<p>My son currently does not think that he will major in business, but says that he will probably change his major and would willingly explore business majors. He is just not certain as to what he wants to major in. He is applying to schools as an English major, which he feels he may or may not stick with as a major.</p>
<p>He is fortunate enough to have a few acceptances in hand this early in his senior year.
I am looking at business majors in case he decides one of the humanity majors (willing to explore those as well) is not for him. He currently has little interest in applying as a business major, but again, is open to exploring it. He really does not know what these majors are about.</p>
<p>Here are 2 schools we are debating and that he was accepted to:</p>
<p>School A is a private liberal arts school.
It is in a rural area.
They offer some business majors (ie: management, economics, and accounting). They have a program for the accounting major to get a master's in one year in accounting from a university after completing a 4 year undergrad degree at this LAC.
They do NOT have AACSB accreditation since they are a small LAC with a business department.
This school is not known well by the average person, because of the small size of the school.
They are listed in just about all college guide books, but I feel that they are a regional school. Only about 30% of students are from out of state.</p>
<p>School B is a small private master's university.
It is very close to a small city and you can call it urban or suburban IMO.
They have a business school with AACSB accreditation.
They do not seem to have a full menu of business major offerings either. One can major in "business" and then specialize in marketing or business administration on the undergraduate level.
This school is more of a regional school, and is not well known outside the state. They are usually not listed in college guide books. They really do not seem that interested in marketing themselves, IMO.
They are making improvements on their campus and they are expanding graduate and undergraduate programs, but are very small.</p>
<p>I think that if my son were going to stick with English, both English programs will be fine.</p>
<p>So, my question is if School A and B were equal cost to us, which would be better for someone who might major in business? My son is solid in math, but particularly talented in math, if that matters (ie: accounting, economics, etc.).</p>
<p>He probably has little interest in majoring in Japanese, either, but you’re not looking at schools with that major.</p>
<p>I think you want him to major in business and he is being gentle with you by alleging he’ll consider it. I think you should point out your assessment of the two schools to him, as you did to us, and let him take it from there.</p>
<p>Laughing - With 6,226 posts I would think you would know to ask your S what will make him happy? If he can’t decide than you don’t have the right school for him yet. If he is disinterested then he’s not involved enough (and perhaps your too involved). </p>
<p>But perhaps this is a trick question about if AACSB accreditation matters or not. Then it becomes a question of what employers and grad schools think of the schools. :)</p>
<p>I don’t think that the accreditation matters unless your child is interested in pursuing a CPA credential.</p>
<p>I can also think of few things more boring than taking business classes as an undergraduate if that isn’t really your interest. Apart from a very few topnotch business programs, such as Wharton’s, an undergraduate business degree is not especially interesting. Also, many of the top MBA programs admit disproportionately fewer students from business undergraduate majors than they do from liberal arts majors.</p>
<p>If he’s interested in English, so much the better. Too many of the recent college graduates I’ve interviewed can not write clearly, and their writing reflects a significant lack of clarity in their thinking.</p>
<p>Business is one discipline where pedigree matters. So accredited beats the alternative nearly every time (assuming comparable levels of colleges). OTOH, I’d take an accounting program from a strong Uni (but no real biz school) over a general biz degree from no-name college that happens to have an accreditation.</p>
<p>But, I’m personally not a big fan of undergrad biz – better to major in something like econ and go the liberal arts route, IMO.</p>
<p>If he can find a job afterwards. I only know of one English major outside of the teaching profession. She is a recent graduate and she did find a very good job without going to graduate school. I see her as unusually lucky, but perhaps I am just plainly wrong.</p>
<p>As far as my pushing a major, I am not pushing anything. I am presenting some options, but I don’t know what to major in to find a job any longer. I just want a happy kid who can support himself after graduation.</p>
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<p>You are right about that. He is not a foreign language person, so languages offered really are not of concern.</p>
<p>I am not pushing business. I am presenting some majors where he might find a job at the end of the rainbow. I am not sure if business is falls into that column anymore, otherwise I would be pushing it for he would take the bait, so you are not completely off base. </p>
<p>He is 17, and he is involved. He has minimal exposure to what is out there at his ripe old age. I do not think that I am “over involved”, but I am a very involved.</p>
<p>I am also not a big fan of undergrad business school. I would prefer liberal arts education (econ, math, or any major with few classes in finance if it’s offered) then business school later, and at that point preferably a top tier MBA school.</p>
<p>Well, as the parent of an UG business major, I’ll speak up. I agree that business classes can be incredibly boring if you’re not interested in the subject matter (but I could say the same about math classes, too…) If your son isn’t interested in the topic, I don’t know if either scenario is “better.”</p>
