Ohio State vs. Binghamton for accounting

Daughter is a NY resident planning on staying in the northeast after graduation and plans to study accounting. She has direct admits to both OSU and Binghamton (and Fairfield) and is torn between the two. With scholarships, OSU and Bing cost the same, so lifestyle and career prospects are the key decision drivers. She is a recruited athlete at Binghamton (Track/XC) but not at OSU and will not likely be able to walk on at OSU.

Both schools have strong ties to Big 4 accounting firms. My guess is that Bing has a bigger NE network, but OSU alums might be more active/loyal. Should she be considering Fairfield more? Thoughts / advice?

(Cross posted to OSU forum by mistake).

I’d recommend Binghamton. For accounting, she’s going to need 150 credits. So unless she comes in with significant AP credits, you’re looking at an extra year. That will be cheaper at Bing. Also, an accounting degree from Bing will automatically satisfy NY CPA license requirements, but at OSU she’d have to make sure she takes all of the required courses. And she gets to continue her sport.

Thanks for the advice. Nice points about the CPA requirements. Funny, but there are puts and takes on the in-state vs. OOS situation. For Bing, we as parents have to stay in NYS, which we might not want to do for 4-5 more years. But for OOS at OSU, we would have to pay for the 5th year at full price.

In a simplistic way, much of her decision comes down to running at Bing vs. the arguably better lifestyle (campus, rah rah, town) at OSU.

Ohio State has summer term, offers it at a discount, a good number of classes are offered and some are online only.

“For Summer Term 2019, instructional fees, and general and non-resident surcharges for Columbus campus undergraduates will be discounted by 25 percent compared to autumn and spring semesters. For more specific costs, view detailed fees for Summer Term. The goal of this reduced cost is to provide the opportunity for students to enroll in summer classes while saving money, and staying on track to complete their degrees.”

https://registrar.osu.edu/summerterm/current.html

One of the nice things about OSU for hs athletes is that nearly every sport can be continued at the club level. These tend to be very social groups that make the big university feel small. There is a “Track, XC, and Running Club” student organization. https://www.osuclubrunning.org/

Thanks, BuckeyeMWDSG. We will look into the running club. And while we had heard about the summer options, we did not know of the discounted tuition.

Bing is “CPA accredited” but it seems OSU is not. https://www.accountingedu.org/accredited-accounting-schools.html

@“Erin’s Dad” not sure what you are looking at, but it is on the list you referenced. Maybe you are looking up the wrong name. The correct name is THE Ohio State University.