Hey guys. I’m interesting in finance and banking and this entire college process has been really confusing and stressful for me and Im at a point where Im utterly confused on where to go. Ive been accepted into Northeastern, BU, UCONN, Bentley and Fordham.
For Northeastern, BU, UCONN and Fordham, I was accepted into the business schools as well, which is nice. The problem Im having right now is none of my schools really “stood” ahead of the pack. I mean they all have excellent academics and Bentley and Fordham in particular have great career services and internship opportunities but I didn't like the campuses. Bentley felt too “communal” and something about Fordham gave off this dark, dingy vibe. I think Ive flat out ruled Northeastern out because I didn't like the campus and I loved UCONN when I visited the campus but the business school and the internship and career services opportunities are not as great compared to that of say Fordham or Bentley. The school itself is great, don't get me wrong, and it's been quickly rising but I dont know if the academics are on par with the other schools.
My parents dont feel very comfortable sending me to a state school such as UCONN where they feel that I'll just be another kid in the crowd. My parents really loved Bentley and Fordham and said they'd prefer to see me go there but I just didn’t feel comfortable there and lately, I’ve grown a soft spot for UCONN just because my best campus visit was there and academics and career services are solid ENOUGH.
All my other campus visits were in the middle of Winter and it was cold, which definitely affected my attitude towards the schools, so in order to compare apples to apples, I’m visiting Fordham and Bentley within the coming weeks, when it'll be nicer and sunnier and warmer. I come from a well off family, fortunately, so money is almost negligible but Fordham and Bentley are also giving me about 20k a year and UCONN and BU haven't released their scholarship/financial aid stuff yet.
My question is, what do you guys make of this entire situation? What do you guys think about my situation? Where do you guys stand on those schools? I know ultimately it’s my decision to make but I feel absolutely lost and I’m just looking for SOME direction. Deciding on a college is a commitment that I have to make for 4 years, unless I ABSOLUTELY hate it but I just want to get it right the first time and settle in. Thanks a ton for your help guys, I really appreciate it! :)
From my research, it doesn’t look like Bentley is a trade or technical college, but more of a school that focuses on and specializes in business. Thank you for your input for BU and NEU though. I will definitely await more replied and try to get more perspective.
Wow I feel like this is my son writing. We are down to these four as well. He loved UCONN too, but I think it was the sports aspects as well as the campus. But we are like your parents and its not in the running for us. So that leaves us 3. We didn’t get a huge love factor at Fordham because of the area I think. My son loved the proximity to NYC for internships and jobs etc., but something is off for him. He keeps speaking of it, but has yet to schedule a return visit. We are trying to let him lead the way in return visits. So, now we’re down to two. BU and Bentley. We are going up this weekend (will we see you there?) to do both accepted students days! We are hoping something will appear and he will know where he wants to go. If not, of course, we will visit UCONN and Fordham again. Now heres where I can give you some insight maybe, if needed. Our daughter graduated last year from Bentley. There is not one bad thing I can say about the school. Four years of the best education, internships, career services, friends, habit for humanity trips, community service, they have it all. She lives in Boston (supporting herself!) with a great job. Her “group” all live within the city. They still get together almost every week meeting up for dinner or drinks. Since his sister went there I think our son won’t commit 100% to it, because he wants something of his own. We, of course, would be happy with any schools he choses. (while secretly rooting for Bentley). You cannot go wrong with any of your choices. You have to feel comfortable where you choose. I wish you the best of luck. You’ve got a big choice to make, but you have worked hard to be able to choose from such great schools. Wherever you end up you will be successful.!
Sorry for the late reply, but I appreciate the incredibly indepth and well thought out response! I’ve gotten rid of Bentley as Im not really a fan of the whole hardcore business curriculum and now it’s down to Fordham and UCONN. I’ll be going up to UCONN for the Admitted Students Day and I’ll also be visiting Fordham in the coming weeks so hopefully I’ll leave both visits with a clearer picture of both schools.
Hello, did you finally decide on Uconn? Would you share your reasons? In the same situation you are in now and would appreciate some input to give me direction as well!