I’ve mainly looked at mid to larger sized research universities so far. I wanted to tour some LACs to see if they would be a good fit for me though. I’m interested in finance but I know most LACs will only have Econ. Are there any that are particularly known for having good placement into finance? I’ve looked at Colgate which seems to do fairly well. Also are there any that have programs for those interested in business? Like UChicago only has Econ but they have a program for those interested in business as a career. I don’t think I’ll really like LACs as much but I want to check a few out before counting them out. In terms of selectivity, something around Colgate level so not like Amherst, Williams, etc. I can post complete stats if necessary but in short 4.0 UW, 1510 superscore, 1480 single sitting New SAT, decent ECs nothing spectacular, no hooks(Asian male might be idk), and that’s about it. Looking at East Coast/Mid Atlantic areas. Thanks.
You could look at Bucknell University which offers a highly regarded School of Management as well as Engineering within a liberal arts context focused on undergraduates. Located in central PA. Approximately 3,500 students. And perhaps a bit less selective than Colgate but comparable.
Colby splits its econ into a theoretical track and a managerial track. You may want to look at that. Overall, few LACS will offer a BBA, though as it is more vocational, which is by definition, less liberal artsy. They are different paths which can lead to the same place. All a matter of preference.
Check out course catalogs. What you’re looking for in a BBA are courses (at least) in Finance, Accounting, Marketing, Economics, Operations Management, Organizational Behavior, Business Law, and International Business. If those courses are offered, you could fashion your own “BBA Light” of sorts.
An owner/executive needs to know: where to go for funding and how to manage equity and debt; how to read a balance sheet, income statement, statement of cash flows, etc.; how to choose a market and promote and distribute a product to them; how supply and demand work; how to operate efficiently; how to direct company culture/human resources; contract law; and how to handle international trade and currency exchange.
A little further south than you wanted, but URichmond has a good business program.
These eastern LACs were those most represented at highly regarded MBA programs:
Amherst
Hamilton
Middlebury
Bates
By faculty publishing, these colleges appear outstanding for pure economics:
Williams
Middlebury
Wesleyan
Hamilton
These schools have a relationship with a Harvard Business School online undergraduate certificate program:
Williams
Amherst
Hamilton
Perhaps three or four of these schools will be within the selectivity range you are seeking.
(Sources: College Transitions, IDEAS, WGBH.)
Have you thought about Oxford College of Emory? It’s a LAC on Emory’s original campus where students spend two years and then continue to the main Emory campus in Atlanta.
For directly preprofessional programs, consider:
Bucknell
Franklin & Marshall
Lafayette
URichmond
Skidmore
Washington & Lee
@momofzag I have looked at Bucknell and it was pretty nice. Only thing I didn’t like was the location. Although most LACs are more isolated areas, there was pretty much nothing in Lewisburg.
@gardenstategal A major with different tracks is interetitng. I’ll look into it.
@happy1 I’m actually planning to visit Richmond in the fall. A little far but doable.
For Wall Street placements, I have always heard Williams, Amherst, and Claremont McKenna (maybe Pomona too since it is part of the 5Cs and might benefit from Claremont McKenna’s recruiting, not to mention it seems to be topping LAC/college lists recently)
The real question may relate to how interested you are in topics in fields such as sociology, anthropology, geosciences, classics, philosophy, religious studies, government, English and history. The greater your interest, the more appropriate a pure LAC choice would be.
Middlebury and Hamilton punch way above their weight in finance (nys)
If your interested in Investment Banking, Amherst, Middlebury, and Wellesley (all women) are considered the best LACs - among the top 20 schools including Universities.
Lehigh and Lafayette
An econ major from a top LAC/NESCAC school will get you an interview at major Wall Street firms for their analyst positions. Generally the major Wall Street banks do not go much outside the IVY/MIT/S / NESCAC and few other top LACs for these programs. Sure there are exceptions… for a more traditional business degree with concentration in Finance at the undergraduate level there are many other choices among the ‘2nd tier’ LACs as mentioned above, but then if you are looking to a non Wall Street/NYC type of finance job, (which by the way there are plenty of opportunities outside of NYC !) and you’d have to then reset yourself to a top MBA program to get back into the Wall Street track… (which by the way is yesterday’s game anyhow, so don’t sweat it!)