<p>A business degree is just fine. A recent employer survey indicated that a business degree was the degree of applicants they most desired. </p>
<p>Business degrees aren’t what they were 30 years ago. To be accredited today, undergraduate business programs have to require that at least half the credits be earned outside of business, and have distributional requirements that are more rigorous than most fancy liberal arts college or Ivy universities require.</p>
<p>If you are considering any New England schools, you might want to look into Western New England College in Springfield, MA. It has business as well as a law school, academic services, average SAT , critical reading and math of 1074, and a really nice campus in a pretty safe area, with many other colleges relatively close by. I always look for the number of full-time faculty at a college, because I think that says a lot about their commitment to faculty as well as students, and the amount of support available from instructors. Adjuncts who many only be on campus a few hours a week are hard to locate for any extra help if you need it! Western New England has 180 full time, and only a small number of adjunct instructors. My brother attended WNEC in the 90’s, and he needed a bit of academic support for mild learning struggles. He has a M.S. now…</p>
<p>There are some kids that are just done with traditional academics. It was a tough one for me to swallow that my kids fell into that category. Above average kids with the best education we could provide for them, books, cultural opportunities,…I can go on, and they did not like the liberal arts. They were well educated enough to AP test out of a lot of the area requirements , but they hated any of the classes that I had hoped they would cherish. One wants to be a business major because he prefers a direct relationship between job and school. He simply wants to train for a job. The other went into performing arts. So two kid–opposite extremes. The third is enjoying his LAC immensely. </p>
<p>There are business degrees that are highly desired. CPAs have far more choices in jobs at higher salaries than most of our liberal arts graduates. It’s an applied skill like engineering, nursing, computer programming and pays accordingly.</p>
<p>^I personally think one of the strongest and best reasons to get an undergrad in business is if you want to go into accounting. THAT makes a ton of sense to me.</p>
<p>Uh…how about getting a business degree because you want to go into business…meaning starting your own company…That’s what I did…sales, marketing, finance, accounting…I use them all.</p>
<p>I believe most of what you need for your own business could be had by work experience and community college courses, not the cost of a 4 year degree. Most undergrad bus programs really aren’t geared for training entrepreneurs (though they would serve their customers far better if they did so, IMHO).</p>
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<p>In many cases, the business major requires just a year of “light” calculus, as opposed to the “heavy” calculus that is required of math, engineering, physics, computer science, etc. majors. Introductory statistics may also be required. However, those who concentrate and finance and/or economics may have to take more math than those who concentrate on marketing and other more social studies type of areas within business.</p>
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<p>Any reason not to consider in-state (or even the better out-of-state) public universities?</p>
<p>Another possibility: go to a community college, do well there, and then transfer to a better four year university than one can get into as a freshman. This option may be a decent fit for someone who is unsure or undecided on what major or university to go to (since there is less institutional and financial pressure to decide quickly), and does not expect to take junior and senior level courses in the first two years. Of course, it also means having a good community college in your area, and desirable transfer-friendly universities to transfer to.</p>
<p>Considering your son is attending a highly rigorous school, he may end up finding he’s a far better student than expected once he ends up in college. </p>
<p>Speaking personally , I was a C/D math student at a NYC public magnet high school. </p>
<p>However, once I got into college at an LAC, ended up with a B+ in calc and ended up with an A in a stats course taken at an Ivy with a large cohort of that school’s econ majors. </p>
<p>In short, there is the possibility your son may surprise himself, you, and even his high school classmates/teachers.</p>
<p>I agree with cobrat. It’s difficult to look at a GPA without context, which fortunately the college do take a look at. Schools report unweighted GPAs, weighted GPAs, some have a track called honors that is weighted, other schools do not classify classes as such. A good resource would be your students guidance office. They should be able to tell you where previous students with similar profiles to your student matriculated. </p>
