Look up the poets and quants list for best undergrad business schools, and start there. UVA is a tough admit OOS and you will again need to apply sophomore year for McIntire. Brown is not a big draw for potential biz majors, UPenn’s Wharton obviously is. Your first 10 colleges are all high reaches, so unless you have some amazing EC, you need more targets and safety. Alabama has a renowned program in supply chain, by the way.
1 Like
I think you will be a great candidate. Being an IB student will help tremendously. There was a study around a dozen years ago that showed the admission rates at many schools for IB students and they were often double and triple that of non-IB students. That was some time ago, though, and I don’t know of a more recent study. At least one school, the University of Rochester, actively recruits IB students–there is a page on the school’s admission web site about it. I suspect that coming from Alabama will help, too, since I suspect that Alabama residents don’t often travel to the places you are interested in. You have to nail your essay, but superficially, it seems to me that you are as likely as anyone else to get accepted at the schools you have listed.
I don’t know how many schools have an established business major; at least when I was a student decades ago, as an undergrad you were more likely to major in an affiliated field like economics or accounting. Others will know better than me.
Anyway, it seems like most of the schools on your list are large Division I schools–is that an important factor for you? if so, schools like Emory and Brown would probably come off your list. Many of the large schools are public state universities, which has both positives and negatives–negatives could include large classes where you might not have a chance to interact with the professor, and may not get personal attention when you need it, but the positives could include a much greater choice of classes and majors and the traditional college experience. So to me, that’s the most important decision.
1 Like
thanks for your reply, how far is ASU from downtown Tempe? and does it get really hot/dry?
brown has a really good undergrad entrepreneurial community, and the open curriculum would allow for me to actually work on a business/do more business oriented stuff outside of school. but yeah, they don’t have the strongest business program
i dont really want to live in michigan. i have a friend who lived there and he said it was miserable, but i might look into it
1 Like
thanks for lmk about the poets and quants list, ive never heard of that before
would it be helpful for me to post my ECs here? i kind of want to apply to 2-3 safeties, 1 match/target, and then rest reaches (6-7)
wow i never knew IB helped that much, at least in the US.
no, whether the college is D1 really doesnt matter to me. but it would be cool to watch school sports games and school spirit being a big part of the culture.
You have to nail your essay, but superficially, it seems to me that you are as likely as anyone else to get accepted at the schools you have listed.
can you please elaborate on this?
I don’t know how the admissions process works in reality, but I would think that with your grades, as an IB candidate, with your expected test scores, you would pass whatever threshold there is for the rest of your application to get a close look. As far as I can tell, once you hit a certain level on your grades and test scores, there is no distinction; in other words, someone with a 3.90 GPA is treated the same as someone with a 4.00 and the same with someone who received a 1520 SAT vs a 1580. So what will make the difference is the rest of your application: the essay(s), ECs, and recommendations.
As someone mentioned, the issue with the large public schools is that they have limited out-of-state slots. So while you would seem to be a wonderful candidate at, say, the University of Maryland, it becomes a numbers game. Thus you probably have a better chance at the larger private schools, like NYU.
4 Likes
got it, thanks
what do you think the bare minimum UW GPA + SAT score would be for an applicant of my demographic at the top 6 schools i listed? what i mean by this is, what is the threshold i need to pass for these schools, considering my course rigor etc. (Brown, UPenn, Duke, Georgetown, USC, NYU)?
also would it be helpful if i posted my ECs here?
It depends in part on which division you are applying to. Wharton, or just liberal arts? Stern, or not? Marshall at USC? Being full pay will help the most at NYU, but Stern is a tougher admit than most of NYU.
Brown Penn Duke and Gtown will expect 3.85 unweighted gpa and 1500 SAT scores to be truly competitive, with impressive EC. USC and NYU are easier
1 Like
i plan on applying to the business schools to all of the colleges on my list. so yes, Wharton, Stern, Marshall, McDonough, etc.
i always heard that a 3.85 UW is fairly low, is that not true? (at least for a south asian male, not sure about other demographics)
how do i know if my ecs are “impressive,” i feel like thats fairly subjective
State awards, national level recognition, international participation. Things like that.
1 Like
There are way too many subjective factors at play to have any sort of certainty, including the population of other applicants. Just look through this site and you will find threads created by students that look terrific on paper who end up at a safety, and others that are inundated with their top choices. I can say, though, that my research for my own daughter suggested that the IB diploma program is considered the gold standard for rigor and many schools recognize that. It won’t make a difference for Harvard and Yale, since they can pick whoever they want, but many other schools will consider it a large plus.
