<p>Which of the two is a better undergraduate university for business?</p>
<p>Is there a reason you aren’t considering Notre Dame? It was ranked #1 undergrad business 2 years in a row.</p>
<p>Except for the fact that Emory is ranked above Wharton in that magazine (and so is ND). I know that these are great BBA programs but I looked at the stats used to support the rank, and Wharton still wins. I would not go by that. Also, I don’t know if Vandy has a BBA, though they perhaps have a decent/good econ. program (as in one that I would guess be superior to ours as ours lives in the shadows of the BBA program). Either way, if merely going for a BBA, just come here if only choosing between the two. However, there is more to a University than a single entity, and I’d suggest you feel the two out. They are completely different. The only real similarities are the location (southeast) and quality of student body. They feel very different otherwise if only due to the organization and demographics of the schools.</p>
<p>Emory has its advantages re location and with the success of its masters programs on site. Atlanta is much more of a national profile draw for business internships nearby. Both schools are very pro business in atmosphere, with student bodies that have sort of split political leanings, with Emory having the edge IMHO on applied learning and Vandy still in the Econ plus certificate specialized arena modes. </p>
<p>I agree with bernie that the social worlds of the 2 colleges are not that similar. Vanderbilt is more of a regional setting with a more traditional campus. The campus world can be more insular and compelling than the host city. The opposite in Atlanta. The attractions off campus at Emory are so distracting that students tend to live large and not just on campus.</p>
<p>Just a gut feeling. Students at this time have higher stats overall at Vanderbilt because Vandy pulled in close to 25 thousand applicants this year…no slackers really at either college. Emory enjoys the benefits of the city of Atlanta being quite proud of it and Vanderbilt enjoys this same privileged status in Nashville. The difference is really that Emory is in a city with more commerce and breadth.</p>
<p>Vanderbilt’s no loans financial packages can be deal breakers for students impacted by their financial aid decisions.</p>
<p>Emory has Emory advantage which is really solid (treated me extremely well. You go for free under a certain income, and between that and another income bracket, aid is quite generous) and also, Vandy has always led Emory stat. wise, before either got big. The current gap between stats. at Emory vs. Vanderbilt is the same as it was before Vandy shot up in app. numbers. The low (25%) end is a difference of 40 SAT points in favor of Vandy as it has always been and the gap is closing at the top (75%) end where they are only 20-30 apart (use to be more I believe) if you compare the two current freshman classes. Stat. wise, the student bodies are hardly different (they both have 1400+ average/median, so you won’t notice a difference in intelligence level if you visit either campus. However, differences in orientation of campus and student body will govern the way in which the intelligence is used or displayed) and the gap hasn’t grown because of Vandy’s increased interest. Though I do believe, when it merely comes down to the students Vandy “admits”, Vandy blows us away, so getting into Vandy is hard as hell. The students yielded, not a big difference (the schools have two different admission schemes/patterns. Both win I guess) . “Same ole, same ole” for that category. While Emory enjoys a privileged status, it doesn’t stand alone in Atlanta (Georgia Tech is awesome as well) and that makes it kind of interesting.</p>
<p>I’m kind of surprised that Vandy students don’t live as large as they are located right in the heart of an area of Nashville with a huge amount of attractions whereas Emory is only connected to Atlanta’s attractions via the huge transportation system (I mean, come on, we are in an extremely forested suburb) of Emory and eventually by car for most students. I think it’s easier to end up stuck in a bubble at Emory than Vandy, though going out is indeed very enticing for most of the student body and we do indeed use and abuse our pretty solid transportation system when desired.</p>
<p>There is something about being closer to interstate 95 and 85 and in some ways connected to the eastern seaboard that makes Emory feel connected up…while I always feel very far “west” in Nashville. Have lived in Atlanta four times and twice in Nashville myself, both times with professional and student ties to both places. </p>
