Could someone please rank the following undergraduate programs based on reputation and prestige? I plan on majoring in Finance and was interested in how the following undergraduate programs compare, especially since I plan on applying to most.
McIntire @ University of Virginia
Tepper @ Carnegie Mellon
Ross @ Michigan
Haas @ Berkeley
Carroll @ Boston College
Thanks.
My research thus far leads me to believe the rankings would be:
I don’t think McIntire or Haas have direct admit. That’s something to consider.
All these schools should be fine for OB placement, though I think BC might be a bit lower in Wall St. placement than the others (someone else more familiar with the topic would need to confirm.
For finance, Ross and McIntire have stronger ties to Wall Street firms than the other programs.
Thank you both for your insights.
I think BC is better for finance than CMU. I agree that the three publics would be the top three though.
They are all fine school. Agree with @usahopeful that a direct admit is a very valuable thing to have. For schools with no direct admit or where you don’t get a pre-admit be sure to understand the b-school acceptance rate/requirements etc. in advance.
@FalkreathGuard McIntyre at UVA is not direct admit. Students apply in the second semester of their second year. Admission is competitive. There is lots of detail regarding admissions on the Mcintyre website. Ross will give some incoming Freshman a Pre-admit…it is a separate application. If you don’t get the pre-admit you apply your Freshman year and that program starts Sophomore year. BC is a direct admit and I don’t know about the other 2. My S18 is starting in McIntyre this Fall so I am familiar with UVA. Good Luck. I will say it definitely was stressful until he was actually accepted. He had a “Plan B” but given that he had turned down a pre-admit to Ross…we all were really hoping that he got into McIntyre.
@MAsecondtimer thank you.
I will definitely consider the pre-admit when I apply.
Acc to USNWR, Wharton is #1 for undergraduate business education,and UC Berkeley Haas and MIT are tied for #2.
I am applying Early Decision to Wharton.
Most of these schools were to determine my reaches/matches. So far, I’ve added:
NYU Stern
Georgetown McDonough
Cornell Dyson
and have dropped UVa and Boston College after visiting.
I’ve also heard that NYU Stern for undergrad is less prestigious/easier to get into. Does anyone know if this is true?
@falk Yes, I have heard that about Stern. Also Mendoza ? at Notre Dame some have at the top (Bloomberg?)
http://www.bloomberg.com/features/2016-best-undergrad-business-schools/
Villanova, then Notre Dame
Bloomberg Businessweek rankings for undergraduate business schools are known to be a joke for students pursuing careers in financial services and management consulting (which I assume OP is doing given he/she wants to major in finance). I would recommend completely ignoring them. Villanova and Caroll, which both rank really highly on the list, are semi-target schools at best, and do not even compare to the likes of Wharton, Stern, and Ross, all of which Bloomberg Businessweek ranked lower than Villanova and Caroll.
@FalkreathGuard
I would recommend not just closing yourself to undergraduate business programs. Some schools which place really well in financial services/management consulting (and even better than some/all schools on this list) do not even have undergraduate business programs (like Harvard, Dartmouth, Duke). However, if I were to rank the schools you have given us:
Yikesyikesyikes, Dyson is not better than Ross for Finance or Management. I would say Wharton is best for management, closely followed by Ross, closely followed by Dyson, Haas and McIntire. For Finance Wharton is also best, closely followed by Ross and Stern, closely followed by Dyson and McIntire.
Apply to Harvard/Yale/Princeton. Other than Wharton, studying Econ at any of them is far better for your future career than an undergrad business school.
I agree Dyson is not better than Ross for learning finance, but I believe it is better for recruiting purposes (based on what I have seen).
“Apply to Harvard/Yale/Princeton. Other than Wharton, studying Econ at any of them is far better for your future career than an undergrad business school.”
One little problem with this strategy - getting in. The chances aren’t so good at any of the top b-schools and remote at HYP
NashSaddle, first one must get into HYP. That’s no small feat. They admit fewer than 1% of non-hooked applicants. Good luck with that! Secondly, Yale is not know to be such a great pre-professional school. Great for a liberal arts education and graduate school admissions, but not as great for professional placement. Cal, Cornell and Michigan Business and Engineering majors typically face equally good, if not better, employment odds. If you look at recent professional placement figures for Ross and Wharton, you would not notice such a large difference, only a minor advantage. It is doubtful that HYP Econ majors would fare much better than Dyson, Haas, McIntire or Ross graduates.
That being said, I personally recommend a liberal arts education at a top university, even if it has a business program of its own (including Cal, Cornell, Michigan, Penn and UVA). But even students pursuing those elite undergraduate business degrees can elect to double major in a traditional discipline, thereby combining a business education with a liberal arts education. Haas and McIntire are two year programs, while Ross is a three year program. 50% of the students enrolled at those three top Business schools double major in a liberal arts discipline.
So, if one is fortunate enough to to get into HYP, definitely go for it, not because the career opportunities are necessarily better, but because the experience at those universities is truly unique and exceptional. But for those not so fortunate as to get in, pursuing degrees at elite business schools is not such a bad option, particularly if a non-technical career after college is priority one.