Hi, I am currently in the process of choosing between a top 4 of Vanderbilt, Notre Dame, UVA, and UNC. While I have tentatively narrowed these down to Vandy and ND, I have a lot of hesitations about the pros and cons of each. As some background, I am from the Bay Area, interested in going into Marketing Management and/or Product Design (emphasis on Marketing and user experience). Vanderbilt has notorious prestige as one of the best privates in the South, while Notre Dame boasts a massive alumni network and supposedly the #1 undergrad biz school, 5 years and counting. To rule out any outside factors, no, I am not as particular about weather, travel, party scene, or religious orientation (while not Catholic, I attended a Holy Cross high school so I’m familiar with the ropes). For some additional background on each that has stood out to me, Vandy offers a 5-year MBA program with their Owen school of Management, and while it does not offer a formal business major, it offers a program called Human and Organizational Development (HOD) and multiple business related minors; unfortunately, while it offers mechanical engineering, art and engineering science programs, it does not offer anything in the realm of product or even industrial design. Notre Dame is prominently known for its undergrad business program, but it also offers a BA in product/communications design. Interesting. While Notre Dame has it’s solid alumni, Vandy is rumored to be “up and coming” and is significantly more selective (<13% vs 30%). Which of these schools, career-wise, is the best choice?
I would appreciate any feedback or opinions! Thanks.