Hello,
I am a junior who attends a prestigious high school in Illinois. I’m interested in studying business, but based on my stats I have no idea which schools would be considered reaches, matches, or safeties. I have no problem going to a school far away, and financial aid is not an issue. It would be very helpful if some universities with business schools could be recommended. Thanks in advance!
Objective:
SAT I: N/A
ACT: 32 (will try to improve to 33 or 34 in June), 12 writing
SAT II: TAKING US History, Math I, French
GPA: 3.72 UW/4.08 W (will probably end up around a 4.2 W)
Course rigor show a STRONG upward trend - I started out in all regular level classes, and will be taking all AP’s next year
Rank: N/A
AP: US History (?) + Senior Course Load…
Senior Year Course Load: AP Calculus AB, AP English Lang & Composition, AP Environmental Science, AP US Gov, AP Macroeconomics, AP World History (taking all AP’s/hardest schedule possible)
Major Awards: DECA State Qualifier (2nd at regionals in role play, 3rd in econ test), DECA Top 10 in State (written event), French National Honor Society
Subjective:
Minor Awards: Honor Roll (every semester), National Honor Society
Extracurriculars (place leadership in parenthesis): Varsity Cross Country, JV Tennis (Captain), Global Citizens Club (President), DECA (VP), Relay For Life (Board Member), School Retreat (Leader - seen as a big honor), School Tutor, 3-year Radio Program Member, Key Club
I am a part of a prestigious two-year research program at my school. There are only 7 kids who applied for it because of the difficulty of being selected.
I am a board member of a local charity event that helps raise thousands annually
Job/Work Experience: Internship this summer in Chicago with a tech start-up
Volunteer/Community service: Volunteering with local food bank, religious organization, and through the community service oriented extracurriculars I am involved in
Summer Activities: Overnight camp counselor, internship
Teacher Recommendation: 9/10 Should be fantastic all the way around. Teachers know what I’ve been through and like me a lot.
Counselor Recommendation: Pretty good 7/10
You seem to be very qualified and could in my opinion get into a top business school. Before I mention the schools I think you should apply to, I think you should take the Math 2 SAT instead of Math 1, because it is much preferred by colleges (especially business schools).
Going off where you live, I think you should check out UIUC, Notre Dame and U michigan. Schools on the northeast, you could check out NYU Stern (thats my number 1) Villanova, CMU and possibly UVA. On the westcoast USC has a great business school and UCLA also has great major called BusinessEcon.
A lot of these schools I really like and I have similar scores, GPA and Course rigor to you, so thats why I am recommending them. There are tons of others tho.
Cornell (Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management)
Washington University in St. Louis (Olin Business School)
** University of Texas, Austin (McCombs School of Business)
** Indiana University (Kelley School of Business)
**University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (Kenan-Flagler Business School)
** Public Universities
What do you mean by financial aid is not an issue? Are you saying that you can afford to pay upwards of $60K per year without any financial aid from these Schools?
Look through the list of business schools, see what appeals to you, and look at the admissions stats for each one.
Consider the environment you 'd want to be in for your college years as well as the strength of the program.
I’d look at the admissions policy of and mix of direct admittance/transfer of each school very carefully. For example Ross at Michigan accepts very few students directly to the program. The vast majority transfer from another UMich college (LSA, Engin, etc) during Sophomore year. Others are the opposite.
The OP is a very qualified student, but I think Wharton might be just out of reach. They are as selective as Harvard and Stanford. If he really hits the ACT out of the park on a subsequent try, it might be worth applying to, but I would focus my attention a notch lower. I also would not recommend UT-Austin, since they have become so difficult for any out-of-state students to get into. Notre Dame is probably a good reach school.
@SternBusiness Thank you for the recommendation! Just a quick question on the Math SAT II: what’s the main difference between that test and the Math SAT I? Someone in my school told me that the Math II has more calculus on it and is more dificult? Not sure if you know this, but how much more difficult is the material? Can someone do well on it without taking AP Calc?
