Bentley or UConn

As the title states, I am deciding whether to attend UConn (my state flagship) or Bentley. I am really undecided between the two, and would love to hear some of the great things that Bentley has to offer, and well as some of the cons. If I attend Bentley, I would be in the Women’s Leadership Program, and would most likely double major in accounting and finance. Is the Women’s Leadership Program a good experience? Thanks!

Can you afford both schools?

@suzyQ7 Yes. While UConn would obviously be cheaper, Bentley is affordable for my family too.

The main reason my son is considering Bentley is its history of connecting its students to internships and its high percentage of graduates that find jobs or move on to graduate school. It is known as a solid business school and its proximity to Boston also helps. The only con I have heard is that it does not have other majors and departments. They don’t have a School of Engineering or School of Nursing etc. It does include a liberal arts component to its business curriculum but if a student were to decide they want to major in history or fine arts they would have to transfer. Some students also like to meet and mingle with students from those different schools instead of just business minded ones.

I went to UConn and my daughter is student at Bentley now. I would choose Bentley over UConn if money is not an issue for a number of reasons. First, the class sizes are small at Bentley. When I took Calculus at Uconn (it was engineering math) I took it in the Math/Science building with 150 other students. My first 2 Econ classes were with 350 students in a big lecture hall (Monteith Hall). I had my Freshman English taught by a TA. I didn’t experience “small” class sizes until I took upper level classes. My daughter’s experience at Bentley is in direct contrast to my own. She has a maximum of 40 students in each class and knows each of her professors. She feels that she can connect with faculty very easily. Additionally, their internship program is excellent. They are continually having professionals from every business field at the school. Another thought for you is that UConn will always be there if you don’t like Bentley and want to transfer. Just a thought. Hope this helps.

Although UCONN is a fine school, Bentley has a great (better) reputation for Business and employers will be seeking you out come senior year. I also agree with the key points that iluvnaples makes.

I think it should come down to your personal preference on the overall school environment. There are som pretty substantial differences between the schools. Some things that come to mind include:
What size school do you prefer?
Do you do better in smaller classes?
What location do you prefer?
Are you sure that you want to study business?
Do you prefer the idea of a business oriented school or would you prefer a college with more academic diversity?
Are you looking for big time sports etc?

As a Bentley alum, here are my two cents. From an educational standpoint, you will receive an excellent education at Bentley as an accounting/finance major. You will have many companies interested in you for internships and employment after graduation.

The campus is lovely, but it can begin to feel small after a while. The dorms are fine for the most part. I did not like the food. I also found the students to be very cliquey. I got involved from the get-go and developed my own support
system and circle of friends.

One thing you do need to keep in mind is if you change your mind and decide that accounting/finance is not for you. Even though Bentley has expanded its offerings, Bentley is still a school of accounting and finance at the end of the day.

I was a marketing major. I found the marketing classes to be lacking in content and I had to work hard to make my own opportunities when I was there. I am frequently asked if I am a CPA because of the Bentley name. For me, the graduate degree that I earned from another school has opened more doors in my marketing career than the Bentley
one.

Good luck – and best wishes for success.