<p>Nashville is very cozy and Emory is close to some of the in-town oasis places in Atlanta that also feel like genuine neighborhoods. Atlanta’s ties to major federal projects makes it a unique city. </p>
<p>One thing we noticed about Emory is that the introductory classes were actually smaller in size than the same classes at Duke and sometimes at Vandy. I think the tour guide said they only had one very large lecture hall on campus? I would be guessing at how many that hall seats. We were sometimes a bit shocked with hefty class sizes at Duke for all intro courses in Econ, psych and sciences. Emory can feel like a liberal arts college depending on your major…but this compliment can be paid to Vandy as well. </p>
<p>Having Georgia Tech in town is an asset…world class engineering students hanging out in the same places Emory kids often show up for relaxation.</p>
<p>Has anyone mentioned that Vandy doesn’t HAVE a business college? That would be important to consider…The closest thing they have are majors in Econ and minors in 3 different Managerial Studies.</p>
<p>if I went to vandy I would have a major in econ with with a minor in environmental resources, then get an mba after undergrad. However, which school places better with graduate schools.</p>
<p>you won’t be able to quantify how you will rate with graduate schools this way. it will depend on your GMAT, your GPA, your references, your mentorships with teachers, your internships and your ability to use Nashville and Atlanta well as learning laboratories. MBA programs will not want you until you have worked for a while, and those references matter a lot. The GMAT is very quantitative, so you must focus on preparation for that exam while your courses are fresh in your mind. Vanderbilt has a fifth year program in accounting, Duke has a fifth year program in business…these options are often there because of the drop in hiring in the usual places since the recession of 2008 and the need to present yourself as having taken business school courses to get a job. While Vanderbilt is more selective now, you can’t predict how selective Emory will be in four short years. My Duke econ grad is working side by side with Emory and Ga Tech and UGA business graduates and working very hard to be as skilled as the talented people he is working with now. Doing well at Emory will be “good enough”…ditto Vanderbilt but doing well in your four years will matter no matter where you end up.</p>
<p>While we are on this topic of undergraduate business and econ. programs, I have to admit that I had little respect for them (the ones at Emory at least) because I saw the coursework and it didn’t appear that rigorous at all, and maybe it isn’t as whole (could be easy to get a grade, but the curricula and syllabi are very effective in giving real experience as there are many very intense/interesting projects) , however, I looked on the GBS website and found a new respect. Many of those students are really, really, talented! Apparently, on of the incoming BBA classes had 16% of students who had started a business already. And then I read the accomplishments of them as students at the B-school and they are more interesting than I would have expected (as in going beyond things like typical finance and i-banking related things. Many seemed to have “multi-disciplinary” goals and abilities with what they learned). I thought these b-schools or econ. programs at top schools were all hype (mainly a heavily weighted name with a typical curriculum, and thus solid job placement), but when you put lots of resources and solid teaching in the hands of great students, you get interesting, sometimes unexpected results (especially in our case, since it is a 2-year program and many may culminate interests in the college and then combine them with their goals and interests as a BBA student). These people do some really cool things I would not have thought of. </p>
<p>As for grad. opps. Faline is right. If you go to any of these schools and do well and perhaps become involved in the many interesting projects your awesome peers are doing, you should be good. If you are serious and passionate about it (business or econ.), any of these places are excellent for you.</p>
<p>Also, take into account of the businesses in Nashville and the businesses in Atlanta.</p>
<p>Atlanta is where Coca Cola and CNN are located. Nashville has CMT.
