I’m a high school senior, who like the rest, has to make a decision by May 1st. I have visited both CU Boulder and DU, but between the two campuses, I felt far more at home at DU. However, my parents do not like the idea of me going there because of the cost, and because the average graduate’s salary is not significantly different than that of CU’s.
So really, the choice comes down to CU Boulder and Saint Mary’s of California. Saint Mary’s was a backup, but they ended up paying for nearly my entire tuition in merit scholarships and aid. CU Boulder is also cheap for me as a Colorado resident.
CU Boulder is definitely great for the numerous opportunities such as the freshman study abroad program and the paid internships. I seem to prefer smaller schools, but I do really love the number of resume-building opportunities that CU provides. However with CU, it is definitely less competitive to get into, which makes it harder to find ‘my people’. I’m not a partier, at all, which is a widely shared sentiment among the CU business kids. I also should mention that I didn’t really like the area of Boulder too much, but I absolutely love Denver, and plan on living there later on.
Aside from the fact that Saint Mary’s has given me a ton of money, it was originally my backup, or the school I would go to before I could transfer to Berkeley or Santa Clara. However, upon further research, the community of Saint Mary’s is small and quaint. I initially recognized SMC for its recruiting opportunities within Silicon Valley, but I don’t know how valid that is anymore. I am now questioning the school for its religious reputation (I’m not religious at all) and its small class, which gives me less people to find a group of friends with.
I guess what it really comes down to is, what school is the more prestigious of the two, or which of the two would I be most likely to find a job or be recruited by a company? I really don’t know which one it’s going to come down to anymore; I’m almost ready to just call it a day and flip a coin at this point.
On the bright side, I am taking my last tour (of SMC), and then I guess I should have the ‘proper judgement’ to make my decision. If you guys can offer your perspectives, I would be so grateful. Thanks.
***Also MOST IMPORTANTLY, SMC does not have a finance major, but instead a major in business administration with a concentration in finance. Would this hinder me if I wanted to go into investment banking or business analytics?
If I go to CU, I will likely double major in finance and entrepreneurship/marketing, and get two minors, one in statistics and one in economics. Then I’d plan on getting my masters in business analytics and an MBA.
If I go to SMC, I will probably major in the business administration with a concentration in finance, and then also do something with economics/mathematics/possibly another concentration.
If I go to DU, which isn’t going to happen unfortunately, I would double major in finance and business analytics, and then minor in statistics and marketing.
Hopefully this helps somewhat.