I need help making a VERY difficult decision. I have been accepted to both the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities (Carlson School of Management) and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Having toured both schools already, I am torn between the two of them! I like the thought of being at the U of M since I am already in the business school and Carlson is highly respected. While I really liked the campus, atmosphere, and tremendous school spirit at UW-Madison. The business school at UW-Madison is also highly regarded but the idea of possibly not being accepted to the business school makes me nervous. The U of M is also significantly closer to me (1 hour drive) compared to UW-Madison (4 1/2 hour drive). I think I most likely want to live in either Chicago or the Twin Cities… But would also like the opportunity to intern out I the East Coast for a summer or year beforehand. Any advice or comments would be greatly appreciated!!
It sounds like you already know all the information you could possibly know for this decision. I enrolled in Carlson. I might be biased toward it, but although I loved Madison’s college town appeal, if you for sure want to do business, I would suggest Carlson because that direct admit is very important versus going to Madison to find out that the business school doesn’t accept you a year in. I would take the safer choice. I have heard people on past threads talk about how people who went to Madison instead of the direct admit to Carlson wished they could go back because they didn’t get into the business school. That was a huge factor for me at least. However, this is your choice to make. Good luck!
I am in a very similar situation except I am deciding between the University of Michigan- Ann Arbor and Indiana University- Bloomington, I got DA into Kelley for IU but am still waiting to hear back from Ross (I also got in to both Minnesota and Wisconsin which is why I’m on this thread :P). For me, money is also a factor as Michigan would cost far more than IU. In the end, it may come down to that gut feeling. I keep asking myself which one I would regret not going to more. While Minnesota may seem obvious because of the added safety factor in addition to its strong business school, if WI keeps sticking out in your mind and you really think you would be happiest there I would give it a shot. Just make sure you really stay on top of your studies if you really want to study business.
Thank you for your guys’s feedback! Is there anything else I should be considering in my decision that I haven’t mentioned above?
If there’s anything else besides business that you’re interested (a possible second major/ minor, study abroad, etc.) I would look at these also as they may affect your college experience more than you think. If you’re a really quantitative person, look up the percentage of students with jobs after graduation, the average base salaries, stuff like that. If you have taken any AP classes you could see how many credits you would have starting out at each school as this may allow for more flexibility in your schedule. There are so many things to look at, but there’s no concrete formula (I really wish there was). I’m seriously starting to consider the good old coin flip method to make my decision. Good luck! Know that both schools are great, and it would be hard to make a “wrong” decision.
@GoPack87 Great suggestion! I will consider this as I continue deciding between the two schools. The U of M will give me significantly more credits for my AP scores compared to Madison… But I don’t see that as being the tipping factor. There is still a possibility I may be directly admitted into the Wisconsin School of Business, however, I would not find out until after May 1st (enrollment deadline).
I will post what I finally decide in the next few weeks!
You’ve already mentioned a few reasons why U of M Carlson is the best choice:
- it’s closer to home
- you’re already admitted to Carlson
- it’s where you are considering living after you graduate
Let me give you some more reasons.
Since Twin Cities is a place you would actually consider living and working upon graduating – and Madison is not – it is far better to attend the U of M because you will be right there for internships throughout your undergraduate years (aside from internships in other cities when you choose). You could even do internships in Minneapolis or Saint Paul during the school year part-time, and then go elsewhere in the summers. There will also be more alumni in Twin Cities from the U of M, giving you a foot in the door for job opportunities (more alumni because it’s right there, and because the university is much larger with 50,000 students including grad students). If you are applying for jobs and working in Twin Cities later, would you rather be able to bond with all the Minnesota grads surrounding you, or be teased for being the badger among the group of gophers?
Carlson requires all students to study abroad to prepare them for a global economy. You could also pursue an internship abroad. This shows that Carlson is forward-thinking.
Carlson has numerous speaker series that bring CEOs of companies to campus to network with Carlson students. This is huge. Just about every week, and certainly every month, you could be meeting leaders of companies that you might want to work for one day, and getting their advice and insights.
Carlson has a Living Learning Community for incoming Freshmen that you could try to get into, and many clubs.
The U of M has writing requirements of all students, and with Carlson there are core classes that teach business presentation skills. These skills will pay off no matter what career you pursue. Communication skills are often the number one skill that employers seek.
The U of M has loads of opportunities to get involved in research. You could do marketing research, or some other type of research with a professor related to your area of focus in business. You could even apply for scholarships that will pay you to do this research.
Carlson is highly selective, so your peers would all be top-notch. If you don’t get into the business school in Madison, you don’t know what your peers would be like, or possibly even what you would major in.
The U of M has regular Job Fairs with hundreds of employers. You can network and get experience dressing the part and talking to recruiters.
The light rail stops in several places on campus, and goes straight to downtown Minneapolis, downtown Saint Paul, the Mall of America and the airport, among many other places. This can help you get to local internships, events and activities, and flights to your internship on the East Coast.
@mommyrocks Thank you for the input! I have one question though: With the benefits Carlson has, why is it not ranked higher than that of the Wisconsin School of Business (based on rankings from U.S. News and World Report, Bloomberg Business, etc)? I’m not trying to question the value of Carlson but I am just curious as to why that would be.
You have to look at the details of each ranking system – what exactly are they measuring? For universities on the whole, I can show you five different rankings that put Minnesota at five very different levels nationally and internationally. That’s because one might weight scholarly publications by professors higher than another, or one might weight graduation rates more, or whatever. It’s the same with rankings of specific departments like a business school. Look into what is being ranked specifically, and see if that matters to you, before basing a personal decision on nuances of rankings.
A ranking system might put a smaller college in the middle of nowhere near the top, but I would wager down the road that someone who attends a large university in a large city can have benefits beyond saying what their college ranked when they started there (because that can change over time, of course). They will have the opportunities the city presents, and the opportunities the large alumni base presents.
If you were comparing U of M to Harvard, MIT, U Penn, Stanford, etc., then I would say rankings will make a difference, because the reputation of those places goes beyond rank and can open doors. However, you are comparing one Big 10 university program to another Big 10 university program. I think you need to look at factors other than rank to distinguish them and what your experience at each place might be.
You also need to assess your own priorities. If you value campus environment, school spirit and rankings above all – including above being in a business school (since you might not get Wisconsin’s) – then choose Wisconsin, and do at least one of your summer internships in Twin Cities.
If you value establishing roots and connections in Twin Cities where you are considering living after graduation, being closer to home, and having the security of already being in a business school (and experiencing that from day one), then choose U of M, and be confident that the program has a lot to offer so you can make the best of it.