I am planning on majoring in Business Administration, but am having a lot of trouble deciding on a school. I have been accepted to the University of New Hampshire, Ithaca College, Pace University, University of Mary Washington, and High Point University. I am still waiting on decisions from Flagler College, Bryant University and Champlain College, but am pretty confident that I will get in. I received $24,000 a year to Pace, $7,000 a year to High Point, $5,000 to the University of Mary Washington and $10,000 a year to Ithaca College in merit scholarships. As of now my top three schools are Pace, Mary Washington and High Point and, after scholarships, they are all relatively the same price. Based on price, quality of the college and return on investment I was wondering what would be the best or most logical choice. Thanks.
–What is the a.) Net Price and b.) Expected Family Contribution for all 5 schools?
–What do you want to major in and what kind of job do you see yourself doing?
–Do you have any grad school plans?
Depends on what you want to major in, the only school I’m familiar with on the list is Mary Washington. A bunch of my friends went there and loved it. I agree with the above commenter, what are your plans? I would base the selection off of that. Ex: if you want to major in studio art see which college has the best program. Best of luck! 
When you have the finalized aid packages that also include any need-based aid, you can use this calculator to help you with the financial comparisons: http://www.finaid.org/calculators/awardletteradvanced.phtml You also should find out the details about the merit-based aid. Do you need to maintain a certain major and/or GPA in order to keep that aid? Is the aid a fixed amount, or will it go up when tuition and fees increase?
You don’t have to decide just yet, so you have time to visit some of the ones that seem most interesting to you, and to communicate with the department you would be majoring in and with the career center. It is OK for you to ask specific questions about internship and job placement. Don’t be afraid to do that!
@JD1997 - That list of colleges is interesting…all about the same quality level, but in very different areas of the country. If cost is the same and they are all about the same as far as academic offerings (I assume they all offer what you want or you wouldn’t have applied), then it is time to think about other things…size of school, location, dorms, food, student life, etc. I mean, you’ve got Flagler in Florida and then Champlain in VT and then places in between. Going to be there for 4 years. Where do you want to be? Honestly, if you apply yourself at any of them, you will be successful post college.
I am from Connecticut and I, personally, like the schools in the south much more. The idea of going somewhere new on my own is really exciting for me. While my parents would support my decision to go anywhere, they are protective parents and would like for me to stay close. I think that, in the end, I will most likely be going to one of the southern colleges on my list though. I have not yet filed my FAFSFA, but I’m sure that it will play a big role in the cost of the schools. My plan right now is to go to grad school and earn my MBA, but that could change. Thanks for all the help.
Also think about where you want to work/settle. Those schools seem to have more regional than national reputations. For example, I’m from NY and I know a bunch of people from Pace, I’ve heard of High Point only once or twice, and I never heard of Mary Washington – that is not to say one school is better than the other, but I’m just saying that each school (including Pace) seems to be more well known in its region.
I live in New York but I’m from the South, and so I’ve heard of both High Point and Pace but am unfamiliar with Mary Washington (I only know about it because I knew someone who went there; we did a summer program together). However, familiarity isn’t necessarily a good thing - I can’t say I have a particularly high opinion of Pace.
Pace has a slight majority of NY students; 44% are from out of state, but I am betting that most OOS students are probably from nearby states. They are also very diverse, with less than half the student body being white. The vast majority of Mary Washington students are from Virginia, and the university is considerably less diverse than Pace. Most of High Point’s students are actually from out of state, but High Point is the least diverse of any of your choices, with 84% of students identifying as white.
The other thing to think about is that Pace is a true urban university; they don’t really have a traditional campus with grassy areas where people play Frisbee, etc. Now, it IS located in a prime NYC location - right near City Hall, at the base of the Brooklyn Bridge. Personally, I would not have wanted to been an undergrad in NYC, but if you really want an urban undergraduate experience Pace is the place to be it. Mary Washington and High Point both have more traditional type campuses.
Did you apply to U Conn, if you want to save money for an MBA? Otherwise, Ithaca College.
Ithaca College has an exchange program with Cornelll. You can take 1 course at Cornell each semester. This can be a major advantage for you academically.
Thanks for all your input. As it stands right now (have not yet filed for financial aid) Ithaca College would be one of the more expensive schools for me to attend. Would my chances of getting into grad school be much better at Ithaca? If so, would it justify me taking out more money in student loans to attend?
You can only borrow $5500/year (slightly more as an upperclassman). How much can your parents afford to pay each year?
–Did you apply to U Conn?
–What are your stats (GPA/SAT)?
If your stats are within reason, think about an app to U Conn, if you haven’t applied and if you can afford another app. The RD deadline is Jan 15. I’m not sure why you wouldn’t have thrown in an app to your state flagship, if you are concerned about financing grad school. Maybe you aren’t attracted to larger schools, close to home, but it’s very nice to have that option/comparison available to you come April, especially if it’s your lowest cost option.
If you want to major in business the school, at a mininimum, should be AACSB accredited (IMO). I don’t believe either HPU or Flagler have accredited business programs. From your list Bryant seems to have the strongest undergraduate business program. I’d go to UConn, if possible. If the south is compelling and you have the stats for some merit, consider UAlabama, UGA, USouthCarolina, and/or Clemson - Not Flagler or HPU. Sorry, I can’t comment on Pace, Mary Washington, UNH or Ithaca but suspect at least 3 of these four have accredited business programs.
If you can afford Pace, with their scholarship offer, then they probably offer the best opportunities for internships and professional networking. You can walk to Wall Street from there. They have no campus life, though, if that’s what you’re looking for. I recommend trying to attend some accepted students’ events at the schools, once you’ve narrowed down your list.
I knew that HPU was not AACSB accredited, but I had heard that they were in the process of getting accredited. I did not know that Flagler was not AACSB accredited though (that really stinks because they will likely be the most affordable school).
HPU is not well-thought of by the people who know it, and not well-known otherwise.
Pace is good if you want preprofessional education but you won’t have a traditional campus life at all. Baruch is much cheaper and offers a similar experience for a similar academic level.
UMW is a solid choice. If you like it, why not apply to SUNY Geneseo and UNC-Wilmington? (Based on what you said about the South, UNC-Wilmington would have the advantage of being in the South, plus it’s near a beach like Flagler.)
If you want Florida and AACSB-accredited, what about Rollins?
I hope you applied to UConn!
Can you tell us:
cost of attendance - (scholarships and grants) = …?
for each university?