<p>My D likes accounting - a lot. When choosing a college, she actually chose a city in which she would like to live after graduation and then chose a university within that city. That university had to have a good business school with close ties to the city, along with an alumni network that could help her with job placement. I say all this only to illustrate why this approach won’t work for many people (I realize it sounds way too preprofessional for many here on CC.) And her experience and thought process may not be applicable to others. Her plan is to work for a while after graduation adn get that MBA later, since many schools prefer that work experience before the MBA anyway.</p>
<p>However, I unerstand your concerns about job placement - especially since I myself have an English major that I’ve never really used!</p>
<p>School matters for getting good jobs in business. If he may land in business, all that matters is he go to the best college he can get into. He can major in anything as long as he backs it up with some strong math and econ. The only exception is if he wants to be an accountant. Then pay attention to accreditation and availability of the course work to move him towards taking the CPA exam.</p>
<p>mom2collegekids, I had thought about your suggestion as well. Good advice I think.</p>
<p>We have visited both schools. There is a favorite, but there are positives and negatives to both of them.</p>
<p>School A:</p>
<p>Negatives: Very rural, but close enough to a city when he meets kids with cars
Colder climate
More buildings that can use some upgrades, but nothing horrible</p>
<p>Positives for him: No foreign language requirement (unusual at a LAC)
Not too far from an airport
small class sizes
Strong study abroad opportunities</p>
<p>Positives for me: I think this school will end up being less expensive than school B, but might not be so significant that B will be off the table (both schools have already offered merit aid, and there are still opportunities for MORE merit aid at both schools).</p>
<p>School B:
negatives: They just do not market themselves and nobody from our area ever heard of this school.
Not sure about track record for graduate school.
There is a foreign language requirement, but it is the 2 semesters required at most schools.</p>
<p>Positives: good weather climate if one hates snow and cold (my kid does not care that much)
airport is close by
Easier access to a city and limited access through public transit to the city (bus stops on campus but does not go to all parts of the city).
small classes
excellent study abroad opportunities, and good opportunities for internships
AACSB business school accreditation if he ends up going that route</p>
<p>hmom, School A has a deal with another university for accounting. One can get a master’s degree in one year (after graduating from School A) and be able to sit for the CPA exam at the end of that second year.</p>
<p>BTW, neither A or B are household names. A is listed in every guidebook though.</p>
<p>As far as son’s favorite, it is school B, but if school A came in 5k less expensive than school B, he told me that he’d go to school A. He is just a great unselfish kid.</p>
<p>School B is very lopsided as far as females to males. I don’t know if this should be of concern, as there are many more females than males. Just do not know how that effects dynamics on a campus. School A has this problem too, but it is not quite as lopsided.</p>
<p>Usually these arrangements are not a guarantee. Usually a student has to apply and be accepted to the school awarding the Masters. If that is not the case, good. </p>
<p>Otherwise, if studying accounting, make sure it is a professional accounting program registered with the state so that your S can sit for the CPA exam upon graduation. These schools are also often recruited by top accounting firms.</p>
<p>I agree w/ hmom5 if your S is aiming for certain jobs.Investment Banks and other financial firms only recruit at certain colleges. I do not gather that this is the case here as you said the schools are not well known.</p>
<p>IMO, your S should go to the best school he can, and the one he is comfortable with. I do not think there is a major difference between A and B (unless going for accounting, in which case there may be) He should try to get the highest gpa and get involved in extracurricular activities.</p>
<p>morrismm, he can get into higher ranked schools. I think he wants to go to more of a safe match to a safety school. He is a worker, but he wants a balanced life. Both of these schools are either safe match schools, or are safety schools for him.</p>
<p>Honestly, I do not see accounting in the cards. There is always the possibility that he would like it, but I just do not see it. I can see him majoring in marketing, or management more than accounting. He innately is fairly creative. I don’t know what is involved in being an accounting major, but it seems like it would be rather dry, and that just isn’t something I could picture him majoring in. Thanks for the advice about accounting though.</p>
<p>Does he hope to return to your area after college? Finding a job in business from a college not known, outside of it’s region, could be very tough. A local state school would probably serve him better in this regard.</p>
<p>Another vote for Liberal Arts degree with graduate business degree…after working for a few years…if any interest in business.</p>
<p>The only exception is for a kid who has an interest in accounting (which, you don’t think your kid will be interested in) which has very good job options with an undergraduate degree in accounting, and virtually no options with a liberal arts degree.</p>
<p>Jobs right out of college in Finance are obtained by economics majors with strong math skills - as often, if not more often, than finance undergrad majors. Marketing and sales jobs can be obtained with any degree…although…a summer or school internship related to sales or marketing is a good idea. Organizational Behavior/HR jobs are also available to Liberal arts grads…once again with a slightly better chance if there’s been an internship. Ops Management jobs directly out of undergrad usually go to engineeers or math majors.</p>
<p>Exceptions to the above might be graduate of the tippy-top undergrad programs like Wharton, MIT-Sloan and NYU-Stern.</p>