<p>My son was admitted to University of Alabama honors college with a full tuition scholarship. He was also admitted to University of IL with no money (I assume based on everything that I've heard). Both into the business school Obviously, U of I has a much better reputation, but son is saying that he would rather go to UA and finish undergrad with no debt and have us help with grad school. He also insists that he can get into a good grad school no matter where he does his undergrad. He is also waiting on several more colleges, but he says that unless he gets into UVA (not likely), he'll go to UA. Is he correct that it does not matter where he does his undergrad? Can you really go from Tuscaloosa to Wall Street (his goal at this point)?</p>
<p>First of all the business programs at UIUC are outstanding. I really have no comparison to the UA program, but any business major at Illinois is going to provide excellent grounding for both jobs and grad school.</p>
<p>I’ve been a corporate recruiter for many years. I’ve also worked in Career Services with a couple colleges. The job opportunities open to grads at top schools can be superior. Companies limit the number of schools they work with. Often they want to develop very deep relationships with just a few school. This doesn’t mean that you can’t get to Wall Street from any school in the country. I think it would be smart to ask the UA Career Services dept. what companies actually recruit on campus, how many students were given offers at these companies and how many accepted. They should have the statistics for both internships and new grads. </p>
<p>I’ve been recruiting at UIUC for years. Hundreds of companies show up for the recruiting events - especially for business and engineering. </p>
<p>That said, I would tell my son to go to the school where he thinks he will excel and be happy.</p>
<p>When your S talks about graduate school, he’s talking about an MBA?</p>
<p>Often, financial aid for MBA programs is lacking–the thought is that you can borrow the money to attend and then make it up through cash flow from your wonderful job. I think it would be a huge advantage if he were able to get out of undergrad with no debt.</p>
<p>If he is willing to work hard to be one of the top 3% of the students at UA, I think that he is right and that he can get into a great MBA program. From there, he can go anywhere he pleases.</p>
<p>Also, if he wants to stay in the south to work, then going local is an advantage.</p>
<p>Almost no one goes to top MBA programs straight from undergraduate. What will or will not get him in will be pretty much determined by what he does in the interim - and if he is a top student at UA, he will have the opportuntiy for a “terrific interim”.</p>
<p>$90k could also be seed money to start a business, if that’s where he is headed.</p>
<p>I don’t know too much about MBA admissions, but I’ve known several people who went to good, but not great, undergraduate schools, got high GPAs and went on to great graduate schools, medical schools and law schools.</p>
<p>I’ve also heard that top level investment bankers are the worst snobs in the world. And this specifically refers to recruiting.</p>
<p>I agree that MBA is based more on what you do after undergrad, and there’s no reason he can’t get a wall street job out of UA. As for other, non-MBA post bachelors schools, the “prestige” of your undergrad school is not important at all, but how well-respected the specific program you’re coming from is important, especially as to how leniently they look at a GPA (i.e. a 3.5 from podunk state university is not as impressive as a 3.0 from MIT)</p>
<p>Most Wall Street firms have own firms’ trainings for college graduates as well as MBAs from ivy schools (and UChicago, MIT, Stanford) graduates, every year, for the duration of several months. I doubt you son is looking just for any office job in a Wall Street firm, but one which is required to be in these trainings.</p>
<p>Better finding a way to go to a ivy school either in undergraduate or in MBA.</p>
<p>Can’t speak to business but my husband attended a tiny, not very well kown LAC and got into Yale for and MS and PhD. I think if he can excel and makes good choices, he will get into good grad programs (maybe even one at UI!)</p>