This is my exact dilemma. I believe that Trinity is more selective and I also believe employers see the this. I am not sure how much weight the alumni connections at Trinity have but would think that coming from a business school like Bentley makes you more well rounded. I would say both schools identical in football so its a question I keep asking which one prepares you better for life after college.
I could argue that an undergraduate business school education with its defined professional track is not as well-rounded as a liberal arts education with a business-adjacent major, but that’s not the point. It all comes down to your son and where he will thrive. After his first job or two, everyone will want to know what he’s accomplished, not where he went as an undergrad. Put first things first. Where will he grow as a student and find his path? What kind of academic and athletic community does he want to join? He needs to succeed in college first. The rest will then follow.
FWIW we looked at both schools and I would be confident that your S could get a fine education at either. Here are a few things I’d consider:
– It is important to understand that economics and finance are very different majors. Economics is a liberal arts course of study and gets very theoretical at the upper levels. In contrast if your S goes to an undergraduate business school he will likely take a business core with introductory classes in subjects such as accounting, finance, IT, marketing etc. and then you will major in one of those disciplines. One path is not better than the other, but they are different. I would have your S look through the expected coursework (can almost always be found online) for both schools and see if he has a preference.
–Is your S 100% sure he wants to study business? Does he want to be part of a student body that is comprised of basically all business majors? That is a personal choice with no right or wrong answer.
–Does he have a preference for location? Size of student body?
No he does not have a prefernce on location or student size.he wants to be able to experince different kids of business then pursue a major path after that. I totally get that the enviroment at Trnity will be more divesified with people taking various majors. The atmosphere I also gather will be more of a collegiate experience than that of Bentley just want to make sure he is not missing out out on anything that Bentley could offer. I believe matawampe has best perspective my son needs to succeed in College first and then the rst will follow. Very hard knowing what is best decision.
Six year old perspective from Wall Street analysts:
A strong GPA at Bentley will lead to a great outcome. I’ve heard more about Babson than Bentley but Babson may not have much of a football team. If your DS gels with the Trinity players and likes the campus vibe, that’s what I’d suggest. If he prefers the teammates at Bentley and environment over TC, go for that.
Bentley does have a more liberal arts style (mathy) Quantitative Econ Major in addition to the more business focused Econ/Finance major.
Has your son visited both schools? To me, with him wanting to major in a similar subject at both schools the biggest differentiators are location/surrounding area and academic/cultural “vibe” (businessy vs preppy). If your son doesn’t care about the culture differences, then he should really think about location and surrounding area, both in terms of the 4 years of college and later.
Trinity is known for producing finance, banking and stockbroker types. Not sure if there are stats to back that stereotype up, but the sense is that it’s a feeder for business in those spaces with a well-placed alumni network to match. Unlike Bentley, it will not give the OP’s son a buffet of business classes to try before selecting a business major. In fact, there is no true business major at Trinity. My advice to the OP is to set aside the FOMO that is inherent in the trade-offs in any college selection process and let your son’s priorities direct the choice.
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Totally get this funny part is he loves both of them. funny part I believe he will get a more well rounded collegiate experience at Trinity and a more practical degree to be used in business at Bentley. He is getting academic support at both and both are offering a great deal of accommodations.
No Babson does not have a football program. He gels with both schools. The social aspect I am not to keen on at Bentley and Trinity has more of a social life. That being said both schools a great time commitment with football and thats who you would be spending free time with predominantly anyway
I did hear that about Bentley he does not thrive at writing long papers and I heard about the quantitative Econ major. I also heard that Bentley really focus assignments on group basis/team basis. I like that concept. Location is really not a factor just making sure since he is on academic support which school would be the best and that he would thrive and set himself up for future.
This is exactly the case. So hard because he always asking me and I love both schools equally.
He can get a good education at both schools, have you looked at the career outcomes for each school?
In terms of football, Bentley is NCAA D2 and Trinity NCAA D3. It’s likely that the football time commitment is greater at Bentley and may be at a higher level too, so that is something to think about. I am not sure that we have talked about financial aid on this thread, but Trinity offers primarily need based aid and meets full need, while Bentley offers athletic scholarships, merit and need based aid, but does not guarantee to meet full need. Do you have a sense of the bottom line cost at each school?
I am also surprised that neither coach required an ED app for a slotted football recruit.
I recommend backing away from his questions and putting it back on him to research, reflect and decide.
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“The social aspect I am not to keen on at Bentley and Trinity has more of a social life.”
What about the social aspect at Bentley are you not keen on? I don’t see a lot of differences to be honest. Especially on the sports side of things. Boston offers an extra social aspect as kids get older and tire of the frat party /college party life.
Do you think re-visiting the two schools (if possible) might help him to decide?
At some point the choice has to be your S’s. There are some clear distinctions between the schools.
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I hav heard that the City of Waltham is not exactly great and while Boston is not far away still an ordeal for students to get to. I am referring to the regular social life of students. Again I am only going by what I hear that Trinity has a more active social scene than Bentley. Bentley’s is more focused on the off campus and make shift fraternity life. Trinity is a more traditional sCollege social scene. Again this will be a moot point since most of the interaction outside of athletics would predominantly be with his teammates
he has and loved them both. He has a list of Pros and Cons for each one and cant decide this is why I am asking if anyone has had experience with either school
I think what you are finding is people do have experience and insights and their observations are confirming what you already know. The decision is hard, but your son is about to embark on responsible adulthood, where he will face many difficult and consequential decisions regarding his life and career. It’s in his hands.
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Maybe that’s something he can learn at college? If he ends up with a job where he has to write, it’s better to have developed that skill at college than at a first job.
My daughter, an engineer, really doesn’t like writing that much but finds she’s doing a lot of it at her job. She’s actually pretty good at writing and uses a very simple style which is good for an engineer. She’s thankful for her years of learning the difference between to, too, and two, and their, they’re and there, and further and farther.
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You said your son would receive accommodations and academic support. I would spend a lot of time researching the academic support at each school. I would contact them directly to see what types of support they would be offering, when they are available, what their model is, etc. I’d also do a lot of research as to how individual professors work with the academic support center. For an athlete, academic support could mean the difference between being eligible to play and having to sit out a season. With football being a fall sport, it will be even more important for him to get off on the right foot.