@Psata82 Wow, getting into Wharton or Cornell would be a dream. Both seem a bit unrealistic don’t they? Definitely big reaches IMO, as my GPA and ACT certainly aren’t perfect. I’d be hoping my extra curriculars pull a lot of weight during admissions. Also, what I meant by that statement on financial aid was that it is not a primary issue. My family and their income maintain that no school is off limits, however paying 60,000+ might be a bit too much. I’d be counting on some outside scholarships to make the cost under 60k if I’m put in that situation.
@happy1 That seems like a good reference, thanks! Poets and Quants looks more reliable than Bloomberg or US News as it’s a combination of those two rankings…
@TooOld4School I think that’s a very important thing to consider. I definitely think I want the safety of being directly admitted to the business school when I apply. Not sure I want to run the risk of not being accepted to the business school sophomore year of college. Do you think running the risk of not being directly admitted is worth it? I’m sure it depends on the specific school and whether someone is happy at that particular university regardless if he/she is admitted into the business school or not.
@woogzmama Yeah that’s closer to what I was thinking. How high should I aim for my ACT to at least be competitive for Wharton? 33 or 34? Also, do you know if they superscore the ACT? That might help me out too. Thanks!
Math 2 does not cover calculus. It basically is a test of your precalclulus abilities. It is definitely harder than Math 1, but you will most likely score higher on it because the curve is between 6-8 questions higher. Math 1 is basically just a harder version of the regular SAT math. For competitive business schools, having a high math 2 score will definitely help. If you don’t have one, you won’t be unqualified but you could be hurt a bit in the admissions process in my opinion.
I would not look at Wharton. Just as the other poster said. Although you are extremely qualified, Wharton is a league in its own and is a waste of time.
I think you want a near-perfect Math score for Wharton. What was yours? I suggest taking the SAT, as well. You might do better on some subjects. My son’s composite scores were quite comparable, but his Math SAT was a 730, whereas his ACT was only 29. On the other hand, his ACT English & Writing scores were higher than his SATs.
@SternBusiness Oh Math II sounds a lot more doable than, considering that I’m about to finish up precalculus in school. Yeah to be honest I was a bit shocked when the other poster replied about Wharton and Cornell Dyson. Both seem out of reach for me unless I can get my ACT up to a much, much better score. Thanks for the advice!
@woogzmama My ACT math score was only a 30 Not sure what happened there. Definitely think I can improve to a 32+ though. I’m planning on studying some this summer to take the ACT again in September. Do you also recommend taking the SAT Math II test then? How much weight does that pull in business school admissions? Thanks!
The SAT II tests you on some higher-level skills, and I think most selective colleges want to see it if you’re applying for quantitative, math-intensive programs. I’d recommend looking at Northeastern, Drexel, Temple, Pitt, American, Pace, et al, too.
@woogzmama Northeastern seems like a pretty unique program and might be something I’m interested in. The Co-Ops they offer there sound very enticing. Thanks for the suggestions and help, it is greatly appreciated.
Its varies per school, but for certain business schools its almost a necessity. For example NYU stern is math oriented and really wants to see high scores on math 2. It is not required though, and won’t be the sole reason you are denied if you do not have it. I definitely think you should take it though. Get Dr. Chungs Math 2 book and do as many practice tests as you can and then just do your best. I just took it in late april and I am getting my results back in 2 days.
You may find this ranking interesting. Personally, I believe that it doesn’t make sense to spend almost a quarter of a million for an undergrad degree, even if you can “afford” it. And besides direct admittance you may want to consider study abroad opportunities (if that interests you), as well as acceptance of AP credits…and even where you think you may want to live/work post-degree.
Not sure what happened there. Definitely think I can improve to a 32+ though. I’m planning on studying some this summer to take the ACT again in September. Do you also recommend taking the SAT Math II test then? How much weight does that pull in business school admissions? Thanks!