My son is entering UT McCombs (finance track) this fall and needs advice on whether or not to pursue BHP after his first year. He applied for BHP last fall during the UT admissions process but was not accepted despite being qualified (GPA 4.0 (UW) and 5.41 (W), rank 6/388, 1550 SAT, 13 AP courses - 10 exams with mostly 5’s, varsity tennis captain with numerous accomplishments, several other EC’s). Because of various test scores, he should receive credit for 30+ hours of UT coursework, giving him two options. The first option is to forget BHP altogether, fill his first year schedule with the remaining required freshman-/sophomore-level classes, and complete his BBA in 3 years. The second option is to follow a more traditional 4-year course schedule and apply again for BHP next spring. My understanding is that BHP will not accept a student who has already taken one or more of the core business courses, which would be required under the 3-year option. Also, it’s worth mentioning that my son’s education costs will be covered entirely by loans. Below are the main pros/cons (IMHO) for the two options:
3-Year Plan
Pros: save roughly $42k (factoring in interest), start career one year sooner
Cons: no BHP, heavier (but very manageable) course load, less time for involvement in student organizations/activities?
4-Year Plan
Pros: chance at BHP, lighter course load (12 hours/semester), more time for involvement in student organizations/activities?
Cons: spend extra $42k (factoring in interest), start career one year later
In a nutshell, is a CHANCE at BHP worth an extra $42k right out of college? I personally don’t think so but would like others to weigh in, particularly those having better knowledge about the value of BHP. Thanks in advance.
So in my opinion I would try for BHP, but that also depends on what your son wants to do for a career. If he wants to do accounting then it’s basically useless and he should do the integrated MPA. I feel like the only time BHP is worth it is when your finance, but it’s not necessary.
He’s pretty set on finance (financial analyst, financial manager, fund manager, investment banker, etc.).
Can you work out a freshman year schedule that gives him the option of applying and seeing if he gets in as a sophmore? If he does not, then the decision is made for him and if he does, he’ll have seen what UT is like for one year and have a better idea.
He can take MIS and Statistics. He just cannot take any of the honors core.
https://www.mccombs.utexas.edu/BHP/Admissions/Sophomore-Applications
My son went that route and by fall registration for spring, he chose to go the three year route rather than take another shot at BHP. But he is more interested in accounting than finance right now so a little different situation.
Four year plan. What’s your hurry? I hear your concerns about saving the money, but your child will be more mature and have a stronger resume for that first job after four years, BHP or no. Let him season another year. I’d also have him work and find an internship during that extra year.
I am editing to add that I don’t think finance type employers will find him more attractive as a three year grad. Give him time to do more than study. Let him work and run some big ECs at UT.
As a biased BHP parent, I would argue BHP is worth the extra year for the above mentioned reasons plus a few more. In the finance areas, particularly ibanking, there are recruiting opportunities that BHP students are readily invited to and only a very few McCombs students are. So it is possible for McCombs students to participate, but to get the opoortunities, it requires a lot more networking and individual initiative. Getting the interviews is very dependent, of course, on a student’s resume but also requires involvement in the ibanking organization such as WSFM, and other banking clubs. I think you would find that BHP students are heavily represented in these clubs despite being such a small program relative to McCombs – not sure if being in BHP helps you gain admission into the professional clubs or if it is just antectodal. For iBanking, I would say that the BHP students who plan to pursue the career had junior year summer internship offers lined up and/or invitations to SuperDays in NYC over the summer before their sophomore year ended. This is an incredible advantage - and the $ earned during ibanking summer internships is significant and would go a long way to helping with paying for the extra year of college. On the flip side, I am not familiar at all with the BHP admission process for returning students, but I know it is very very competitive.