I would like some other opinions on my choices for transferring after this summer. My safe school choices are UNLV and UNM(and my reach is USC waiting for acceptance/denial soon) and this is the background info. I am an accounting major in California, my estimated cost of cost of UNLV in $21000 a year and my estimated cost of UNM is $17000 a year; UNM is cheaper but I have never been to New Mexico and have not been able to find any opinions on UNM’s undergraduate accounting degree. I have heard a good amount about UNLV’s undergrad and grad accounting degrees from UNLV alumni who are accountants and I also really like Las Vegas(and it’s proximity to LA), I have been a few times NOT AS A TOURIST and can picture myself living there. Really the only thing so far I like more about UNM is the financial aid package they have offered. If anyone can give me their opinion, maybe a perspective I am not seeing it from, it would be appreciated.
Will you attend accepted students day at UNM? You really need to visit.
How hard will it be for you to cover the difference in cost?
It honestly would not be hard to cover the difference. I will likely graduate debt free at UNM but I will only be taking 4-6k in debt at UNLV. If I decided to work full time during the summer between junior and senior year and or work weekends during school like I do at CC I will easily make up the extra 4-6k. I am working in Alaska this summer in the fish industry and depending on how good of a season it is I could possibly make that extra 4-6k on top of what I’m projected to make assuming a below average-average season.
@Meandthebois TBH, minus the strip, I don’t think that Albuquerque and Las Vegas are all that different. They are both high desert western cities with mountains relatively near by. From CA, either would be a relatively short flight from anywhere in CA. If you are from Southern California, both cities will probably fall within your comfort zone. I believe that UNM is higher ranked than UNLV overall but I can’t speak to the specifics of your prospective major.
@WayOutWestMom and @DiotimaDM can you help?
UNM has better departments and is not as commuter as UNLV. At UNLV the best program is linked to hospitality and related. I don’t see an advantage to getting into debt for UNLV when you have a very good (better?) choice for cheaper…
UNM is higher ranked overall and higher ranked in business than UNLV.
UNM’s accounting is an accredited AACBS program.
Goldman Sachs, Moss Adams and a variety of more local firms recruit accounting grads at UNM.
UNM has a unique interdisciplinary program the trains accounting/business students to work in the entertainment industry. (NM has a big film industry. Netflix just bought a huge studio near the campus and has committed to $1B in productions over the next 5 years.)
Accounting majors are not directly admitted to the major. They must enroll as “pre-business” and complete the basic pre-reqs (English, math, stats, econ, CS, financial accounting, GEs) before they can be admitted full-time to Anderson School of Business at the end of sophomore year.
New Mexico is enchanting, if you are interested in doing some exploring while in school.
New Mexico doesn’t really have a “power program” like UNLV has with Hospitality Mgmt, but as others have stated they are slightly stronger overall in terms of overall rep. It would be like comparing the U of Wisconsin and Iowa – UW might not have any programs ranked #1/#2 (unless Education is back up there…), like Iowa has with Creative Writing, but UW is stronger overall.
UNM is cheaper but UNLV appears to also be affordable, so I would compare program curricula/courses and visit UNM and environs before making a decision.
P.S. If you really want to play the slots and dine at mediocre all-you-can-eat buffets, you can always head out to any one fo the 5 Native American casino complexes that are right outside of ABQ.