Help please...

Colleges and Universities A-Z Villanova University
1

<p>I got into BC Carroll and Villanova Business. Money is the same at both schools. Here are some of my thoughts so far:
BC is probably the better overall school, but the business programs are comparable. BC has better sports since football, hockey, and basketball are big while Nova only has basketball. Boston is a better city than Philly. The social life at BC is better than Nova. BC seems to have more of a national rep while Nova is more regional. Both have equally strong alumni networks in Manhattan. I liked BC's campus and location better than Nova but you can't go wrong with Nova really. I visited Nova this past weekend and I liked it a lot, but I didn't get that "feeling" that you're supposed to get once you find the place you will attend. I was really impressed with the program they had yesterday, which is why I'm having trouble making this decision. I'm visiting BC this weekend.</p>

<p>I live in New Jersey and Villanova is a lot closer, but that's more of an issue with my parents than myself. I actually like the fact that it's not really close.</p>

<p>As you might be able to point out, it looks as though I'm leaning towards BC. I'm probably forgetting a few things, but I want to know if there is anything else I should consider and what you think of my analysis. Where would you go in this situation?</p>

2

<p>By the rankings the schools are really close, but Villanova has been making huge gains recently, and they are now beginning to draw the top students to go along with their incredible programs, and their rankings are improving at an incredible rate. Over the next four years I see a Nova business degree gradually worth more and more.</p>

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<p>Hi metfan - Congratulations on your acceptance - BC and VU both have tremendous undergraduate business schools, while your decision may be difficult, take comfort in the fact that you can't go wrong with your choice! As a disclaimer, I graduated from VSB and my husband graduated from Carrol - so I hope I can offer good perspective on both. </p>

<p>The rankings:
VSB was ranked #13 in the nation by BusinessWeek in the 3rd annual ranking of u/g business schools in Feb08. Carroll was ranked #14. See rankings:
Undergrad</a> - BSchools</p>

<p>VU was also ranked the #1 "Most Wired" University in the nation by the Princeton Review. This was due to their laptop and podcast initiatives, wireless connectivity, and nationally recognized Applied Finance Lab. </p>

<p>VSB has made tremendous strides increasing the prestige, technology and star staff over the past five years. They have a relatively new dean (formerly of Tuck - dartmouth's mba program) who has a very aggressive strategic plan in place - I would expect the value of a VSB degree to continue to grow in the future. </p>

<p>Jobs:
Villanova has very strong recruiting ties to the big four accounting firms as well as most major wall st firms (Chase, Morgan Stanley, etc.). The majority of jobs recruited for on campus are in the NY, NJ, PA area. BC also has strong recruiting ties with the accounting firms as well as Boston and NY financial companies. BC has a VERY enthusiastic corp of Carroll alumni who go out of their way to help recent grads find work. </p>

<p>Student Life:
I think you'll find the type of kids who attend VU and BC to be very similar. VU does have a tremendous sense of community and spirit of service - with many students participating in service trips, special olympics coaching, tutoring of inner city kids, etc. VU also has fraternities and sororities, while BC does not (not sure if this is important to you). BC probably higher profile on the sports scene with the football program. </p>

<p>One other random note - BC does have a significantly larger endowment that VU and has big plans for expansion, new buildings etc. I'm not sure this will affect your experience as a student (you mention aid is the same) - but BC's resources are considerably more. </p>

<p>Again - don't think you can go wrong - it really comes down to how far from home you want to be and where you want to work after graduation (I think VU may have more recruiting in NYC that BC).</p>

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<p>Thanks for the advice. I saw today that Newsweek ranked BC's finance program as 8th in the nation, while Nova is 29th. How important do you think this difference is within the finance major opposed to the entire business school? I know Nova is kind of known especially for its accounting program within the business school as well, which I am fairly certain I have no interest in.</p>

<p>It's going to be difficult to turn down one of them. Thanks again for your help.</p>

5

<p>I'm also choosing between undergrad B-schools for finance but I think in the end, I'll go with Villanova. Even though it is more famous for its Accounting program, it is very easy to double major within the business school (especially with AP Credits). I'm going in with around seven or eight AP course credits that I can use so I think having both a finance and an accounting major (especially at villanova) can be helpful when looking for a job.</p>

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<p>where else are you deciding between?</p>