (although your kid may be absolutely delighted which is- of course- Job 1 of a transfer).
Completely understand this comment, besides that Wellesley does not have the rural feel of any liberal arts college I know. It is an affluent suburb with quick and easy access to Boston.
But you changed your goals - and there’s not a single thing listed here that isn’t done from every school out there - that’s why I made the comment.
I’ve got a lot of experience in franchise sales / distributor- which doesn’t match really any school - and I know people in tech sales - schools like UT Chatt, North Georgia, Valdosta, Tennessee Tech…and working at the Microsofts of the world. Franchise or Network / Market Rep as various companies call them from UF to Long Beach State to App state to you make it.
Examples - the Senior Director of Franchising at Mickey Ds is both undergrad and Masters at U of Phoenix. His team is Fisk with a DePaul MPA, another who went to Strayer, etc. I looked at another well know M - Marriott - top dogs in franchise come from the likes of Kennesaw State, Georgia Southern, Princeton with a Penn JD, Cornell Hotel School, U Colorado, Dickinson with a Fordham MBA, Michigan State amongst others.
Wealth management - my future SIL does - and you can look at any big firm - they come from all over, etc. I’m a trustee on an account - that company has a lot from Lafayette.
Investor relations - I just picked 10 random and looked on LinkedIn. The Director at Ford has a communication degree from GW, Group Manager at Microsoft from TCU (BBA Finance), SVP at Wal-Mart is from St Olaf ( no degree listed), VP at Boston Scientific has an undergrad and Masters from Bentley, SVP IR at Pepsi has an undergrad in accounting and MBA from St John’s, the VP at HCA (largest hospital operator is Bama bio undergrad and MBA, Delta Airlines is also Bama for accounting both undergrad and grad, Newell Rubbermaid is S Florida for both degrees (accounting), and First Energy has a Bachelor from Akron and Masters from Malone.
I’m not denigrating. If he’s found schools he loves, it’s great - especially with not a great experience.
Northeastern will get him co op experience - so that’s a plus. I agree Babson is likely best but you found it similar to the current situation although perhaps the current situation has other issues than size, etc.
I think it’s great he’s got a group of four admits - but I don’t think these four given him an advantage over one another or frankly other schools out there for those things you have expressed interest in - is all I was saying.
Good luck to him - I hope he finds the right fit. After a first not so great experience, that matters most. All of these four names are going to produce studs - and maybe some duds but that’s all schools.