OOS ¶ DD was admitted to honors college, pre-business, should have a bunch of AP credits going in which could offer double major options (maybe communications?), and will visit in the coming weeks. She will be weighing a few great options of mid size schools (4-8k) with undergrad business schools with higher rankings and better physical proximity to potential future employers than Clemson. Also has Biz school acceptance to Penn State, but while the alum network is great, she appreciates smaller learning environments and Penn St is 2.5 times size of Clemson. Clemson seems to offer similar campus spirit as Penn St (which she likes) , and the mid size schools can’t match that energy. Facing a Goldilocks decision, looking for spirit AND Business School academic opportunity.
Clearly, with the growth and new construction, Clemson is making big investments in their Business school. Havent found much CC discussion about the attributes of the business school, what majors are strongest, size of business school classes, faculty quality and access, advising, active business-focused clubs, Alumni network, outcomes of grads (including geographic destinations).
Can anyone with experience with Clemson business school share useful info on these type of issues?
I feel like you wrote that on my son’s behalf lol. Also OOS and also accepted to Penn State and Clemson for business. My son has dual enrollment and AP credits going in as well. Won’t get credit for one AP at Penn State though bc he got a 3, but Clemson would give credit so +3 for Clemson there. The alumni network for Penn State and proximity to larger cities for internships is a big plus for PSU but size of campus, location from home (in NC, 8 hrs one way drive)and weather are negatives for Penn State. Smeal has a better ranking to Clemson’s business school as well. Our son just feels more at home at Clemson (3:45 from our house).
Wish I could help. We’re in the same boat. Son also accepted to PSU, but wants to get away from the cold so he’s leaning towards Clemson, U Miami and UF. I’ve kinda given up on the rankings and stuff. I started to go out of my mind overthinking things. At this point I feel like they’re all good schools and I want him to go where he thinks he’ll be happiest. I think if they’re motivated, do well, and take advantage of the career services they can get good internships and jobs.
We are in the same boat as well & I welcome any/all insight to the quality of Clemson’s Business School. S is top 5% of his class: 1500 SATs, 4.5 gpa & lots of AP credits from NJ & was awarded $15k/yr. Clemson was a safe option & as a huge sports fan it checks off a lot of boxes, & there was little not to like on our visit. His decisions are between Boston College CSOM, Villanova Business & Honors, IU Kelley Business & Hutton Honors, UMD Smith Business & Scholars, & URichmond. I believe he’s ruled out Richmond & Maryland. He’s most concerned about being at a school which will challenge him and offer opportunities for internship & ultimately a job coming out of Clemson Business. We understand there is a strong alumni network but looking online it seems internships & job placement favor engineering majors. The new building proves they are committed to putting the business school on the national map & it may be an exciting time to be there. Most important we’ve told him if he’s happy, success will follow no matter where he goes & he shouldn’t place so much emphasis on rankings. Any input is appreciated.
As with any college, It is what the student chooses to make of it. I suggest looking through the website at all the programs it offers and see if they interest your student (Chapman Scholars, ILead, TigerTies, Study Abroad). As several have said, Clemson is putting a lot into the business school and the new building opening is very exciting and speaks to their commitment to growing the program. I have two in the business college and we’re very pleased. The opportunities for involvement, internships, professional development, networking and career counseling are all prevalent, if the student chooses to be involved. Clemson Career Center has been recently ranked #1 or #2 in the nation over the past several years. The career fairs are extensive and impressive (IMO), the interview lab is amazing. I can’t comment on how it stacks up to your other options, but as @prouddadof3 said, it’s the “fit” of a college and whether or not the student takes advantage of opportunities that really matters.
We are in the same boat as well. S got into Clemson,U Miami, UMD Smith Business school and Bentley with a generous scholarship. First choice was Villanova, but was waitlisted. Visiting Bentley soon and just got back from Clemson. Very impressed with Dean York and her vision of where she wants to take the business school. Great school spirit and beautiful campus. A little far, we are in Maryland, but weather is a plus. Would love to know where you all end up. Also looking for any additional info.
While my S20 has yet to apply to any of these schools, his plan is to apply to most of the ones people have discussed here. Richmond always seems at the top of all the business school searches that we do. And Bentley comes up again and again as one of the schools with the highest median starting salary as well as great internship opportunities. Being near Boston obviously it’s a major factor for Bentley. Right now everywhere I seem to look Bentley would be definitely in the running for various excellent opportunities however we are trying to actually find fault with it LOL because it is literally in our backyard and my son would rather chase warmer weather.
Clemson is his top choice however out of the three students I know who have gone there, two of which are business majors, they had difficulty finding jobs down in that area and both came back up to Boston for better opportunities. However the Clemson name, due in part to their football program definitely helped for name recognition. .
All the schools are solid but it also depends on what you want from the program. Do you want to focus on internship opportunities? Do you want to end up living in that area? Like a previous poster I am pretty much done with looking at rankings because all are very good schools and now is the time to drill down into each program for specifics.
My daughter just chose business school of Clemson over Univ. of Florida’s business school. We live in Florida, and my daughter loves the state of Florida but does not love UF nor the super-size of the school. The business school at UF is nearly all on-line classes. So, we were not impressed with that. Also, UF is super inspired to be top #5 government university on US News & World Report rankings, and all focus is on those calculations and not really on making the education better for undergrads (my opinion based on how the school talks/language they use to students and parents). We looked at the fall classes being offered at UF and Clemson and were able to find syllabuses as well on-line to compare. Many differences can be seen! UF did not have professors listed in most classes that my daughter would be registering for her freshman year (they are all listed as “staff”). I was told she would be signing up not knowing who her profs would be until after registration. Most all Clemson courses and sections has professors listed on the schedule for the fall. We love the Clemson area, the size, the football, and think highly of the business school. After trying to compare similar type of colleges, I feel your dilemma.
My son is an OOS junior at Clemson Business School. He has had a great experience there with smaller class sizes. He visited Penn State and thought the classes were too large and students need to reapply to be admitted into the business school at Penn State. Yes, Penn Srare has a great reputation but the classes sizes were so large. My son did his own networking and secured 2 awesome internships over the past two summers. He was offer a great internship w a large fiancé company this summer. Good Luck!!
Just curious @mocha666 if your son secured his internships in the southeast or northeast. My son is not interested in living/working in the southeast and feels he may be at a disadvantage at Clemson.
Hi @amr12! I thought I’d chime in with info that might be helpful. I have a son who is graduating from Wharton undergrad in May. I also have a son who will be a freshman at Clemson in the fall. My older son was very focused on going to “the best” business school. He did get a great internship at a major financial institution. He was subsequently offered full time employment. And his job is waiting for him for after graduation. However, a kid from Clemson was also offered an internship and full time employment in the exact same program as my son. They will both be working in NYC. Moral of the story - it’s not about the name of your school, it’s about who you are and what you do at your place of learning. Good luck!!!
We are also torn between Rutger’s Business School (cheaper, in State) and Clemson Pre Business. In our opinion the cost is a pro for RBS but the very large campus, classes, are a negative. Clemson has a beautiful campus and friends who had kids attend absolutely loved it. My concern, like many, is post grad work options in the NY area as well as internships. Wondering if the extra 80k debt is worth it.