<p>Applied as a business major to: SMU, GWU, Wake, Lehigh and Syracuse
Econ major to: Trinity</p>
<p>I already got accepted to SMU and GWU.
Still have to hear back from Wake, Syracuse, Trinity and Lehigh.</p>
<p>Assuming I get accepted to the above four: where should I go?
I plan on getting into a top B-school at an ivy or equivalent.</p>
<p>I generally like a college with a campus feel to it, but I don't think I would mind a school in a city (i.e. GWU). The only thing I fear about SMU and Wake is that they are in the south. I am a domestic student (American abroad) and I am used to more socially liberal atmospheres, I don't know how I would be accepted/viewed at schools dominated by politically conservative people? </p>
<p>Also, I have done my research on each college's respective undergraduate business school, however I have learned not to entirely trust/believe in rankings. If you were a prospective business major, which school from the above would you attend? (I don't mind if your answer is based on whether the school is a household name or not, I just want someone to justify their choice with some details)</p>
<p>I welcome any insight/opinions/advice!</p>
<p>I’m by no means an expert on some of these schools, but I have some advice on the liberal atmosphere thing. Although schools in the South like Wake are considered significantly more conservative than most schools, that’s comparatively speaking. Most schools in the US are extremely liberal; there will be a large liberal contingent at any school. I’ve heard Wake described as a moderate school that still has plenty of vocal liberals, and I’ve heard some praise the balance between ideologies because it taught them to understand and even appreciate others’ point of view. Incidentally, I have a friend who’s been admitted at Wake and most wants to go there, and he’s REALLY liberal. So I wouldn’t weight this consideration too much.</p>
<p>Of your schools, I’d choose Lehigh or Wake. Even though I’m not interested in business myself, I’ve heard of Lehigh’s rep for having a good program in business, and overall it has one of the best reputations of all you schools. I don’t know if it has the campus feel you want-- it’s on the side of a big hill and is in an area which many complain about being kind of sketchy. As for Wake, it has the best reputation of all your schools. I’ve heard it has a nice campus.</p>
<p>Also, when you say Trinity do you mean Trinity College or Trinity University?</p>
<p>Thank you michellel!</p>
<p>And Trinity as in Trinity College in CT. </p>
<p>In terms of Lehigh, I’ve done a bit of research on it and learned that it’s a bit of a party school, has a lot of engineering students (particularly from the Northeast) and since it’s on a hill requires a lot of walking (not that I mind!) haha. I know there is a lot more to Lehigh though. Would you mind elaborating on why you would choose Lehigh over the other schools? I really do like it in general, but would like to know more.</p>
<p>I’m not familiar with most of your schools, but do know Lehigh. It does have a reputation as a party school, but I’m not sure it is as much a reputation as it is urban legend. But it is definitely an engineering school.</p>
<p>There are some beautiful buildings on campus, especially the older ones. The town is okay, but a lot of students travel to Philadelphia on the weekends.</p>
<p>Is it possible to narrow down your list and then do an accepted students day so you have a better sense of whether you would be happy there?</p>
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<p>Settle down there. Considering an MBA should be about 7-8 years away from now.</p>
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<p>I would definitely stick to Wake or Lehigh. In terms of finance and accounting (the two largest undergrad biz majors), they are definitely the strongest with regards to program quality and alumni networks. Would also argue that they are the most prestigious of all the schools you listed and have the most academically accomplished student bodies.</p>
<p>SMU has a terrific and up and coming business school (Undergrad and MBA both ranked higher than all of the other schools you listed although you don’t like lists) and an extremely strong alumni network throughout the country. My son is in BBA Scholar/Honors now and I was there back in the …prehistoric times. However, the atmosphere is extremely politically conservative (AKA the George Bush Library is almost complete on campus and relatives of Rush Limbaugh’s are current students). They have liberal groups and clubs you can join on campus, but you will definitely be in the minority. The professors are actually much more liberal than the student body, and the business school faculty is excellent. SMU connections and offerings have taken my son very FAR. I am concerned, however, that you will not find enough political or idealogical diversity to enjoy yourself if you are staunchly liberal.</p>
<p>Levelsmevels, I agree with some of what you’ve said about Lehigh. I was actually considering it because I’m interested in its engineering, haha. But one of the things I liked about it was it had strong business program, and I was interested in taking advantage of some of the business classes so I did some research into that. Lehigh is a school that people seem to have heard of (and I live out west, so that means it has a national reputation), which probably isn’t true to the same extent for some of your schools. This could be an important factor in job placement or grad school placement. </p>
<p>I’m familiar with Lehigh’s reputation as a party school, and admittedly it was something that concerned me a bit, but it seems to me like there are still plenty of students who aren’t part of that scene. There are a lot of things I like about the school, even though I didn’t end up applying. I like that it’s small and has a community feel but at the same time is an acclaimed research university. I actually like the hill because I’ve grown up in a town on the side of a mountain, so I kind of like walking up and down hills, haha. It seems like there are good opportunities to get to know professors and it looks like a fun school to attend because it’s a spirited school (I think there’s plenty of support for the sports teams and many students have school pride, which contributes positively to the environment).</p>
<p>I’m not well acquainted with some of your schools, but I recommended Lehigh because of its prestige and my own positive feelings toward it. Although it’s known for a somewhat homogenous student population (which is actually true of some of your other schools too), I think you’d find a lot of smart but fun-loving kids at Lehigh. That’s why I would strongly consider it if I were you.</p>