Brown, UC Berkeley, Northwestern or University of Washington

College Search & Selection
1

I can currently attend any of the schools I listed.

I am a Washington state resident, and I was a recipient of the Mary Gates merit Scholarship so I can attend UW for 12k a year. My intended major is Business and if Business is not offered, Economics. I have been directly admitted into the UW’s business program.

Also I think it is worth noting that none of these schools gave me any financial assistance. A little bit of background, I can afford the full tuition of all schools, but I am not like some folks where 250k is of little significance. I can afford the tuition, but it is still expensive to me.

So I am torn. Of the four schools, Berkeley’s Haas school of business is the best for business. However, I will have to apply in my sophomore year and admission is very competitive. On the opposite side, UW offers me a very good scholarship and direct admittance into the business school, easing any anxieties I might have while at UC Berkeley as I sweat for a high GPA.

At Brown and Northwestern, there is no Business undergraduate degree which is not a huge turn off, but is a factor. I believe that Brown and Northwestern offer terrific programs, but I would most likely pursue an MBA which would cost me even more money, which once again I could afford but would force me to go deeper into my funds.

I love the city, and I do prefer a mid size school like Brown or Northwestern, but I am okay with a large school as well.

I was also admitted into UCLA, and SMU if that is helpful, but I am not as seriously considering these schools. If you think this is an oversight, I am open to hearing your argument as well. For SMU, I received a 35k a year merit scholarship as well.

I have an introverted personality: INTJ if that is helpful to anyone.

I really have no idea where I should go. Any help or advice would be appreciated!

2

Are you kidding? Go to U of Wash., especially since you have future plans for an MBA [ which aint cheap!].
Getting into Hass is a crap shoot. Pick less expensive certainty instead of more costly uncertainty.
4 years from now you’ll be glad you did!

3

I’m sorry I meant that I would pursue an MBA if I attended Brown or Northwestern, since they only offer an Economics degree. I don’t think I would get an MBA if I was admitted to Haas or if I attended UW. Thank you for your input though!

4

OMG, UW.

5

@menloparkmom @JustOneDad
Could you both elaborate on why? I’m surprised by the certainty with which you both are answering. To me it doesn’t seem like a very clear cut decision. Could you please tell me with as much detail as you can, why UW?

6

OP -

If your family is willing to support you for Berkeley, Brown or Northwestern, I would pick one from the three. Presuming you want to go into consulting or investment banking post college, UW is not a target for most of the top firms (whereas Berkeley, Brown and Northwestern are targets).

Northwestern doesn’t have a business major, but there are plenty of opportunities to take business courses:

http://www.kellogg.northwestern.edu/certificate/
http://fcei.northwestern.edu/curriculum/index.html
http://www.mmss.northwestern.edu/undergraduate/employment-placements.html
http://www.bip.northwestern.edu/undergraduate/courses.html
http://www.medill.northwestern.edu/imc/certificate/curriculum/index.html
http://analytics.nuisbe.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Analytics-Consulting-White-Paper.pdf

If you look at the last report, for example, you can see that 22 of the top 25 consulting firms recruit “heavily” at NU…hope this helps!

7

I already did! It has a great reputation, its MUCH CHEAPER, and Hass is not guaranteed!

8

You said you were admitted to the B-school. A bird in the hand is worth (two) in the bush.
Forget about whatever someone thinks “top firms” are. Seattle is a center for Pacific Rim business and that is the future.

It’s a big school, but the opportunities are huge. As an introvert, you will have to step out of your comfort zone.

You can always come back to an MBA at some point in the future when you see what you need to focus on.

9

@menloparkmom @JustOneDad
I agree with several of your points. The only one I’m not as sure about is the reputation of Foster. I know it is a great school, but I feel that Berkeley has a much stronger reputation in the world of business. I’ve been an ambitious student my whole life, and I am confident that I have the abilities to get into Haas. I would go to UW without much thought if UW was as “prestigious” as the other schools I was admitted to. The last link that @kimfuge88 provided was very convincing evidence for support to go to Northwestern. Do either of you have something like that for the University of Washington?

Also, as @kimfuge88 guessed, I am most interested in consulting and banking. However I am open to other aspects of business.

10

Any additional input would still be appreciated; I’m still about as unsure as I was when I started.

11

Bump

12

Full disclosure: I am a Brown alum who later attended grad school (not MBA). If money were not a factor I would attend Brown to get a great liberal arts education, then decide later if you want/need an MBA – such as after a few years of working. Perhaps your future employer would pay for you to get the MBA. I realize from your post that you are somewhere in the middle of “money is no object” and “I cannot afford Brown, Northwestern, Berkeley.” Very difficult decision. The other option is going to UW and not majoring in business. UW is an excellent school, as are Northwestern and Berkeley. I’d go to Brown, get a great job out of college (though I realize that is easier said than done) and save money and/or get your employer to pay for MBA, assuming you still want an MBA by that point.

13

Can get a great job out of college from Northwestern as well, especially since Northwestern is more career focused if that’s your goal. Plus Northwestern has better placement into M7 MBA programs than Brown, especially since Northwestern undergrad is the top feeder to both Kellogg and Booth.

14

https://goldmansachs.tal.net/vx/lang-en-GB/system-51/brand-2/xf-d4a563ed9984/candidate/jobboard/vacancy/2

@Bailkun
above is the Goldman Sachs recruiting events search: you can essentially see that NU is represented in almost all of the events. My point is that you want to attend a school that works hard to maximize in providing you these types of opportunities

15

NU, Brown, and Haas are all Street targets. However, I would not pay OOS for Cal if Haas is not guaranteed and NU and Brown are options. NU places really well in to consulting.

And indeed, unless you want to be an accountant, NU offers most of a b-school curriculum to undergrads, so I wouldn’t say an MBA is required.

No one can tell you if the extra opportunities at NU and Brown are worth the extra cost over UDub, however. That is a decision you and your family would have to make.

16

IMO, you need to visit all campuses to see where you are more comfortable, especially if cost isn’t the primary factor.