Hi everyone,
I’m an aspiring business student in California who is trying to finalize my decision on which school I should commit to. I have only visited Cal Poly SLO, and I feel biased towards that college. I had a really good feeling about the campus, but I haven’t seen the other campuses. Please let me know your thoughts on these colleges for business. I know OSU and Indiana have the best business programs according to rankings but does that matter. On the other hand, I have heard that Cal Poly and SDSU are only well known in California. My main questions are which program is the best and whether national recognition is that important.
Thank you!
Net price at each, and what can you and your parents pay before loans?
@silvra . . . I know that Indiana has a great business school, but I didn’t know OSU (as in the Ohio State University) did too.
You’re from California, why are you worried about having a name degree outside of the state?
Good questions. My daughter was admitted to Cal Poly SLO and SDSU Honors. I like both schools a lot. (I think SLO is one of the best college towns out there, in a very beautiful area.) In California, you can’t go wrong with either. And Cal Poly has a good reputation up and down the West Coast. Business school is good. SDSU seems like a school on the move, their International Business program is excellent, and Weber Honors College is great.
OSU and Indiana are both great, but OOS could cost a lot of money.
How much would each school cost per year? And where do you want to be after you graduate are two questions to ask. Do you want to experience another part of the country if cost is no issue? You would get big time athletics at the Big Ten Schools and SDSU. Cal Poly, not so much.
Thank you for all the responses! Cost-wise they all are pretty similar with Cal Poly being the least expensive of them all.
I’m a current senior in Cali, and I’m debating between these exact same choices! While IU is the best school, SLO is tugging at me for some reason. I feel like the environment at IU would be so different it may be hard to adapt. It’s like 50k oos too.
I would agree that Indiana and Ohio State would be #1 and #2. Even though I live in California, I don’t think of Cal Poly or SDSU when it comes to business. I think of Cal Poly for engineering, and SDSU for partying.
My D got into IU Kelley, SDSU and waitlisted at SLO business. She’s already declined her spot at SDSU. Her dad is an IU alumni who loved his time at IU many years ago. While IU has the rankings, my D would pick SLO if given the chance between the two. Her reasons: small class sizes, great campus vibe/town and ‘do by learning’ approach. However, I am curious how well graduates of SLO business compete in the workforce as their engineering department gets the most attention.
While waiting to see if she gets off the waitlist, she is keeping her options open, also considering her other UC non-business school options.
Tough year for decisions without being able to attend student admit days.
I also got into UC Davis but Cal Poly is higher ranked for business according to what I have researched. So between these two does anyone have any thoughts on which one would support me better. The UC system does have prestige but Cal Poly seems to have a really good program. Also, the cost is not a huge issue since they all are around the same for me.
@silvra, does UC Davis even have an undergraduate business degree, or is it business economics?
Cal Poly has a good reputation on the West Coast (a friend told me people in Seattle know it well) and beyond California.
If it’s business econ at Davis or business at Cal Poly, I would go with SLO. Plus I love that town.
UCD has managerial Econ which is a marketable business major option but it may not be exactly what you are looking for in a business degree. I would look at the curriculum to see if it will meet your needs.
https://www.ucdavis.edu/majors/managerial-economics/
SLO is a great option especially since you already like the campus.
San Luis Obispo was ranked #133 in the Best Undergraduate Business Programs category by US News and World Report. Graduates of California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo holding a bachelor’s degree report earning one of the highest early career salaries among our list at an impressive $59,300.
SDSU also has very good Business programs and Business school and their International Business program is nationally ranked. A beautiful and sociable campus near plenty of job opportunities.
San Diego State is accredited by the esteemed AACSB and Western Association of Schools and Colleges, Senior College and University Commission, placing this college among the best business schools from around the world. Among their many accolades, the university has been included on The Princeton Review’s list of best regional colleges, and was ranked #77 by US News and World report in the Best Undergraduate Business Schools category.
It really depends upon what you want to do with your Business degree and why you feel you need National recognition. As a prospective Business major, I would think costs and affordablty would be a priority so staying in-state for your Undergrad degree should allow you to explore out of state options for a MBA later on.
I also got into Emory and UC San Diego but I’m not too familiar with their programs. I have done have research and found that Cal Poly is similar to UC san Diego but Emory is more prestigious. Does anyone know anyone in the business programs here?
UCSD does not have a Business school and they are geared more to STEM majors but their Econ program for Undergrad is considered very good. I do not have any specific details but look over the program curriculum if UCSD is of interest. Did you get into Economics or Management Science at UCSD?
Also rankings are for graduate programs vs. undergrad programs so some of the Undergrad programs may not be as “prestigious” as you hope.
I know nothing about Emory but why do you need a “prestigious” business program? Do you plan to go into investment banking or something similar where school name is important?
To answer some questions I got into economics in San Diego but I’m planning to go into marketing! Also, I don’t believe Emory allows a student to choose a concentration. Right now I’m deciding Cal Poly or Emory. I personally think Emory would give me more of a national education but cal poly will give me an immersive experience. How would you compare these two degrees from a non-biased point of view? Thank you all or helping me!
Is Emory the same net cost as the others?
Do you want to leave CA or stay?
Did you get Direct Admit at Indiana Kelley?
Did you get into the Honors College at any of them?
I lived in Atlanta before moving to LA, albeit a while ago. If you had to ask me, I would pick SLO. Unless you got a great financial aid offer, Emory is a lot more expensive than in state SLO. Emory has a bigger name, but SLO is to me a better college town. Atlanta would be nicer for grad school.
As for being known outside of California, my friend in Seattle is a SLO graduate. He said at parent night, there were a ton of families for the SLO presentation, and not very many for the in state schools. It’s known in Seattle, Portland and of course California. Unless you want to end up on the East Coast, I’d select CalPoly.
I studied Marketing as part of my MBA. The key is getting an internship, wherever you go, in order to get hired later.