I’m an international student and I got all my application results in today and it’s now time to make decisions. I am currently a Undecided Business Major and got accepted to the following schools.
University of Florida: #40 Business (2nd cheapest/reach but also affordable)
Michigan State University: #33 Business (most expensive, might need student loan)
Texas Christian University: #50 Business (cheapest/affordable + Honor College)
Any advice on what school should I choose? I’m interested in Supply Chain/Operation Management right now and MSU is #1 and TCU is #17 for that specific field but I could not see that major ranking for UF. Some people said that UF is a better choice considering both the school reputation and business school ranking. Any honest opinion on UF’s Supply Chain and Operation Management degree?
And 1 side question: Will universities names or major ranking more important when it comes to job applications? Does attending higher-ranked universities help u with more quality connections?
My daughter is majoring in business, and I’m finding that rankings are a bit deceptive for us. Rankings could be determined by things such as professor’s salary or graduation rates of pell grant recipients, etc. These things could reflect the quality of education, or it could just mean they take in more out-of-state students to bump up their revenue and pay higher professor salaries, or etc. It’s really hard to know. I found a lower ranked school that had more research citations and award recognitions than a higher ranked school. That’s why so many schools changed in rank when U.S. News changed their methodology.
Having said this, it looks like the schools you’re looking at seem to be fairly close in rank like our schools. What we did was sign up for the admitted students day events and virtual student informationals. We also reviewed the schools’ outcome reports. We also looked up each school’s program to see how they were different, what companies recruited from each schools, and the region the students likely worked after graduation. We considered non-academic considerations that were important to us like environment as well.
As you research, I think you’ll start to discover what is important to you. Try not to put too much focus on rank. You don’t want to end up at a school that isn’t the right fit for your long-term goals just because a school has a higher score on a criteria that has nothing to do with what you’re trying to achieve.
Great options! Congratulations! You will have excellent opportunities attending any of these schools. Ultimately, your outcome will mostly depend on what you make of your opportunities. Which school environment do you prefer?
My S24 also is considered TCU Neely and UF. They are very different schools. UF has a much larger student body, huge campus, and is located in a college town. Many business classes are taught online or in large lectures.
TCU has a very different feel. Much smaller campus and student body. The Neely School is very nice and well resourced. Classes are much smaller and all taught in person. Location in Fort Worth/Dallas provides easier access for internships.
TCU Honors will open a lot of doors and guarantee better personal advising, which you’ll need for internships then for your OPT.
University name is not a big deal in the US, what matters is what you do. All 3 would offer a solid business program and allow for a good environnement.
UF may be a bit more football-crazy but the other 2 are also big on football (could be a + or - depending on how you feel about a sports atmosphere).
The poster upthread is correct wrt online or large lectures at UF, which for FL students is offset by the low cost but for s.o paying international fees it’d have to be a consideration, especially since you have other options.
UF and TCU will be hot, with pleasant weather about half the school year. Michigan State will be cold most of the year so if you like snow you’ll love it.
UF&Michigan State are in college towns (though East Lansing is near an industrial city), TCU is in a city/megalopolis area.
UF is abour 100 miles/160km from a beach.
I’m still thinking about TCU since I found out abour their Differential Fee for Neeley (extra $250 per credit hour) that they did not mentioned in the scholarship package that they posted on the school portal. I don’t know if I should pay to go to UF provided that the difference between UF and my cheapest school is just about $10k a year. TCU is a really great choice tho I just don’t know if I should pay a little bit more for a t30 school.
Make sure you understand student loans and availability to international students. No government loans are available, and private loans may be limited.
The US News Business School rankings are silly, meaningless, and inaccurate. On the other hand, Florida has the strongest reputation for future employment. If it is affordable, it is a no-brainer.
What do you think about the school’s stats on its website? I think that TCU outcome stats and UF are the same even though UF is much more prestigious I believe.
You should go where you want, but “reputationally” they are not at the same level. TCU is not a top school in Texas, while Florida is likely the top college in the entire state.
This is an international student - reputation in FL or TX is meaningless since OP will not be able to work there. What WOULD matter is advising&support wrt internships&OPT, which a private school is more likely to be able to provide whereas UF is quite hands off. Contacting each College of Business is essential.
(I assume neither is well-known in OPs country or OP would have mentioned it).
Some students may like huge universities and others would rather have a more personal experience. Things like career closets and interview prep - because international students do not have adults who can culturally and linguistically prepare them for what is a peculiar, high stakes situation - is also information that OP must gather and consider when making his decision.
Finally, all FL HS students are required to take online classes to prepare for this method of delivery; OP must be ready for this method of delivery for some of his 1st/2nd year courses. OP may find this an advantage or may feel he’d rather not learn that way.
It’s not clear-cut at all.
I have a bit of experience working with international students as well as each of these institutions. U of F not only has a much stronger American reputation and business reputation… it also has MUCH more of a global reputation, and is likely very well known OP’s country (which rather than me prove that to you) - just look it up and you will see what I am talking about. I could guess the country for fun based upon what has been written. International students come to America for a variety of reasons. If the hope is to obtain a visa someday and work in America… another reason U of F is the clear choice.