Is UVA better for CS or finance?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Virginia
41

Of course not, because they wanted to be at UVA!

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42

Pretty close, but not 100% correct.

Yes, you apply to Ross BBA as a HS applicant. However, if you did apply to Ross Business School at Michigan as a HS applicant, but were rejected, you can still potentially cross campus transfer to Ross, though priority consideration is given to students who have not previously received a Ross admission decision.

It varies by year, but typically, Michigan’s Ross will accept around 100 cross campus transfers and another 25 applicants from other universities. Cross campus transfer acceptance rate to Ross was about 21% for the Fall 2021.

Also, all Michigan students can apply for a minor at Ross Business School.

43

You might be right, but that’s what they told us in the Ross informational tour last Fall. If admitted to Michigan but declined from Ross - you essentially can’t reapply. The few remaining spots are geared for students who didn’t apply to Ross in high school or decided they want to switch majors once at Michigan. Odds are really tougher to go that route of trying to apply first year according to students.

The minor route is the best way to go if that case - though we also were told by existing Ross students many clubs wont let you in if you are not at Ross.

44

My brother was a UVa professor in the late 80’s. He earned his PhD from UVA, and is a well known money manager and investor. Math undergrad, NCAA D1 All American several times over and understands athletics. One can do quite well in finance with an Econ degree, and indeed my brother finds that undergrad business majors are not often prepared for his line of work. He is a reformed quant, meaning he finds his econometric background useful but more often he looks at businesses that have capacity to throw off cash and which have solid accounting. In any event, UVa’s Econ department likely focused on macro too long (a good thing holistically but not a great thing for graduate rankings). But it is still a solid department, and if you take rigorous courses, Econ can prepare well for finance. My brother passed the CFA exam with little study and grades them to this day. His one complaint about UVA students - and he taught in the business school and econ department,- was they were too caught up in Greek life and did not prepare often enough. His view is that has changed today, but a good reminder not to let social life overwhelm. VT is a fantastic school. I have a son in law with a CS major from VT and a PhD in the same from UVa. Tech is considerably more hands on and gives a great practical start. UVa is more theoretically inclined but attracts very bright people. Motivated people can do well from either school. I had a daughter at Michigan and at Princeton. Daughter liked the direct admit element at Michigan, where she was a Shipman scholar. Princeton was just Princeton and rigorous in every way. I would have been pleased with UVa or Tech, however.

45

UVA does not do a bait and switch. It is very clear on their website and in their application process that you cannot apply into the business school or education school as a freshmen applicant. It is very clear that students need to apply to the business school and education school during their 2nd year of being at UVA. UVA has one of the top business school and if a student applies thinking they would go into finance as a freshmen, they clearly did not do their research.

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46

Does the website provide the % of UVa students that apply for a competitive major that are accepted into that major?

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48

Yes- B.S. in Commerce Admissions Statistics - Experience McIntire

So last year, 613 applied and 375 got accepted. It’s very competitive to get into the McIntire School, so students need to do very well during their first year, esp prereq courses and maintain a strong GPA.

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49

So only 6+ years worth of rolling data including all relative stats plus a specific description and disclaimer. Total deception😀

Older stats are available as well so trends can be considered prior to application


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50

Accounting is an interesting debate point as you typically need to major in accounting to receive an audit offer from a major firm, and that is the typical track for accounting majors. Of course to be CPA eligible, you generally need 150 credits which results in a masters in accounting, usually taken immediately following UG. You might be able do the masters without an accounting degree provided you take some accounting prereqs. That would be very challenging.

So if you go to UVA and don’t get in to the B-School, accounting at Big 4 is unlikely (I assume). The other major job sectors like consulting, banking, asset mgmt typically sought after can (and are) frequently be accomplished from other majors like Econ, Math, Engineering, Comp Sci, etc. Lots of “target schools” don’t have an UG B School and those kids do just fine (Think HYP and other Ivies, Duke, Vandy, many LACs etc.)

Accounting would be a problem though.

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51

You are right, ECON is not the same thing as Finance or Accounting when looking for a job, and this is not just for banking or consulting. Many companies just need someone with finance and accounting skills, and if a kid goes to a school that culls close to half the class before even getting into the meat of the accounting or finance degree program, then that kid is taking a huge career risk.

It is surprising that so many parents are taking a “the kid deserves it” approach when an 18 year old does not completely understand the career implications of a decision he or she is making when choosing a school that could remove the kid from a degree program even when the kid is performing fine.

