<p>I was accepted to BU's School of Management, Villanova School of Business, and University of Richmond's Robin School of Business. I was also waitlisted at BC's Carroll School of Management and NYU Stern. After visiting all three, I am slightly leaning towards Villanova, but still really likes BU. Each has their strong suits, so I try to compare them according to different categories. It would be great if anyone can comment on the below points and provide some insight.</p>
<p>Info about myself: Asian female living in CT, originally from Taiwan. Have various academic interests, namely Marketing, International Business, IT, Accounting, Psychology, and Operations Management, so I'm looking to double major and minor in a few of those areas. Passionate about sports, especially basketball. Not a big fan of alcohol and partying, but enjoys hanging out with friends. Plans to pursue an MBA after a few years of work. Also, $ isn't necessary an issue here since it would be roughly the same cost (~$8000) for me to attend these schools. </p>
<ul>
<li>Academic quality - Villanova > Richmond > BU</li>
<li>National/international Recognition/Prestige - BU > Villanova = Richmond (this one I'm not so sure, but I might eventually work in Taiwan after MBA so international recognition is kind of important)</li>
<li>Location - BU > Villanova > Richmond</li>
<li>Study abroad program - BU > Villanova = Richmond (important since I really want to have study abroad experience, especially in London, Beijing/Shanghai, and Japan)</li>
<li>Diversity - BU > Richmond > Villanova (this is the one that holds me back from paying my deposit at Villanova. Its lack of cultural and economic diversity kind of bother me... especially since I'm Asian and come from a low-income family)
Sports - Villanova > BU > Richmond</li>
<li>Campus - Richmond > Villanova > BU</li>
<li>Career placement / alumni network - BU > Villanova > Richmond (not sure, but very important to me.)</li>
<li>Campus/social life - BU > Richmond = Villanova</li>
<li>Fit (feels belonged when visiting, regardless of academic quality, prestige, etc) - BU > Richmond = Villanova</li>
<li>Ranking (Businessweek) - Villanova > Richmond > BU (how much does this count?)</li>
</ul>
<p>What do you think? Current students, parents, alumni, prospective students, anyone, please share your thoughts! Also if there are any insights on NYU Stern or BC Carroll, feel free to share. Thanks!</p>
<p>I mean, you have all the tangibles ranked correctly. It’s a matter of you considering those in addition to which school feels most comfortable to you.</p>
<p>Depends what you ultimately want to do. BU is in the middle of Boston. Villanova is in a really safe suburb of Philly. Villanova doesn’t have a lot of diversity, but maybe being in a place where you wont automatically go to familiar faces is a good thing (btw, there is more diversity outside the b school so don’t worry about that). </p>
<p>All three are good schools. It really comes down to what you want to do and what you like.</p>
<p>Thanks for the responses!
I really like Villanova, and my concern is that some claim it’s a regional university and employers outside the northeast don’t know much about VSB. Is that true?</p>
<p>BU is much bigger and probably more well known (Everyone knows Boston the city, they will quickly associate the school also). I think Villanova is more in line with Richmond when it comes to people knowing it. </p>
<p>Nova is a big sports school. It is also a pretty well respected private school. If your goal is to graduate and move to California, you might want to look at a more west coast school or one that is known everywhere. </p>
<p>Schools with a city name in it have a little unfair advantage since most people know cities, not everyone knows universities. </p>
<p>Kinda like Bentley is a good school in Boston, but people will know Boston University more than Bentley since everyone knows Boston the city.</p>
<p>Villanova does really well in placing in NYC. Once you start working, your work experience will help you/hurt you when looking to move.</p>
<p>I’m looking to work in the big cities on the East Coast, such as NYC, Boston, Philly, or DC, with the exception of Google in San Francisco. So if I wish to study at a top MBA program after a few years of work, is “name-recognition” a factor? I really like Nova’s business curriculum and its career services, but I also like Richmond’s study abroad programs.</p>
<p>MSFHQsite, I know what you mean. I go to a small-town public high school where I’m the only Asian in the entire student population, so I know it’s good to be at a place where I have to become friends with people outside of my own race, and not limit myself to the Asian “clique”, if you will. I guess my concern is that I’m not a party-person and Nova’s party, frat-oriented social scene might make me a “loner.”</p>
<p>Villanova is a well ranked and respected university. I won’t hamper you when it comes time to get an MBA. Besides, MBA is mainly focused on what you did AFTER undergrad. So, the key is, which undergrad will help you do something that will most impress schools for an MBA. Villanova has great recruiting and extremely helpful alumni, almost all in NYC. </p>
<p>As far as the campus goes, I have seen a good mix of Asian students in the business school. Not too many black or Indian students. You also have a good section of people from Puerto Rico and Mexico (Catholic university). Villanova isn’t the most diverse school, but it isn’t the most un-diverse school either. I think you will be fine.</p>