Hey guys,
I am really struggling to choose my college and would love to hear some your insight.
For the three schools, I visited all three 3 schools and can see myself “fitting in” socially on three campuses. Also, my parents said to choose the school I like best (without considering money/cost).
The main thing I am focused on is employability/salary a can get after graduation.
Unsure whether UofT or BU or WFU is more prestigious or will better set me up for employment/networking, Please Help!
I got accepted into
-Boston University Questrom School of Business, thinking of major in Finance/Info Systems with a minor in Computer Science.
Pros: Very easy to do double majors/minors/switch to different schools/departments. In a great city(I’m from Boston Area). Doesn’t seem too hard or too easy of a school for me(difficulty wise).
-University of Toronto Computer Science(admission stream)
pros: internationally prestigious, ranked top 20 in the world for Computer Science. Heard their PEY(co-op/internship) program helps get a job.
cons: I heard the computer science major at UofT is very competitive and I have to get certain marks in first-year classes to actually get into the major second year. I am a hard worker but I don’t have much experience with computer science and still worried that I may fall behind.
-The school is quite large with 60k+ undergraduate, afraid that may not have great connections with professors.
-During tour says it typically takes five years to graduate undergrad in comp. sci.
-Wake Forest, intended Finance in their business school.
Pros: small school, great access to professors. Pretty strong Finance program(seems stronger than BU).
Cons: kinda in the middle of no-where compared to Toronto and Boston. The Wake Forest brand name isn’t as BU or Toronto. Can’t get into Business school until the third year, so worried about not getting strong internships first two years.
Toronto is a huge school and all the opportunities/challenges that presents. If you want to stay in Canada or move overseas it may help you at your first couple of jobs getting your foot in the door. But that is really hard to judge
You have accurately portrayed BU. You know the school and the way it is set up on comm ave
Wake is different from the other two in many ways. The one way it’s not is in the prestige factor as you suggested. It is a highly regarded brand. In some circles more than the others. So don’t let that deter you.
In terms of overall quality of life and overall collegiate experience I would choose WF. Also having to keep your grades up to get your major is another positive. That goal will keep you disciplined and focused. And good grades are ultimately what will help you for grad school or top jobs coming out of school
I meant stay in Canada after you finish at UT. I knew you were from Boston so I didnt spend s lot of time talking about BU and the mishmash urban campus
Let us know when you decide. It’s very exciting this week for s lot of families.
She would go to wake forest in s heart beat. Best friend at work was there visiting this week. They put in the deposit today. Loved it and it was 70 and sunny. She had Colgate and NU as alternatives
@privatebanker congrats to her!!! USC was originally my top school, unfortunately not admitted. But happy with these three schools, just seriously struggling to make a decision.
I just need to hear comparisons between Finance at BU vs Finance at WFU. and hear if UofT comp sci is actually significantly more difficult than WFU/BU. and how rewarding a degree from each school is
I just need to hear comparisons between Finance at BU vs Finance at WFU. and hear if UofT comp sci is actually significantly more difficult than WFU/BU. and how rewarding a degree from each school is
Sorry that’s too specific for me to help. All of my ideas are generalities based on life and impressions working with many talented people and super successful clients. I’ve heard a lot of stories hat add up to some decent impressions.
I have heard that Canadian schools in classes like CS are very difficult and not designed for the novice. If you are just starting in coding etc you will need all of your intellect to compete against the curve.
But really truly not one of these schools is an automatic pass into a great first job. It’s a gate many have to go through to gain entry to opportunity. Your success will be the result of your hard work , good fortune and persistence. And if you want to have a great job in finance or economics you will be better served with s great mba or ms in finance. Those require great grades etc and all three schools will be viewed the same by b school adcoms.
All three schools are in exactly equal in the amount opportunity they present to you. Please go where you will feel happiest and excited to get up everyday and work your tail off and have fun in between.
S attends Wake and was accepted to BU (a yr ago). He is thoroughly enjoying his freshmen yr. He is also an intended finance major (and received admission to Questrom).
Wake has an EXCELLENT UG business school. Yes it’s true that you don’t get started in it right away and must apply for admission in sophomore yr. If you are a good student (obvious by your acceptances) and hard worker, you shouldn’t be concerned about admissions. They accept approx 65% of applicants and base that on grades (overall and within major prereqs - You will take Calc, Econ, Accounting, and a stats class prior to the biz school so it’s not like there is no exposure.), activiities (more on that in a second) communication skills, etc.
Activities - In addition to all the exciting sports and general outdoor activities (because the weather is really great), there are many clubs (including business oriented clubs) you can join as a freshmen. S joined the Dow Jones Club which is great for a pre finance kid (meet weekly and pitch stocks, do research - analyst prep). Also joined the business frat which has been great. It combines business leadership with social and provides lots of resources. S has received help using Linkedin, resume and interview prep,etc. They sponsor companies to come on campus for industry talks. Very useful and fun as they also have several social outings (it’s coed even though they call it a frat).
Employment - BU is in Boston which has a ton of finance related companies (particularly Asset Mgmt). However, Wake places quite well for IB in NY and Charlotte ( it’s a target school for Charlotte - 2nd largest banking center in the country). Take a look on their website. Go to the “First Destination Report” found in the career services area. They do great job of detailing (literally to a person) where ALL their grads go. Career Services is serious business at Wake and they provide great resources (including classes) so everyone has a solid chance at getting a good job upon graduation.
For business school kids, Banking, Consulting, B4 accounting / Advisory Services is the norm. You’ll see that within the report.
Community - S would tell you that Wake has a total campus community feel. Small enough where you know lots of people but big enough to meet new kids every day. There is a 3 yr on campus residential requirement which makes it a tight community. If you’re in to sports, there’s a lot to cheer for and participate in (club and intramurals - S is on the Club baseball team and plays intramurals for fun),
U of T St George campus has 43K undergrads, not 60K. The CS sequence starts with a very gentle course for novices, CS104. Students can also start with CS108 or CS148. My humanities son took CS104 and then 108 and then 148 and got A’s.
That having been said, if one is set on a CS degree, I don’t recommend U of T because of the grade requirements to get into the major. http://web.cs.toronto.edu/program/ugrad/admission.htm However, my son has had a great time at U of T and is graduating this year with a GPA that got him into an elite grad program.
@TapTapRevenge3 Your other options are business programs. I think your choice comes down more to CS vs business rather than university X vs university Y.
Keep in mind that any school that requires competitive admissions after freshman year adds an extra component of stress and risk. A friend’s son is a freshman at Wake and has been really stressed this year about courses and grades because he wants to get into the B school. Smart kid (as are almost all at Wake), but 35% get rejected from B school. He was also annoyed he couldn’t really take many business courses freshman year, since he’s not in B school and has core (language, calculus etc.) To meet.
After competitive college admissions, having to compete with fellow students for ECs, etc… again was a downer for him. He still likes Wake, but this was his experience this year.