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52

Some companies and industries like kids with eclectic humanities backgrounds, others like math skills, some like physics majors. In fact some finance companies don’t like kids with accounting backgrounds based on it being a relatively narrow skill set that can be taught on a needs basis while in training as an analyst.

Yes in great detail!!

Interesting how you have pivoted away from claims that UVA is being deceptive by ignoring the answer to your own question. Why ask if only to ignore the answer when it contradicts your prior comments? You used the term up thread “bait and switch”. UVA publishes the stats and data in great detail, discusses it during info sessions and tours, etc. There is no attempt at concealment and parents and kids go in with eyes wide open.

So YES UVA is fully transparent and NO kids that don’t get in to M are not doomed professionally in spite of your determined suggestion to the contrary. Examples to the contrary are numerous given that the vast majority of elite undergraduate target schools have no dedicated business school or curriculum.

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53

Many kids at age 17 don’t actually have a clue what a career in finance or accounting entails. They know it shuts down the question “What are you going to major in?” whether from the dentist, parent’s friends, family members; they know it’s respectable (unlike being a social worker, librarian, high school math teacher where apparently you’ll be shunned and a pariah); they know it means big bucks (which of course is laughable- SOME CPA’s, SOME people in finance do very well; others make normal salaries).

But the actual work? Not a clue. I see young people sometimes struggling with a “parent approved major” and wonder- does the world need another third rate accountant vs. what might have been a first rate occupational therapist who works with kids with autism, or a first rate speech therapist who works with stroke victims?

So I take the “remove the kid from a degree program” narrative with a grain of salt. Sometimes the kid COULD have cut it- maybe liked it, maybe hated it, who knows. But often it’s a kid who would have hated it and been terrible at it (yes, there are terrible accountants).

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54

Three responses to your post:

  1. Let’s not turn another thread into “T10 or bust” with your comment about what goes on at “elite” schools. We all get that Ivy Leagues get kids a leg up on their future careers. Can we just agree that it is implied in every thread?

  2. You are responding multiple times to the same post to try to steer the discussion.

  3. We both agree that 40% of students that attempt to get a business major at UVa will not be successful in pursuing their degree. You think that is a good thing, I do not. To each their own.

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55

I will address this point separately.

Are you saying that UVa is doing these kids a favor by booting them out of their chosen major?

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56

Because UVA is transparent with the data, this is a knowable risk when choosing to apply to UVA. There are many excellent business school choices that don’t have this secondary admission risk, so it’s easy for applicants to avoid schools with this practice/policy.

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57

Here is what you said yesterday


And on June 5th


Ironic in my opinion your suggesting I am being repetitious. Particularly because yesterday I provided you with the precise data you requested. I am hardly “steering” a conversation when you asked the question and have posted 9 times in the same thread.

Previously you stated that UVA is committing a “bait and switch” and based that comment on them not disclosing stats. Now that it was made clear those stats are readily available you are arguing the school isn’t doing the students any favors by referencing those very stats. It begs the question why ask if you are going to restate verbatim the same opinions from June regardless of the answers to your questions in November.

Once again ironic in my opinion and have a great Thanksgiving.

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58

I agree both with you and @CTDad-classof2022 .

I wish all schools were direct admit - any major - of course that would be difficult to manage enrollments. But it stinks that a kid who wants to study - anything - gets denied if the school offers it.

For kids like this who won’t get in, perhaps if they knew up front, they might go elsewhere. But I suspect most don’t believe they are that kid who won’t get in.

On the other hand, I agree with you - the school is clear about their process and even shows data. And people make that decision even knowing that. If they 100% truly want to study business, then shame on them. They could have gone to WVU or UMD instead.

If secondary admission schools had no applicants
if the consumer exerted its control
maybe this would change.

But the allure of a school like UVA or UNC is too strong and kids would rather go even if their academic desires have to change which is a shame.

59

Funny that this thread was recently dredged back up after being dormant since July. The business/commerce philosophy at UVA dates from their founding centuries ago. A liberal arts foundation is key. The university is transparent about the process. Their approach could change down the line, but it is not currently direct admit. If you or your child don’t like that approach, there are plenty of other schools out there. Happy Thanksgiving!

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60

UVA is not known for their CS degree. But there was a recent report from Code Signal that UVA grads were number #1 in the Multiple CS exams showing technical skills and beat out Stanford and CMU. Shows that the students are well trained even though CS may not be ranked top 10. CodeSignal Publishes Second Annual University Ranking Report Based on Technical Skills