Anyone know the acceptance rate for the undergrad business school? What is the average GPA and how are the essays and extra circulars weighted? I was just rejected for the 2nd time (currently a sophomore) with a 3.55 GPA and I’m honestly at a loss for what I can do to improve my chances when I have my last opportunity to apply next year.
You might want to contact the William and Mary business school directly and ask them directly if there’s anything you can do to improve your application, expressing your strong desire to be there. They tend to be very helpful and nice people. This may have changed considerably and it is not directly publicized anywhere to my knowledge, but last I heard it was rumored to be around a 50 percent acceptance rate. It has since shifted from a mainly GPA based admission to a more holistic model. You have a similar GPA to when I was first accepted to the business school as a minor.
However even if you don’t get into the business school, there is no reason to lose hope! You can always apply for the minor and gradually apply for the major later. Many friends I know have done this. I have chosen specifically to be a minor because I didn’t want to take the core classes and wanted to solely focus on my chosen concentration, which has been pretty successful - I can still take any classes I want. Other options include designing your own major, but including many business school classes.
Even if that doesn’t work out, it is not the end of the world. Unless you are interested in something extremely specific like accounting, majors like econ and others will still be able to get you where you want to go. There are also many courses and clubs you can enroll in even if you are not in the business school. You might even get more substantial experiences from those than the classes themselves.
These can include: Student Marketing Association, Net Impact, Agency 1693, Smart Women in Securities, Women in Finance, among many others. The Entrepreneurship Center just opened and is a great place to get your feet wet if you have any great ideas or want to collaborate with others on interesting things – you can get real money to start up a project or business you have had in mind! There are many opportunities available – you just have to seek them.
I wish you the best of luck in your application to the business school in the future! And you know what you can to improve – up your game, perhaps find a bigger purpose for your business education, and you can get involved meaningfully in other activities, business or not, to show them your passion and resolve.
Can you take classes in the business school if you are not a business major or minor?
@prodese Yes you definitely can but you will be considered pretty much last when it comes to class registration. Since business school majors and minors get first choice when it comes to classes and can pre-register by filling out a form, there may only be a few spots left when it comes to registration. There are a couple of courses that are specially designed to include students from outside of the business school that are easy to get in such as introduction to accounting, organizational behavior, sustainability inspired design, sustainability business practices, entrepreneurship courses, diversity in the workplace, etc. Some of these may be cross-listed with other departments or are simply open to everyone because they are introductory courses.
If you are interested in taking several advanced classes in the business school but don’t necessarily want to apply to be a major or minor, a smart way to get around this is to design your own major. For instance I have friends that have designed a international development and public health major and took several courses in the business school without going through all the course requirements and the application process. You will still register after the business majors and minors, but you have a strong justification to get all the courses you want. If you are a minor, you have the option to pre-register and also take any of the business school classes even outside your minor.
So to answer your question: yes! For all intensive purposes it is perfectly possible for students to take courses in the business school without being a major or a minor. If you want to get some business basics, that is great. But if you are looking for more advanced courses or guarantee of getting into the classes you want, it is recommended that you apply to be a major or minor, or at the very least design your own major.