Having narrowed the list down to 2 schools, I’m now deciding between Franklin and Marshall and Ohio State. I’ve visited both twice so here’s a pro/con list for each:
F&M:
Well regarded, strong business/econ
Nice distance from home
Nice campus + surrounding area
Small Classes
Cons:
No big sports
Small school atmosphere
Ohio State:
Solid business school
Huge sports
Big school atmosphere
In a city
Cons:
Location (I’d have to fly)
Not as presigious
It is hard to believe that with two such distinct options that you don’t have a preference. Here would be some things you want to consider. There are no right or wrong answers.
–Do you thrive on small intimate environments? Or do you like the big school bustle?
–Are things like big time sports etc, impt. to you?
–Do you prefer one location over the other?
–Do you prefer small classes? Do you think you would be fine in large lectures (esp. for intro level courses)?
–What do you want to study? Are you in the b-school at Ohio State? I don’t think F&M has a business school (at least as far as I know). Economics is a liberal arts course of study and is not the same as studying a discipline like accounting, finance, IT etc. in a b-school. If you are in the b-school at Ohio State you might want to look at the curriculum for your intended major online for both schools and see if you have a preference.
My D is at a different LAC and loves it but she wanted that small school experiene. My S felt LACs were too small for his tastes. Both had amazing college experiences. So you really need to sort out what you want over your next 4 years.
Socially I do have a preference towards Ohio State, as I listed big school and sports as pros. While this gives it an advantage, it is a flight away which I don’t love (I live about 20 min outside Boston) and although I have no problem with large classes it’s hard not to prefer the intimate class sizes that F&M offers. It’s all about weighting those variables.
I agree. Thing is that different people will weigh the same variables differently so you need to decide what will be best for you.
Have you visited both campuses? If you’ve visited what were your impressions and did one feel more comfortable than the other? Such different schools and environments. Regarding distances, F&M is a 6.5 hours car ride from Boston and Columbus is approx. a 2 hour flight time from Boston.
Prestige shouldn’t be a factor, but how is F&M more prestigious than tOSU?
Why would you have to fly? It’s only a 6 hour drive. And I agree with the previous poster about prestige.