[Largest</a> Nashville Employers - Listing of Largest Nashville Employers](<a href=“http://nashville.about.com/od/careersjobs/a/topnashcompanys.htm]Largest”>http://nashville.about.com/od/careersjobs/a/topnashcompanys.htm)
[Atlanta</a> Fortune 500 Companies - Top Atlanta Employers](<a href=“http://atlanta.about.com/od/findingajob/tp/atlanta-fortune-500.htm]Atlanta”>http://atlanta.about.com/od/findingajob/tp/atlanta-fortune-500.htm)</p>
<p>I would settle for Emory’s business school. Vanderbilt is more known for their sciences.</p>
<p>If you really want a business program, Emory is the better choice. It has a highly ranked business school (#3 Bloomberg Business and #12 USNWR). It also has Atlanta at its door with a plethora of top fortune 500 companies. Vanderbilt doesn’t have a business school.</p>
<p>I know that you can attempt to simulate a business program at Vandy with their HOD major. My son actually double majored - HOD and Econ. But the program is still not going to compare to something like the accounting or finance major that you could get at Emory. </p>
<p>Sure you could go to Vandy and then get your MBA later. Vandy has D1 sports and it may be the better school if you want engineering or music, and maybe even for a liberal arts major. But for undergraduate business - Emory trumps Vanderbilt.</p>
<p>People vastly overestimate the value of an undergraduate business degree. None of the Ivies, with the exception of Penn, have undergraduate business programs, including Harvard, yet Harvard still does better than pretty much every business school (with the possible exception of Wharton @ Penn) when it comes to recruiting for investment banking, consulting, and a plethora of other jobs in the business world. Why? Most learning comes on the job, and companies know that.</p>
<p>I’ve posted a few times on this forum before, but I have an internship at a bulge bracket investment bank this summer, and I got there without having to pigeonhole myself into a “business” or “accounting” major. I got to undertake liberal arts coursework and actually improve my critical thinking, while still ending up with all of the same job opportunities (PM me for more info) as someone who went to a business school. I’m not sure what exactly you want to do when you say “business”, but if consulting is on your radar, it is worth noting that two of the three most prestigious consulting firms (BCG + Bain) were started by Vanderbilt grads. Not to mention that both firms recruit on campus for a number of locations, including Atlanta. I’m not sure location matters quite as much as people make it out to.</p>
<p>Unless Emory feels like a better fit, go to Vandy. It has a better rep, you’ll receive a broader education, its’ acceptance rate is dropping far faster, and the level of school pride (and resulting help) that Vanderbilt alums on Wall Street have demonstrated really surprised me, in a good way. Visit both before you do, obviously, but good luck!</p>
<p>Just to set the record straight, Penn is not the only ivy with an undergraduate business major. Cornell has its AEM major, which stands for Applied Economics and Management. It is a highly competitive program, and places its students very well after graduation. Columbia has a business concentration, similar to a minor. But the OP isn’t really comparing ivies here- just vandy vs emory.</p>
<p>You bring up valid points about the limits of an undergraduate business degree. I respect the value of a liberal arts degree and have one myseld. But the OP should just be aware that by going to vandy they are giving up the chance to major in accounting, finance, marketing etc. This could haunt them in four years, or their vandy degree may be enough. I know vandy was a frustration for my son when he had decided that he wanted a business concentration but could only opt for his econ/hod double major. </p>
<p>My daughter, a CPA now at a top accounting firm, still wishes that her college had had more undergraduate business classes and offerings. She has never once wished that her resume had more liberal arts classes.</p>
<p>Emory’s business is better known</p>
<p>Emory’s BBA is inferior to its MBA, and its MBA is nothing special. Its BBA program ranks so highly because so many of the universities that exceed it in business education are only committed to graduate business school.
Even though Vandy does not offer undergraduate business, its recruitment is similar to Goizueta’s. Both schools are “semi-targets” as far as recruiting goes, although Vandy has more upward momentum.</p>
<p>Vanderbilt had a business degree years ago. Lots of students who might have majored in that double-major in Economics and Human & Organizational Development (peabody school). It’s a pretty common occurrence. The kids from those majors get jobs and do well. I’m sure many pursue the MBA later in their careers.</p>
<p>commodore15,</p>
<p>According to the USNWR graduate business school ranking, Emory is #19 and Vanderbilt is #25. Looks like Vandy’s program is even more - inferior.</p>
<p>Vandy is a great school, but it is not one of the best places to go for undergraduate business.</p>
<p>Yeah, except quality of a school’s MBA program does not equal strength of undergraduate institution for going into business at the undergraduate level. Vanderbilt’s undergraduate reputation/prestige in the undergraduate world is comparatively higher than Vanderbilt’s business reputation/prestige in the MBA world (and arguably, better than Emory at the undergraduate level - 12% acceptance rate vs 26% acceptance rate). You will be just fine breaking into banking, consulting, or whatever else you want to do – and I’m saying this as someone who has done so, and didn’t find Vanderbilt’s “lack of business program” to matter in the slightest. I’m not an all out Vanderbilt fanboy – I would readily recommend someone interested in business to pick H/Y/P/S/MIT/Wharton over it – but I think in comparison to Emory, Vanderbilt is the better choice.</p>
<p>Just to clarify, and to reiterate what speechie92 said, I was not referring to Vandy’s business school. Top undergraduate schools without business majors/concentrations often receive heavy recruiting, and not necessarily due to the presence of a top graduate business school. Look at Williams, Amherst, Yale, Princeton, Brown, etc.</p>