<p>As far as a major, so many students change their mind between freshman fall and whatever point they need to declare.</p>
<p>There is also a thread here in the parent’s forum called “Brag About Your Lesser Known School”. There are many good schools listed.</p>
<p>You will find the school for your son and he will do fine.</p>
<p>Doingdishes,</p>
<p>It sounds like my D had a higher GPA from a less rigorous high school. (Her ACT score was a 30.) Her college search was for an urban university with a good business school that has strong ties to the local business community. Like your son, she has always been focused on the business world (don’t know why - her parents are both scientists.)</p>
<p>We looked at schools in Chicago and Boston. She is currently a junior accounting major at DePaul in Chicago. She had 2 quarters of calculus and 1 quarter of statistics; the calculus was definitely not “calculus light” - it was just as rigorous as the science-y calculus I had at my LAC - but she made it through. Obviously, since she’s in accounting, she still works with numbers but she claims it’s not the same (she thinks its more “logical”) - but that’s not really germaine to your question. By the way, she was sure going in that she would NOT like accounting, but apparently she has a knack for it.</p>
<p>DePaul is not for everyone. It’s definietly an urban school with an urban vibe, but it has a lovely campus in Lincoln Park and the Loop areas of Chicago. There’s not a big rah-rah sport scene. My daughter loves it, though, and has established great relationships with her professors and mentors in the local accounting community. DePaul might be worth putting on your list.</p>
<p>Although lots of kids do change majors, my D has not. This summer she will be interning with one of the Big 4 accounting firms. So for her, it’s been a pretty good fit - school-wise and career-wise.</p>
<p>Just to add - DePaul is very much for the “average student.” I believe your son’s GPA is in its range. It’s also a Catholic school (if that matters) with a strong emphasis on service, volunteerism, and social responsibility…</p>
<p>Thanks for everyone’s feedback. If anyone cares to comment on the list I’ve cobbled together, I’m all ears (eyes?)</p>
<p>SMU
Denver
Stonehill
Xavier U
SLU
Marquette
Denison
St. Joseph (Philadelphia)
HWS</p>
<p>The LAC’s on the list do not have business programs per se. They are under consideration because of friends or family members personal reccommendations. I should have mentioned that a vibrant sports culture is seen as an overwhelming plus in son’s opinion.
Thanks</p>
<p>you might want to add Muhlenberg and Elon (both have business majors) and tend to lean in admissions towards rigorous private schools that have kids with deflated GPA’s as others have mentioned…</p>
<p>we have been told over and over again, a 3.0 from a private school is not really a 3.0 from the perspective ofmany college admissions offices.</p>
<p>I think a 3.0-3.1 might be on the low side for both Elon and Denison. Have you thought of University of Cincinnati?</p>
<p>motherbear: as I said in my post, certain colleges look at private school GPA’s differently than from students at public high schools…both Elon and Denison fall into that category, as well as Muhlenberg</p>
<p>doingdishes, you might look into Seattle University. Good sized business school, plenty of major choices, small classes, nice city. If he gets a total SAT of 1700 or greater (and that includes the best scores from all his tests), he’ll get merit aid of 7K/year with his GPA. I’m not sure about the sports scene at the school, lots of options I believe…but of course Seattle has all the major pro sports teams (except for the basketball team, which we now call the “Oklahoma Thieves”. 
:(</p>
<p>I know SLU and Marquette well ‘dishes’. Both are around 8,000 undergrads and fantastic places to go to school. I’m personally a Marquette business undergrad and in banking for 30 years. Both place emphasis on a well rounded Liberal Arts education and the Jesuit influence goes a long way toward shaping the moral leaders of tomorrow. Hope that helps.</p>
<p>Not sure I know where you are from. All students need to find their ‘comfort zone’. MU is a more national school than SLU but both have a very similar feel.</p>
<p>From a sports perspective, the jump to the Big East has been huge for MU. Of all the schools you list, none has a higher sports profile unless ‘football Saturday’ is important. But on ESPN nearly every week during BBall season.</p>
<p>A friend’s son recently graduated from SMU, where he studied marketing and Spanish. He went right into a good business-y job, which not many class of '10s can say. His mom was just telling me how when he chose SMU over Boston College, she was so disappointed-- she thought BC was so much more prestigious. She now says she was stupid, and he got a great education, and it was so much the right decision.</p>
<p>@doingdishes, SLUMOM is for St. Lawrence University. (NY) :)</p>