<p>I'm currently trying to choose a college, and I will most likely be attending either Michigan LSA or Penn State Business School (Smeal). </p>
<pre><code> Personally, I am looking to major in Business. Michigan is very tempting for me to attend, becuase it is such a great school academically and I love Ann Arbor. However, I am worried that if I attend, I may not get into Ross, and will graduate in LSA, not able to earn an undergraduate business degree. With the decent possibility of being rejected from Ross in mind, I am skeptical about attending, although i would definitely like to, and realize that a liberal arts degree can still go far. Regardless, I know that I could be very happy at Penn State as well.
I realize if I do not get into Ross, I can major in Economics or mathematics, but I still am not sure whether or not this would be more benefiicial than playing it safe and going to Penn State, where I am already into their business school. The campus and social life are very similar at Penn State, and I know I would be very happy there, and probably one of the smarter students there as well. I am already into the business school at Penn State, which is comforting. The lower in-state tuition in PA also helps.
I am having trouble making my decision, and any advice, suggestions, or comments would help. Thanks.
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<p>Look at it like this. Go to Michigan. If for some reason you don't get accepted to Ross you can always transfer out. I just noticed that you're from PA. If you like PSU enough, save your money and go to business school in happy valley.</p>
<p>I went to Penn State University Park. Rjkofnovi went to Michigan. </p>
<p>I just wanted to put that down, so that you can see we both will have bias. </p>
<p>Penn State University Park, especially Smeal, is a great school. I think you would be very happy at Penn State University Park. You will get an amazing education and the alumni connections are some of the best in the country. </p>
<p>Having said that, I would still suggest going to Michigan. Michigan is a great school. Smeal is a very good business school, but Ross is consistently ranked in the top 5 in the country. </p>
<p>The only thing that would reverse my opinion is the price difference. I recommend Michigan, but not if it means a $20,000-$30,000 difference every year. If money is no object, then go to Michigan, but if it is, then I recommend going with Smeal.</p>
<p>Jec what would your advice be if OP has only 50% chance to graduate Ross? Rjk has suggested transferring in that case... I don't think that is a great idea.</p>
<p>I think it really comes down to how certain the OP is that he wants to major in Business. A %50 chance would be a little iffy, but I'm sure there are plenty of other great majors at Michigan if he does not get accepted to Ross. </p>
<p>Another factor to consider is that you can no longer transfer into Smeal at University Park. So, if he does choose to go to Michigan to try to get into Ross, it rules out the option of coming back to go to Smeal if he is not successful.</p>
<p>It's risky for sure for the OP to go to Michigan. But remember very few students make it into Ross from the onset. The vast majority of them get in as sophomores. Maintain at least a 3.5-3.6 in your freshman year and you should get admitted. I realize this is easier said than done. I suggest the OP go to the business majors board in the discussion menu on CC to get more information.</p>
<p>Personally, I do not want to go in with the mindset of possibly transferring in my mind. I would only like to transfer for personal, not academic, reasons.</p>
<p>Also, some other majors at Michigan that could be good alternatives are- Economics, Statistics, Organizational Studies, and Psychology.</p>
<p>At the end of the day, I am probably going to get an MBA either way. I feel that having a masters degree is very helpful in today's competitive world, and I would like to further my education further, although this is well down the road. Moreover, I feel like the money is not an issue for my parents, who are willing to support me either way in my decision. Yet, the difference in tuition over the 4 years is still substantial. </p>
<p>In terms of reputation, I feel like Michigan has a slight edge. I realize that rankings may say that Penn State is close to Michigan, especially in the business fields. Around here, however, people generally give Michigan more respect in terms of reputation.</p>
<p>Michigan has more than just a slight edge reputation wise on PSU. Nevertheless with the way the economy is going and the huge amount of debt you'll take on going OOS, I suggest you stay with PSU unless money is not an issue. If you do well there, you can get into a good MBA program since that is what you have your heart set on. Best of luck to you wherever you decide to go to school.</p>
<p>Extra -- you see, you're already employing the kind of thinking encouraged in B-school and MBA school... try to quantify it if you can... what is the marginal cost of the Michigan degree? What is the probability you'll get into Ross? How much net additional take home pay will you have working for three years (until MBA school) with a Ross degree than a Smeal degree?</p>
<p>Just run a simple calculation:</p>
<ol>
<li>Add'l $$ you'll likely make coming out of Ross for 3 yrs. until you enter MBA school. Subtract the cost difference between Smeal and Ross. Multiply that by the probability you'll graduate from Ross (let's say 50%). Run a PV calculation on the payment stream to repay that loan, or your parents if they are lending you the money. </li>
</ol>
<p>Unfortunately I think you'll come up with a negative number of over six figures on that.</p>