<p>I am having trouble deciding where I want to go next year and was hoping to get some opinions.</p>
<p>I have been accepted into the Residential Business Program (RBP) at Michigan State University and the Gerstacker Program at Albion College.</p>
<p>My high school grades are As and Bs, and I have a 25 on the ACT. I want to know if I should go to Albion and not worry about being able to major in accounting or if I should go to MSU and have a chance of not being accepted into the Eli Broad Accounting program. They are both great schools for accounting, but MSU is cheaper and I think I would prefer a larger school.</p>
<p>Also, is it true that I have to maintain a 3.5 GPA to apply to the Broad college for accounting at MSU? I wasn't sure if that was just for transfer students or not.</p>
<p>Any opinions are appreciated.</p>
<p>Definitely go with MSU especially if it’s cheaper - I’m not just saying this because i’m biased, but also because MSU is a better school (especially for accounting) and you will likely get a more job opportunities because many of the big firms recruit from MSU directly. You have to have a 3.5 GPA in your business core classes to apply to Broad/Accounting at the very least (I don’t know for certain but it might be a 3.5 cumulative GPA requirement). </p>
<p>However, if you are set on being an accounting major, do not worry about maintaining the 3.5 too much. MSU gen ed classes are relatively easy, and the business core isn’t too unreasonably difficult so you can definitely get a 3.5 by the end of sophomore year if you put in a bit of effort. And truth be told, if you can’t average a 3.5 in basic micro/macroeconomics, computing competencies, and the intro to accounting classes at MSU, you probably shouldn’t be an accounting major anyways. </p>
<p>Accounting is the hardest business program at MSU. If you can’t get accounting as a major because of GPA, there are tons of other options within the business college (i.e. finance or supply chain management) that don’t require a 3.5 for admittance and also other plenty of related majors outside of the business college (i.e. economics in the College of Social Science, Hospitality business, or Packaging) so that you can still get business related jobs.</p>
<p>Here is the deal. One is not better than the other, they are different. However, I think Albion is a great choice. You need to hear both sides of the argument on this one. </p>
<p>You need to decide what is best for you. If you go to Albion you are going to get personal attention and classes taught by PhD’s, not graduate assistants. You are not just a number as you would be at a larger school. I have been to both, I speak from experience. Also, at Albion they will help you get internships and jobs. In fact, you should research the % of students who got jobs from Albion’s Gerstacker program vs. MSU. I can guarantee Albion has a higher % of placement and at top firms like PWC, Deloitte, E&Y, etc. Do not believe the other post regarding only top firms recruit from MSU…that is simply untrue. They also recruit at Albion. I can tell you from experience and knowing first hand about both schools – I have attended both Albion and MSU (and I work in business). </p>
<p>The Gerstacker Program is nationally known and very elite. It is highly regarded by recruiters in accounting firms and in other areas of business. The quality of alumni from Albion is second to none. </p>
<p>As for cost…you need to consider quality, time at the College, and cost. For example, at MSU…the average time to graduate is 5.5 years. At Albion, you are guaranteed graduation in 4 years. If you want to compound the total cost, I can guarantee you MSU is more expensive in the long run. </p>
<p>Bottom line, do what is best for you. I think either is a fine choice but I highly endorse Albion College! </p>
<p>Also, check out the Forbes rankings ([America’s</a> Best Colleges List - Forbes](<a href=“Forbes America’s Top Colleges List 2022”>Forbes America’s Top Colleges List 2022)). Albion ranks #115 in the nation among colleges and universities…MSU, well, they rank #349. :)</p>
<p>Thank you very much for the detailed responses. I know Albion would be the better choice in terms of my future, because there is a low chance of messing up or not graduating in 4 years. The thing is, I want to enjoy my college life. I’m not saying I won’t at Albion, but I don’t know what it will actually be like to live there.</p>
<p>Question for you Bigfish, if you just so happen to check this again. I want to know what people are like there. What are parties like, girls, and overall social life? I know at MSU I would enjoy the social life after visiting for weekends with friends. Even if it is decent, I can just head on off to East Lansing or Ann Arbor on weekends. I just don’t want to have to do this every weekend. So which school would you rather go to to have fun and why?</p>
<p>Anyone can answer this question or respond with an opinion, and as stated in my first post, ALL responses are appreciated.</p>
<p>I know a couple of people going to Albion from my school, and they are NOT who I want to hang out with for the next 4 years…</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>Bigfish, I did not say that the big firms only recruit from MSU, I merely said that more big firms recruit at MSU in comparison…we have a substantially larger student body/a lot more business majors to choose from. Also, our undergraduate accounting program is ranked 14th in the country according to US News/World Report. Granted, rankings aren’t everything, but just something to keep in mind. </p>
<p>Also, it is relatively easy to graduate at MSU in 4 years particularly in broad so to say that you should expect to graduate in MSU in 5.5 years is misinformed. The primary reason why students stay longer at MSU are generally not because of unreasonable amounts of general ed requirements or because students fail out of their classes all the time, but because there are so many majors to choose from, and lots of students choose to double major (and/or have lots of specializations and minors) which can take up a lot of time (or because students switch majors late on in their college experience). There is no doubt the individual attention given to students at Albion is probably higher because of the small, more personal size of the college. But there are a lot of tangible benefits that you will receive at MSU that might not exist at a smaller school like Albion, such as the aforementioned larger recruitment of businesses. In addition, it is only in the prerequisites and gen eds that students have teaching assistants in addition to professors. Upper level business classes are taught solely by professors the large majority of the time. </p>
<p>And well, socially…I’ve heard mixed things about Albion. It is an “everyone knows everyone” type of atmosphere as is expected at a small school. There definitely is a party scene but it is pretty low key/it is a relatively dry campus. Whenever my friends’ friends come from Albion to MSU they always go crazy because the social scene is a lot different (more intense) at MSU. Also, our campus life is centered around sports a lot more due to the recent success of MSU basketball and football/lots of school spirit. The small school atmosphere is great for many people but is not for everyone…same goes for the big school atmosphere of course. MSU might be more of a risk in terms of making you solely responsible for your future (they will not dote on you personally so you have to make sure you seek out the academic/career assistance available to maximize your success), but arguably the rewards (socially and academically) could be great/even greater.</p>