UCSB vs Utah vs Colorado State FC [business preferred or economics]

College Search & Selection
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Good morning! Just throwing this out there as I always love to read CC opinions and I feel at this point that I really have no idea how to guide my son since I know very little about business which is his intended major. How can an 18 yr old kid really even know what the possibilities are?

We now have 21 days to decide where son will be attending.

He is a CA resident (lives an hour outside UCSB)

These are the schools that he applied to.

Denied
Cal Poly SLO

Waitlisted
SDSU
UCI

Admitted:
UCSB
SJSU
UCR
UCSC
UCONN
Arizona State U
U of Arizona
U of Denver
U of Utah
U of Colorado Denver
Colorado State U
Xavier
Northern Arizona U
CSUN

Originally SDSU was number one choice but since he was waitlisted, we are moving on.

At this point he is choosing between UCSB and U of Utah. (We are touring Utah today) We also tour Colorado State Fort Collins in a few days.

UCSB only offers an Econ degree (plus Accounting) but no true Business Admin program. (My concern is that if he doesn’t end up liking the Econ program, then he would have to transfer as there is no other Business option)

Utah offers many different options for Business and he could minor in Econ.

My want is a supportive (not crazy competitive environment) school that he will make life long friends and get a great education in addition to doors being open for jumping into the job market upon graduation. I can also see him getting an MBA.

He will need support from the disability dept at any school for severe dyslexia.

The friends that I do have that are in business world just keep talking about what a great opportunity UCSB is. ??

I appreciate any feedback.

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Perhaps he can look up the major requirements and course options available at each college’s business and/or economics majors to see which major is more interesting to him, and which colleges for the same major may be better academic fits for him.

In general, business is the application of principles from various liberal arts fields like economics, sociology, psychology, statistics, etc. to solve business problems, plus some specific skills commonly used like accounting and communication. Economics is the study of how people allocate resources, although some economics departments include business-flavored electives since economics is often a substitute for business as a major for college students.

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Econ is not business - but does he really want to do business - so a marketing, finance, supply chain, etc. If not econ, to your point - then what - poli scie, etc. - does he hvae other interests?

UCR, for example, has a B school. U of A was probably dirt cheap for you and ASU is a business powerhouse - especially in supply chain. U of A and ASU are both strong in MIS.

That you are going to look at different schools - hopefully he will gravitate to one - and it will be over.

How does an 18 year old know? Most don’t…and frankly, the ranking thing is so vastly overdone - with the exception of a few kids at a few colleges.

Most coming out of an SDSU, Utah, UCI, etc. will have the same life.

Because he has dyslexia, hopefully you’ve researched the support levels of each school?? Obviously that’s going to matter most - but I’m sure he can find his people anywhere.

The MBA, btw, comes after work experience…so that’s good.

At CSU, look up Dr. Beth Walker, the Dean, and explain your concerns. She was my marketing prof at ASU…very solid.

As for UCSB, it’s a fine school - if you’re engineering or otherwise - but there’s many a fine school and UCSB doesn’t have a hold on the job market.

Honestly that you got into UCSB but not SDSU says a lot - about how crazy admissions has gotten.

But if UCSB isn’t right, you needn’t go - you have to spend four years there, day after day after day - and it’s not a must go to school.

I hope you have clarity after your trip - but i see a lot of fine names on your list - including a UC that has a b school if that’s what you want for money.

But i assume he has a strong unweighted GPA - so U of Az will likely be inexpensive with automerit even though it’s not on your list of the final 3. To me, UCSB should be out - you don’t have interest - you are falling for peer pressure and you shouldn’t. Based on what you describe, UCR would be the better fit.

Most importantly, how will each school support your son’s needs. That should be first and foremost.

Good luck.

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UCSB’s biz-econ program is fantastic, but if I were you, I’d be more focused on obtaining the services of a college’s disability office than specific major. Public colleges aren’t known to be warm and fuzzy places, so I’d put my energy into finding the best fit for his personal learning situation.

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Why would it necessarily be “crazy” if business is an especially popular major at SDSU?

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Because I am “grounded” in the UC is at a higher level than the Cal States - and just getting into a UC is hard - and SDSU’s overall stats aren’t that high - but it is more and more popular and yes, business is likely impacted.

It’s more a historical perception thing I have - as a former San Diego resident.

On an overall basis, reputationally, SDSU doesn’t hold UCSB’s jock - to put it mildly :slight_smile:

It’s just I’m not grounded in reality.

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I can’t speak as much to business, as I’m not a business major and my son is a Cal Poly engineering alum. I can say though that both CSU and The U are attractive schools. We’re from OR. In addition to OSU, those were our son’s two safeties. He didn’t choose Cal Poly over Utah until 2 days before the deadline. There’s a lot to like about the college experience at both Colorado State and Utah, especially if he’s an outdoorsy kid.

