<p>I somewhat agree with you, but I’m still a little reluctant to fully commit to Rutgers. If I do attend Rutgers, do you suggest I pursue finance or other undegrad business degree as I am competing with finance majors from wharton, stern, etc. Am I better off doing an engineering major such as biomed or comp science? This is the only other thing confusing me as I have read several articles saying top companies and MBA programs are looking for critical thinkers.</p>
<p>You should study what you feel some passion for, and do well. </p>
<p>(As for competition, my d. from American - with 3 positions available and 200 applicants - beat out candidates from Wharton, Stern, Yale, Georgetown, etc, first for her internship, then for her current job. You don’t know where life is going to take you. Top companies and MBA programs are looking for critical thinkers…and they are likely to find them in unlikely places.)</p>
<p>In your situation, I’d take Rutgers not only for the cost…but also because Rutgers’ undergrad b-school is respected by many employers…moreso than BU’s IME and around the same range as Penn State. </p>
<p>Penn State may have more of a brand-name due to their sports teams and aggressive marketing…but it’s not necessarily better than Rutgers…and certainly not $64,000 better.</p>
<p>Even though Rutgers is cheaper, I really like Smeal. The recruiting at PSU and at Smeal is fabulous. PSU has one of the largest and most active and loyal alumni associations. You could not throw a handful of rice in NYC without hitting a few PSU alumni.</p>
<p>That said, Rutgers is also a magnet for the tri-state area companies. Well-respected B-school. I just don’t like their campus and surrounding area that much.</p>
<p>Alumni from both those schools will often hire their own students over “name-brand” schools.</p>
<p>Here is a very helpful exercise: go on the website for the Wharton School of Business (graduate school). There will be a link to pages identifying each of their students and where they went to undergraduate school. When I checked out the website to see a friend’s son’s photo, I was surprised at how many state university (particularly Penn State) graduates there were. It’s all about your undergraduate grades and the job you get in between undergrad and graduate school. Wharton will not accept you without having worked at least a couple of years after undergraduate school.</p>
<p>PSU remains a favorite of corporate recruiters and has a better placement office. You will be able to get good internships over the summer which are the most important by far in finance and other high pay high MBA admissions influence jobs.</p>
<p>Is Rutgers the consensus? Most were saying Rutgers, yet some are saying Penn State so I’m somewhat ambivalent in deciding. I’m not sure if Sapphire Program in Smeal is worthwhile, needless to say the indian population at Penn State is very small (can anyone disagree?). Will Rutgers give me the same opportunities I would get at Penn State and vice versa…and if I do go to Rutgers, do I pursue business degree or something in the social sciences or engineering. I have pretty much scratched Boston off the list unless somehow they offer much more aid.</p>
<p>The question you need to ask is … Is Penn State’s career placement office + leadership program offer worth $65,000 to you?</p>
<p>If I were answering the question, I would say that its not. I go to Rutgers University, but I will agree with most here and acknowledge that PSU definitely has a slight leg up in terms of “prestige” and recruiting. But is it a target or a semi-target for “high finance” (ibanking, S&T, management consulting) - No. </p>
<p>Getting into a top notch MBA program requires a good GPA, a good GMAT/GRE, and a good job. Since neither penn state nor rutgers will provide you with the typical analyst position at a bb, you are left with F500 analyst roles (FLDP, etc), which are found aplenty at both rutgers and penn state. </p>
<p>I would save the money and just go to Rutgers, but if this decision is really bothering you, I would suggest reaching out to a penn state student and a rutgers student and asking them to send you a copy of the companies that do OCR. Since you are an NJ resident, I would assume you have a ton of friends at both schools. Or just call the career services office if they provide the information</p>