Olin (Wash U) vs. Ross (UMich)

Colleges and Universities A-Z Washington University in St. Louis
1

<p>I have received admission as a pre-admit at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business. UMich is my state school.</p>

<p>In addition, with a full tuition scholarship, I have received admission to the Olin School of Business at Washington University in St. Louis.</p>

<p>I would take the offer to attend Wash U. However, I hear people doubting the reputation of Olin in comparison vs Ross. Quality internships and good job placement is important to me and although I am not entirely sure I want to enter Wall Street and the Finance world, I hear that Ross is much more well established than Olin for top jobs.</p>

<p>I'm confused also because I see Olin and Ross ranked higher than each other depending on what source I am looking at. It differs greatly between US News and World Report, Forbes, Businessweek etc.</p>

<p>Any advice or insight into my predicament would be MUCH appreciated. This is a tough decision and I'd love all of the help I can get.</p>

2

<p>Disregard the rankings. Both WashU and UMich are great schools. While going to a name school can be important, having amazing grades, interview skills, and summer internships is equally if not more important. I know students from my local state university that are on Wall Street, and their school is not a US News top 100 school. They got these positions, because they were aggressive, smart, active students with great grades. Considering you aren’t deciding between first tier “target” schools (Ivy league, Stanford, MIT, UChicago, Duke), your school choice will not matter much. UMichigan would be considered someway down the list for target schools and WashU would be lower or not considered a target school. At that point, it’d be best to choose a school that you think you will do the best in. Both are prestigious and well viewed universities.</p>

<p>So, I think you need to look at what you value in a college, what will make you a happy student, and what will make you succeed. WashU has a 7:1 student faculty ratio while Michigan has a 16:1 student faculty ratio. The school sizes are completely opposite, and the same goes for the sports teams - Division III vs I! Overall, I think the students at WashU will be more engaging or easier to engage with, due to the school being more selective and not allowing lower scoring state students to have an advantage in the admissions process. I’m not sure how Michigan and WashU compare financially for you, because I do not know your family income or what Michigan offered you, but those are other details you should be looking at.</p>

<p>Also, many students want to end up on Wall Street and many students burn out quickly. Many bankers can work 60-80 hour weeks making an effective hourly pay of 10-15/hr. There is no promise that you will be making millions in 5-10 years, that the market will remain stable, or that you will eventually work less hours. Wall Street is tough; some need that to survive, but many find that the time spent on Wall Street takes too much away from their mental, social, and physical health. Some can’t stand the fact that they have no personal lives, a wife, a husband, kids, etc… Wall Street can be a major strain on relationships and living conditions in general. Most associates/analysts won’t be able to save much living in NYC and exit opportunities and pay outside of the BB can be discouraging for the hours required. </p>

<p>I recommend that you weigh the importance of Wall Street to you, what will make you succeed in an academic environment, and all other important factors. Both schools will offer you amazing exit opportunities if you work hard. Go where you feel most comfortable and welcomed. </p>

3

<p>You have two amazing options. At either school, it is all going to depend on how you do once you are there. My daughter goes to Michigan and absolutely loves it and her friends in Ross work very hard and have seen great opportunities on the internship front. But, to Neutrality’s point, these two schools are very, very different. Michigan is a big school with great Big 10 sports and an active Greek system. Every student there finds their place but you need to find it. Clubs, Business and community service based fraternities, research opportunities, you name it. WashU is a smaller, more chill environment; more collegial. Personally, I am partial to Ann Arbor – I love the town and the campus. But, while it was a great fit for D1; it was not the right fit for D2. Find where you feel most comfortable and you will be more successful. At this point rankings are completely pointless. </p>

4

<p>In the past students have chosen to pay full tuition at WashU over instate tuition at Ross in order to take advantage of the smaller classes, more diverse student body and engaging college environment at WashU (not to say that Mich is a sub power school by any means). WashU has been pumping millions of dollars into Olin and employers are slowly recognising the quality of Olin students. WashU also recently opened 2 state of the art Olin Buildings which is always a good sign, telling us about the direction in which Olin is heading. If I were you, I would Chose WashU without any hesitation ( Those full tuition scholarships are Extremely selective, also there are many perks of going to a private school). But I guess it all ultimately depends on where you think you would fit in the best. Good Luck!</p>