Isenberg vs Bentley

Sup I’m having trouble deciding between these. I got 5k form UMASS and 20k from bentley. Umass is the obvious cheaper choice, but I am afraid that it is not as good as Bentley (actually idk bout this). My parents are fairly new to this process since i am the first one to go to college in the US. I want to get my MBA from top 10-15 ranked institutions in the future. I want to know which school is better for internships in the Boston/ NYC area and which one looks better for MBA (idk if i stated that question correctly). thanks for the help

Both schools are excellent for business. Bentley is better for internships/employment. Why do you want an MBA if you are getting an undergraduate degree in business?

An MBA right out of college will cost you 100K and not substantially bump your starting salary. However, if you get a master’s or MBA after you start working, there is a good chance your company will help pay for it.

@helpasap123 I really believe you are selling UMASS Isenberg short. Their students get internships in Boston and jobs in Boston. It’s an excellent school and kids at UMASS all love it. It’s a great college experience. You could save $80K from the tuition difference and save it for an MBA later. The difference between Isenberg and Bentley is minimal. Poets & Quants actually ranks Isenberg as #33 in the country. At this point, P&Q’s rankings are among the most respected. None of that means UMASS is better for you than Bentley.

https://poetsandquantsforundergrads.com/2017/12/05/poetsquants-best-undergraduate-business-programs-2017/4/

Both are very good business. Neither is a top 20 undergraduate program. Go with what makes most sense to you.

If you do well, both schools should be able to get you what you need academically and in terms of internships. If they are both affordable, I’d choose the school that has an environment where you feel you can thrive.

But please recognize that the college you attend is but one small piece of an application for a top MBA program. To even be a competitive candidate for a top tier MBA program you will need – outstanding undergraduate GPA and GMAT results, wonderful recommendations, great essay, and for most schools 2 - 5 years of meaningful work experience where you demonstrate increasing levels of responsibility.

“and for most schools 2 - 5 years of meaningful work experience where you demonstrate increasing levels of responsibility.”

^THIS

OP, your focus should be on fit, and getting a great job after college. Then you can worry about an MBA. Either college will give you great opportunities, so go with the one that you can afford and will enjoy attending.

@suzyQ7 @happy1 @frozencustard thanks!! but i am wondering why bentley isn’t ranked on Poets and Quants

@helpasap123 That’s a great question. US News ranks Bentley #64 and Isenberg at #45. It’s hard to explain Bentley’s weak rankings. You can make you want of out of UMASS rise up the rankings. I believe both schools are very good and you are getting to the point of choice and where you feel a better fit.

https://poetsandquantsforundergrads.com/2017/09/11/wharton-tops-u-s-news-ranking-undergrad-business-schools/3/

@frozencustard i am very confused too of why bentley is ranked low… their career placement is ranked very high in a lot of rakings

It also says that Bentley was ranked #48 the year before. I don’t think the school materially changed in a year.

I’d encourage a choice based on finances and fit rather than rankings.

@happy1 yea I’m highly confused of how p and q rankings work

https://poetsandquantsforundergrads.com/2017/12/05/crunched-numbers-2017-undergraduate-ranking/

The link above is how P&Q explains their ranking and how they differentiate from US News. People can draw their own conclusions on the topic here of Isenberg vs Bentley. My only point was that they are close without much to differentiate them.

The list linked on P&Q is based on survey data. When they don’t have enough data year-to-year, the school falls off. Like BC, like Bentley. (info in the comments).

Comment: “…Going forward you should probably mention schools that would have made the list but not enough data was provided in order to be ranked.”

Response from P&Q: “…As for schools left of this year’s ranking, we built their school profiles, which you can find on the site, but I get your point about mentioning schools that fell off the list.”

Comment: “Same as other questions…What happened to University of Missouri and University of Tennessee from last year’s rankings? Not enough response, or something else?”

Response: “Yep. Not enough response. Both schools submitted school survey data, which is updated in their school profiles. Just not enough response. Both indicated they will try again next year.”

Another useless ranking. Click Bait.

One thing to consider, Bentley is 59% male.

They are both great programs with great potential future outcomes. Did you get into the Honors program? If so, that is a big plus for UMASS. Personally, as a potential employer I think the Bentley grads have presented themselves a little better - possibly because of the focus of their career services office and strong tie in to local financial job market. But I may be biased (I am not a Bentley grad).

However, there is a huge difference in the feel of the schools and you shouldn’t ignore that. UMASS is a huge state flagship, out in the middle of the state - you won’t be going into Boston much. Bentley is a small school with a strict business focus in a suburb of Boston. Have you visited both schools?

You can call P&Q “clickbait” or value it. It makes no difference. It’s one of many tools candidates should use when weighing possible outcomes. P&Q is growing in reputation and just about all of the big programs work with them. The people running it were the ones who did it for Business Week years ago. You can also dismiss US News rankings which have Isenberg far ahead of Bentley. It’s whatever you feel comfortable with. However, the people at Bentley might want to share more information with P&Q as their US News ranking does them no favors either.

If one of my kids was deciding between the two schools, I would pick Isenberg and put the extra $150K in my pocket or his/her pocket. It’s $66K per year vs. $27K (assuming in state). If money is not an issue, that changes the dynamic. In this case, the actual price over four years appears to be closer to $96K because Bentley has the closed the annual gap from $39K to $24K.

I’m not defending one school over an other (I have not connection to either). I’m saying that a rankings tool that doesn’t explain why so many schools from one year to the next are missing, is not a good system. They should modify their algorithm to use trailing data or be up front about schools that are not ranked because of missing info. Or else people infer the schools are low ranked.

Also, they mention in the comments that the Bentley profile is on the site, but its not. Or at least I can’t find it.

As I recommended to OP, the 2 schools are VERY different in style, but both very effective in academics. They should choose the school they can afford and where they think they will fit better.

thanks guys!!!1

any other comments?