<p>Hey guys, what's up? I browse CC all the time but I just registered to ask this question. What colleges offer the best business programs as an undergraduate? I'm going to be a junior next year and I'm researching colleges. I've always wanted to go to USC, but I was taking a look at other schools too. Some info about me:</p>
<ul>
<li>Asian (Filipino)</li>
<li>Living in Alaska</li>
<li>Top 2% of my class (graduating class is around 450 students)</li>
<li>4.0 GPA freshman year, 4.16 GPA sophomore year, expecting 4.66 junior year and 4.5 senior year [I'm going to maintain straight A's, which would lead to a 4.33 cumulative GPA and hopefully valedictorian]</li>
<li>4.0 unweighted GPA</li>
<li>Took 1 AP class (US History) last year, taking 4 (Spanish, Econ, Lang, Chem) next year and 3 (Stats, Calc, Psych) my senior year</li>
<li>Key Club (2 years projected)</li>
<li>Student Government (1 year projected, running as an officer senior year)</li>
<li>National Honor Society (3 years projected)</li>
<li>Yearbook editor (also doubled as the financial manager, handled our budget)</li>
<li>Varsity football (2 years as a junior and senior)</li>
<li>Haven't taken SATs and ACTs yet, but expecting to get around 2200 and 34 on them</li>
</ul>
<p>I'm looking at a few schools: USC, UCLA, Cal, Texas, Michigan and North Carolina. I'll also apply to Wharton and I'll accept it if they admit me, but it's just going to be a flyer.</p>
<p>Out of these schools, which would you recommend? I would prefer to be in California where I have family members, but I have no qualms about going anywhere else. Also, can anyone give me any information on alumni networks and recruiting? My #1 is USC, #2 is Penn, and I'm open to the rest.</p>
<p>Money probably will not be an issue</p>
<p>Well, geographic diversity is in your favor right now. To be honest, you look good for all these schools. Berkeley’s a reach, I suppose, they’re kinda harsh. Oh, and Penn. Can never be too sure with those. I was wondering, what do Alaskans consider their best state school?</p>
<p>Everyone goes to Anchorage, but UA-Fairbanks is the better research school.</p>
<p>
UAF is the flagship and the best, although that isn’t saying much.</p>
<p>@SDTash23: Your odds seem good but you need a safety.</p>
<p>My safety is Washington.</p>
<p>Nice to see another Alaskan here! Where are you from and where did/are you going to college?</p>
<p>
I think your odds at Udub are very good, but that does not make it a true safety. A true safety is a school where you are guaranteed admission. The good news is that you have a number of schools with rolling admissions on your list. That means that you can hopefully get some acceptances before deadlines are up for application to other schools. So, you may not end up really needing a safety.
I’m from Anchorage and will be a senior next year. Three down, one to go!</p>
<p>Nice! Lucky, you only have one year left. I can’t stand Dimond, much less Anchorage.</p>
<p>Like someone said, I would also look into Berkeley’s Haas School of Business. You have the stats and the potential to get in.</p>
<p>Berkeley is up there, I just listed it as Cal.</p>
<p>Interesting that I have a good shot at all these schools. I thought I had really weak ECs, since everybody does those. </p>
<p>Thanks everyone, looking forward to more!</p>
<p>^ I wouldn’t expect the ECs to matter much at the schools you are interested in (except Wharton), provided that your test scores are as high as expected. How sure are you about those estimated scores?</p>
<p>Pretty sure, I had a 98 percentile on the PSAT as a sophomore. Killed the R/W sections, but I stumbled a little on math (ironically). Didn’t take the PLAN test for the ACT, but I heard it wasn’t too difficult.</p>
<p>
The correct way to interpret PSAT scores is a number out of 240, which in theory calibrates to 1/10th of your predicted SAT score. What was your actual score?</p>
<p>I think it was 219. R/W/M was 76/75/68 if I remember correctly. I lost the paper so I’m not exactly sure, but I qualified for semifinalist if I had taken it as a junior.</p>
<p>You will very likely earn recognition as a National Merit Finalist with that score, which I know would earn a half-tuition scholarship at USC.</p>
<p>Nice, so if I take it this year as a Junior and get the same score, I’d probably be a finalist? Woot!</p>
<p>
Sorry, I forgot you were a sophomore. Yes, the cutoff score for Alaska has hovered around 212-213 for the past few years. That will make you a semifinalist. There’s a little paperwork to work through before you make Finalist, and your school has to sign off. You also have to do well on the real SAT to confirm the PSAT result. You can find more details on that process if you search.</p>
<p>Thanks man, I appreciate all the help and advice</p>
<p>
No problem. I normally don’t visit this section of the forum, but the thread title caught my eye as I was screening new posts.</p>