I wish the process made more sense and was more predictable, but it isn’t. These are all terrific schools where you will get a wonderful education, and can help you get started in the career you want.
3 Likes
1-11 are all reaches.
Penn State is in the middle of farmland, yes, but a town of 100,000 that’s built around the university and you can literally cross a street and walk wherever a college student might want to go. That situation is realistically better for students’ daily life than Rutgers or UMD CP, since the surrounding areas are what students will know best and NB or CP aren’t the best – but in terms of big city access those two are better. (Most students think they’ll head into town every weekend but it is usually more like a 2-3 times a semester occurrence, that’s why I think Columbia and State College are a better environment).
Usc columbia and Penn State are safeties overall but matches for business.
SUNY Binghamton (nys flagship) gives up to a year of credit for the IB and would be a safety from OOS. Good school of management.
Seconding Pitt.
What about UVermont? IU Kelley?
2 Likes
ASU is right in the middle of Tempe downtown. Yes, it is hot and dry in the months of April-September, but the other months are fine. You can google the average temperature graph .
The reach schools are really reaches for all unhooked candidates, and it won’t be until end of junior year that you will have all your GPA and SAT scores to see where you stand. You really can’t count on being from Alabama to move the needle all that much. I suggest that you spend your junior year focused on academics, and cultivating EC’s that you enjoy , where you are active and can make impact . Trying to guess what the reach schools will view as “impressive” is not a great way to spend your mental energy.
Another thing to consider: can your parents afford these universities? You should really start there. The OOS publics do not offer much aid or merit. Regarding the private universities, ED to BU or NYU is a popular strategy in our area, but your family needs to have deep pockets to do this comfortably.
And lastly, you should still send in an application to Univ of Alabama. It’s a large flagship with many OOS students. I know you want to get out of the south, but you need to have a financial safety, unless your family is well positioned to send you anywhere with no issues. A lot of kids in our state hold their nose and apply to Rutgers, and end up going there because it turned out to be the only viable option.
4 Likes
It’s dry most of the time. Temps from May to October can be in the 90’s and 100’s during the day.
1 Like
thanks, do you think Auburn would be better vs UA for business?
Not familiar enough with either B-school to comment. Perhaps others here can give you more info about this.
1 Like
I think your list is a great start for a Junior, and you seem to have some idea about what you want in a college (major, location). The one piece that’s missing is fit/culture. Have you started doing any college visits yet? I like the idea of having variety on college lists as a junior as what you think you want in a school will evolve over the next year.
Start with your top 3 and dig a little into the culture, look at YouTube videos from the school and students, dive into message boards and get an idea about what you like about the school. From there you’ll get some clarity around finding some good safety and match schools.
For example if like the idea of a Jesuit education (Educating the whole person) and you like Georgetown then consider Fordham, Boston College, Villanova (Augustinian but close in philosophy). Could look at St Joe’s in Philly as a safety school (they have a great business program)
If you like the academic flexibility of Brown, but more of the Professional focus of Penn than Maybe University of Rochester is worth a look. There should be a reason that every school is on your list outside of it’s in California or it’s on some arbitrary magazine list (lists are good as a reference but the real value is the data behind it).
3 Likes
As someone pointed out, you have a ton of “prestige/name brand” schools on the list that are need blind. What you have going for you is that you can pay full fare. I would look at schools that have strong business programs AND are need aware.
For example, Wake Forest is a far better option for you than UNC in NC. I would look at Babson, SMU, Emory, Tufts and schools of that ilk. Focus on privates that are in big and thriving metros.
3 Likes
I, too, cannot comment specifically on Auburn’s or Alabama’s business programs; but there are a couple of factors to consider if you decide that staying at your in-state flagship(s) is your best option:
Auburn has a general higher overall ranking (USNWR), but that may be due to its strong agriculture and engineering programs. Auburn has a very strong alumni presence in Atlanta; and although you say you may want to leave the south, Atlanta is still a vibrant and thriving metropolitan area with people from all over the country. It could be a good option when it comes to your career.
Although many people think only of football when Alabama is mentioned, the university has made great strides recently in attracting students from all over the country and are very generous with merit aid. As an IB Diploma student you will definitely get more IB credit from Alabama than you will from Auburn.
There are not too many schools that have as many dedicated fans as these two schools. Just the mention of one of these schools over the other will cause a highly passionate debate.
I am not from the state of Alabama and have no loyalty to either one, but I have been to both campuses and know quite a few people who have graduated from both. As a matter of fact, my D22 has applied to both schools.
Being that they are similarly ranked, it ultimately comes down to personal preference or perceived “fit”.
War Eagle! or Roll Tide!
Good luck!
1 Like