If you are accepted to the school of business as Pre Int’l Business but know you are never going to meet the criteria to transfer into the actual Int’l Business major in junior year (need a 3.9 or higher U of SC GPA plus a great resume and some luck to get in) should they start looking at the other business programs that they were accepted into? If someone applied because it was the #1 Int’l Business school but they only got accepted as regular business major that changes things. Accepted Pre Int’l Bus does not mean you are in the program most people don’t actually get into it. Bentley, UCONN, Syracuse Fordham etc all have good business programs that are ranked higher that SC. Any thoughts?
Didn’t know Pre Int’l Business required that kind of stats to get into IB major. Wow. If IB is what you wanted to major, I would start to look for another school. I guess that’s the benefit of getting into Honors College plus pre-IB major. That way, IB major is guaranteed.
@websensation your are right. I know people who got acceptance letter saying they are accepted into “pre IB” and they had no idea that meant they are just in the business school. It doesn’t specify any of that info in the letter and they don’t discuss it on the tours. I think U of SC is trying to use the #1 IB program to lure students into the rest of its business programs. I wish they’d be more upfront about how it really works. If you aren’t accepted into Honors IB you are not in that major until you go through a rigorous app process in sophomore year and you need to be at the very top of the pile to get accepted to switch into it junior year. We called admissions to confirm this.
They can’t possibly accept everyone who applies. However, there is another route into the IB program and that is through the IB cohort program. Applications for this are due in a couple of weeks.
http://moore.sc.edu/academicprograms/undergraduate/majorsoffered/internationalbusiness/dynamiccurriculum/stepsforapplying.aspx
We were at USC this weekend (my Dd is accepted pre-IB) and the first post in this thread is incorrect.
Admissions is extremely competitive. They said they only have room for 120 students per class. Students in the cohort programs must decide by Feb of their freshman yr if they want to stay in the cohort or switch to classical IB bc if they decide later, they are completely out of IB as an option as a major.
The GPA requirement for both immediate and competitive admission to International Business is now a 3.65 GPA. However, I have heard that the competitive admission GPA is closer to a 3.90.
Oops, good catch @atlkaw6. You are right. I didn’t pay attention to the 3.5; they did 3.9. But kids do not have to reapply if they are pre-admitted. They did say they had to maintain a high GPA (3.7??? I am super tired and can’t remember) to stay in the program.
If you are a direct admit through the Honors College, it looks like you need to have a 3.65 GPA through the fall of your Sophomore year (45 Credit Hours). Direct admits do not need to reapply. Competitive admission applications are due in January of your Sophomore year and require at least a 3.65 GPA and 45 credit hours.
The information is summarized in the 2017 Competitive Admissions Presentation at the bottom of the link provided in Post #4.
@Mom2aphysicsgeek We called Admissions and were told that they DO need to apply after Freshman year and that they need a 3.9 or 4.0 SC GPA to even have a chance. The thread comment by @islandgal is correct.
Thanks for providing accurate info @atlkaw6.
@LIParent101 I am suspecting that there is miscommunication. If they are pre-admitted to IB via honors and they maintain their qualifications, they do not have to reapply to be readmitted. They were already admitted. We were just there this weekend for Top Scholars and listened to the IB presentation. GPA and credit hour requirements were specified. But, no, no reapplication. (Why bother with offering direct admit bc then it wouldn’t even exist?)
@Mom2aphysicsgeek I think that the confusion is that if you indicate IB on your application and you are not in the Honors College, USC still indicates that you are pre-IB. However, the pre-IB students who are not in the Honors College have to go through the competitive application process.
It is very difficult to be accepted to IB through the competitive application process. Even though they state the minimum requirements are a 3.65 GPA, most if not all competitive applicants have a 3.90 or better and a strong resume.
