<p>I have applied and will most likely be accepted into Fordham, NYU, Northeastern, Marist and Stonehill. I want to major in finance. Can anyone give me their opinion on what the best choice is? I know NYU is the best academically but is it worth the money? Are there any other colleges that I should be looking into? thanks</p>
<p>NYU is expensive but probably has the best business school out of the bunch. Northeastern would be second and provide great job opportunities in finance through its Co-Op program, even in NYC. Fordham would probably be third.</p>
<p>Never heard of Marist or Stonehill and wouldn’t recommend going to a school without a name brand.</p>
<p>If money is an issue, take a closer look at the finance programs at the schools and see what kind of opportunities they offer. Try to contact someone in the department and get information on how your interests would fit in the department. Make sure the trade-offs are worth the costs.</p>
<p>We looked at many of those schools with my S. In the end, you need to figure out which school is the best fit both academically, financially, and atmosphere-wise. My son went to Gabelli at Fordham which was his first choice. Here is a brief run down of what I know…</p>
<p>-NYU - the highest ranked school of the bunch for sure. My S just didn’t like the atmosphere including the large size and lack of a unified campus. He has friends who loved NYU, but just felt it wasn’t right for him. In general, NYU is not known for giving great aid so you will have to see what your packages are and factor cost into your decision.</p>
<p>-Northeastern - We didn’t look there because he was not attracted to the coop program. The coop works well for some, but he felt he would be better off just going through his undergraduate work in four years and interning over the summers.</p>
<p>-Marist - Beautiful school, we did go back for accepted students day and it was the cheapest option for us, but we felt the business program at Fordham was stronger and my S preferred Fordham’s city location. </p>
<p>-Stonehill - Again, it is a fine school but it is not that well known in NY which would be a negative in a job search and he felt it was a bit small for his tastes. The size of school is a personal preference so that will vary from individual to individual.</p>
<p>-Bentley - This was another school we seriously looked at which was not on your list. The school has very strong business programs and was a great option but in the end he decided he didn’t want a business school. Again, that is simply his preference.</p>
<p>-Fordham - In the end it was just the right fit for my S. He loved the combination of a traditional campus and easy access to NYC. The business school provided a very solid education. While some people may not like the large liberal arts core, it really gave him a well rounded education. He worked hard, made wonderful friends, got to know a number of professors well particularly in the upper level courses, got a really solid education, enjoyed NYC, and now is at a great grad program. No school is perfect, but for my S, Fordham was the right fit. </p>
<p>As you can see, two reasonable people can easily come up with two different answers even looking at the same group of colleges. Congratulations on having so many strong options. I hope you find the school that is right for you.</p>
<p>^
NYU - Agree about NYU not giving out a lot of aid. It is pretty expensive, but a good education.</p>
<p>Northeastern - Ummm, an internship is not the same as a co-op. Haha, fail. Hope those “internships” work out well.</p>
<p>^
@informative - Thank you so much for your discussion of semantics. However, you missed my point. I wanted to relay to the OP that that while my S chose not to pursue a coop program, he had the opportunity to work full time over the summer and gain valuable experience. He had three meaningful 8 - 10 week summer internships (one which offered him a full time job). My point is that one can gain experience in different ways. Many people are attracted to the coop programs and I can see why. However others prefer to go straight through and finish in four years yet they can still gain work experience in the summer and part-time during the school year… Every person should find the program that best suits them.</p>
<p>Agree totally with happy1. Internships offer the same benefits as co-ops for students who prefer to graduate in 4 years or spend the 5th year getting a Master’s degree. My son is at a school that offers both programs, but the students overwhelmingly prefer internships (97%).</p>