<p>I'm planning on majoring in business and, considering I live in California, it would be ideal to go to a UC. UCI is one of the few that actually offers a business major but is it worth going to for about 30K a year? I know rankings aren't always the most reliable source but the school didn't even place on Businessweek's 2012 ranking of the top 124 undergraduate business programs in the country. Can anyone give me some insight on the program and if it's even better than other cheaper schools (e.g. Cal Poly SLO)?</p>
<p>Bear in mind Businessweek will not begin ranking the business program until 2017 when data is available on at least four full graduating classes.</p>
<p>Honestly business programs across the nation don’t tend to differ all that much at the undergraduate level. Even at elite programs like Wharton (UPenn), Stern(NYU), Darden (Virginia) and to a lesser extent Haas (Berkeley) and Ross (Michigan) the thing that makes them truly unique and special is the quality of on campus recruiting from top S&P 100 firms, top bulge bracket investment banks, and top tier management consulting firms. </p>
<p>In the end when deciding which business program to select, base the decision off of the kinds of exit opportunities / quality of on campus recruiting the school has to offer. Don’t worry to much about the curriculum as most business programs are likely to consist of a traditional mix of classes focused around statistics, operations management, finance, accounting, marketing, strategy, IT, business communication, and organizational behavior.</p>
<p>One final note:</p>
<p>When considering where to go to school you will also want to take into consideration the kinds of companies located near and close to campus. Are there companies around campus that might be attractive places to pursue an internship? Obviously the more urban the area, the more likely it is you will be able to find a variety of business related internships.</p>
<p>Ah, I just realized how new the program is. But that’s a good point about the internships… I guess Cal Poly SLO wouldn’t be the best idea then as it’s pretty much off on its own?</p>
<p>My best advice would be to look into the schools I listed above. Aim high, work hard and if you have any further questions keep them coming.</p>
<p>I doubt I could get into top-tier business schools, nor could I afford them. That’s why I’m looking towards UCs and CSUs or anything equivalent/below in cost that’s still decent (e.g. University of Minnesota Twin Cities).</p>