Wow. Ok, that makes sense. Admissions should be notified that they need to clarify their wording. My dd’s acceptance simply said accepted pre-IB as well. I guess their website does sort of make it clear that the direct admit is through honors and kids should know if they were accepted to honors or not. But, yes, that is confusing.
When we went to orientation, my D’s info all said pre-IB even though she was a direct admit through Honors College. Apparently this is because even the direct admits need certain stats to stay in the program.
My D is a second year student. She got an email before winter break asking if she wanted to continue in the IB program because they were finalizing the number of new admits that they’d have room for. She said yes. Then she got another email just a few weeks ago confirming her as an IB major.
Now back to the OP: it depends! If you really like Carolina and it’s a financial fit, then go even if the IB thing isn’t a sure thing. You will probably be happy even if you end up with a different major.
But If you actually prefer one of the other very good schools you mentioned and the money works out, then choose that school. You’ll be happy with the overall experience and not have the stress of the IB application.
Yes if you are admitted as an honors student you are automatically in the IB program. Also, if you are accepted into cohort you will be able to get in that way. The others who applied pre IB are not guaranteed admission to IB.
I wonder out of the students who were admitted into BOTH HC and as pre-IB, i.e., DIRECT admits to IB, how many of them fail to “advance” into IB major due to the failure to maintain high enough GPA (3.5 as I understand from above posts)? That would really s*ck. I wonder if they are strict about this GPA requirement. I guess if Darla Moore Business School is good even without IB major, then I guess it’s worth studying business there. If a significant percentage of DIRECT admits to IB Program fail to maintain high enough GPA, I would feel a little uneasy. Viewed in this way, I guess just getting into both HC and pre-IB is an accomplishment. I didn’t know they only take 120 to 130 students per year for IB Majors.
I agree that designating someone as a “pre-IB” even when they are not admitted into IB program is somewhat confusing because it could mislead those students into thinking that they have a good shot of getting into IB major after 2 years. Heck, I didn’t even know there was 3.5 GPA requirement to get into IB major even for direct admits to IB.
We heard a presentation by an IB sr who was in one of the cohorts. That young man’s accomplishments were stellar. No question his GPA was high. His GPA was surely one of his lessor accomplishments. He has been highly recruited for employment. Truly inspire g young man.
Btw, the employment rate is incredibly high.
If you are interested in IB and get into U of SC for IB in honors or cohort you are on a great track. I just have an issue with U of SC not being up front on the acceptance letter about not actually being in the IB program for all of those not in Honors or Cohort. The letter says nothing about having to apply to be in it after freshman year. I know more than one person who thought they were accepted in IB and it turns out they aren’t. Luckily they found out the real situation but I’m sure many others are in the dark and sending in their deposits.
@websensation I would say that most of the pre-IB students who are direct admits through the Honors College maintain the GPA requirements and enter IB. The students who do not stay in IB usually change majors or decide that they do not want to meet the language requirement of four 300 level courses.
In the past, they had also included Capstone Scholars as direct admits, but by including Capstone Scholars and SCHC students, there were hardly any spots available for competitive admission. In addition, they increased the GPA for the Honors College direct admits because the GPA for the competitive admit candidates was so much higher.
@islandgal I would agree with @LuckyCharms913 that fit is more important than rankings. If you like USC, want to live and work in the Southeast and think USC is a good fit, then attend USC. If you want to live and work in the Northeast and the schools that you mention in your original post are a good fit, then pursue those schools.
The USC IB program requires students to double major. What is your intended business major in addition to IB? If you are interested in supply chain, GSCOM is very highly rated. Students who graduate in GSCOM can have their Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Certification at graduation. The finance department has a Carolina Finance Scholars program that is competitive and is placing students in investment banking jobs. The reason that that IB students have high employment placement is that they all have strong resumes: High GPA’s, Internships, Study Abroad Experience. All of these items can be achieved whether you are in IB or not.
I believe that if you work hard, build your resume and strive to be the best in your intended major, you can succeed at any of the schools mentioned in your original post, including USC.