So my student has already SIR’d at Davis and is excited at the prospect of being an Aggie. The dilemma came Monday when we received the SLO admission off the waitlist for business. Let’s just say for argument sake that Davis and SLO are neck and neck in terms of environment, student body, proximity to home, etc. This is purely a question of whether Cal Poly SLO’s undergraduate business program is clearly better than UC Davis’ Managerial Economics program–and by better, I mean from an average student recruiting perspective. I think many people know that many California universities do not have actual undergraduate business schools in California. I would likely put USC and Berkeley at the top. At this time, I’d put SLO up there and probably ahead of UCI, Pepperdine, LMU, SCU, etc., but I personally don’t have that much personal knowledge (I’m an attorney). Any insight into the recruiting preferences for employers for SLO business graduates would be greatly appreciated, especially as such preference would be against Davis’ Managerial Economics Program (which curriculum wise is a business degree, but not offered within a school of business).
I think you may have posted this in the wrong forum (UCSD not UC Davis).
I’m not a recruiter, just someone from CA. I think SLO Business is very recognized, but I’ve heard and seen that it is very difficult to finish in 4 years because classes are so impacted. Davis of course is respectable, but I usually hear of STEM degrees from there- not to say Managerial Econ would not be as respected. Your student should definitely consider that the campuses have pretty different feels and the costs. Perhaps find alumna of your students high school or friends who attend those schools and ask about the reputation and experiences in those programs.
Post moved to CA colleges forum. I would compare course curriculum since Managerial Econ is not truly a “business” type major in the normal sense. Check out the career centers for both schools and see which employers recruit.
Campuses are similar but still very different in size and diversity.
No bad choice between the two.
@Bruin92 - My D was in a very similar situation: got off SLO’s business admin waitlist last week after already committing to UCLA for pre-business econ. SLO was high on the list originally but my D decided to stick with UCLA even though it doesn’t have a business school.
With classes online in fall (and perhaps all year) SLO’s “learn by doing” appeal seems less likely. On top of that, my D will have more flexibility to switch majors or add a double major at UCLA (same for UCD) than she would at SLO. These were just a few keys reasons, she quickly chose to decline the offer.
Your S has two great choices, either way, he really can’t go wrong IMHO. Good luck with the decision.
Agree with @Gumbymom that it is important to compare the course offerings before making a final decision.
they are both excellent, I would lean to SLO because it is a lot smaller, has smaller GE classes and its in SLO (weather, size, beach proximity and feel).
Both UCD and SLO are still pretty fluid on their fall plans.
https://coronavirus.calpoly.edu/classes-and-programs
https://www.ucdavis.edu/news/uc-davis-plans-welcome-students-back-campus-fall
UCD’s managerial economics degree is highly respected in the business world. Compared to CPSLO, my company, a fortune 100 company, hires many UCD grads with managerial econ degrees, especially in the finance organizations. Some may have previously worked somewhere else first (like a Big 4) before getting hired at my company.
In addition, a business degree has more in depth coverage in a discipline than a business econ type degree.
First, Gumbymom thank you for moving my post to the appropriate forum. I have followed you for some time and know that your son attended Davis and had a very good experience.
Second, thank all of you for your opinions. It truly does affirm our beliefs that the decision could go either way and while one program may be better in some eyes, the other may be better in others. We will try to gather as much intel as we can over the next week.
Thanks so much.
I know it’s an old thread, but I wonder which school your student ended up going to and how was his/her experience last year. My student is choosing between the same schools and majors this year. Any feedback would be helpful.
As I note above, they are both excellent, I would lean to SLO because it is a lot smaller, has smaller GE classes and its in SLO (weather, size, beach proximity and feel). I really encourage you to visit both, talk to some students, grab a meal near campus - I am sure your son will prefer one pretty quickly - pick that one.
Congrats and good luck.
If you are still trying to decide, you might post a new thread in College Search & Selection.