UCSB is a good school, but I wouldn’t try to push a square peg into a round hole just because people are concerned about prestige. I sound like a broken record, but I’m friends with 3 Fortune 500 CEOs. None of them went to big name schools. It’s all about what one does with their time.

Best of luck!

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Thanks everyone for their input.

I think we missed the boat for Utah. The campus is AMAZING and I think that the program would be perfect for him. He loved it and said, “yes I want to go here”. I was giddy the entire tour. BUT!!! At the conclusion of the tour, they talked about how bad the on campus housing issue is and the deadline for housing has passed as of April 1, so the likelihood of on campus housing is nil.

Maybe we will be looking at the AZ schools after all. Hoping that the Colorado State visit goes well. ??

I swear that between 2 kids (daughter will be a nursing major) this college application cycle is going to put me in an early grave.

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I’d call to be certain that is the case.

The CSU campus is great and Ft. Collins is a great little town. I think he’ll like it a lot.

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You probably need to seek the policies of all schools - for example, at UF and UGA, you apply for housing months b4 you get a decision.

That said, if he loves the school, why can’t you fill out an app.

Perhaps you learned better info than the website but it says:

Applications received after April 1 will be able to reserve an available space once Open Sign-Up begins April 19, 2022, at 9 a.m. (MT).

So April 19th is long b4 May 1st…so maybe you’d get lucky?

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Put him on the wait list but the admissions dept said that this year housing is a nightmare.

This is what is posted after you sign up for waitlist. Sigh…

IMPORTANT WAITLIST UPDATES FOR 2022-2023

  • We anticipate that all available housing spaces will be fully reserved during the traditional housing room reservation window (April 7-15).
  • Once all available beds are reserved, the waitlist will open. Waitlist offers will begin on April 25.
  • Students who met the April 1 priority deadline and are not able to reserve due to beds already being reserved by other students will automatically be added to the waitlist.
      • Place on the waitlist is randomized but will be prioritized before students who join after the April 1 priority date.
  • Students who apply beginning April 2 will automatically be routed and added to the waitlist when they apply for housing for 2022-2023. These students will not need to pay the $130 one-time application fee or the $200 reservation fee until they are able to select a room (NOTE: Being on the waitlist is not a guarantee that students will receive a housing offer).
      • Place on the waitlist will be determined by submission timestamp.
  • When students reach the top of the waitlist, they will have 72 hours to apply and go into room selection to reserve a room. HRE does not assign or offer specific rooms.
  • The waitlist is updated diligently throughout the summer and after move-in day as spaces become available.
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Son said that he doesn’t want to live off campus his first year. He also wont have a car.

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The good news is there’s lots of schools these kids can be happy at.

You might need to find one where you didn’t miss the housing boat.

On the flipside, his learning disability - have you looked into the support these schools can offer?

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He has a 504 and would really only need extra time on tests and possibly a note taker. When he did dual enrollment in hs, he used the Kurzweil for a very short time. Seemed to do okay with it. When we visited the disability dept today, they were not warm and fuzzy.

We have a friend as Colorado with the same issues as my son and he has done fine.

Maybe if son loves Colorado, the housing issue will make the decision easier.

I just got off the phone with someone in housing and was concerned about the May 1 deadline (dont want to find out about getting off the waitlist after the May 1) He said that we could SIR at 2 schools. I didn’t even know that was a thing??

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Our of all the schools, U of Arizona has SALT, which would be incredible for a dyslexic kid. The only caveat is that son received 35k scholarship there and if he drops below a 3.0, he could lose his scholarship. That is not appealing at 35k tuition.

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Yeah - but merit typically has a ledge at every school.

So he had the 4.0 undergrad.

Congrats.

PS - see if they have a probationary period. My son needs to keep a 3.0 at Alabama but if he didn’t keep it (and he has), there’s like a year of probation.

Arizona can be outdoorsy like the others but it’s not cold/snow like the others - although Mt. Lemon is just an hour away.

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yes he has:
4.0 UW
4.5 W
3- AA’s from CC by dual enrollment (Bus Admin/Econ/Social Behavioral Science)
homeschooled through CA charter school
4.0 at the community college with 77 dual enrollment credits
35 A-G classes

To be honest, I thought for sure he would get into SDSU and the program there would have fit him perfectly, so I didn’t put much time into visiting all these other schools.

Daughter is also graduating this year and going into nursing. I put all my efforts into that because as a CA student nursing is a friggin nightmare. She has narrowed down to 3 schools and is good at this point.

Thats a great idea to check and see what the probation period is. Thanks…

He is open to all 3 AZ schools, I just need to figure out how to visit them all! :wink:

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You have twins ?

I’m shocked.l on sdsu. Wow.

NAU will be most outdoorsy as it’s in Flagstaff.

ASU is just big.

I’m preferential to U of A as most traditional. I guess he didn’t apply to Honors but the honors dorm is really nice at U of A.

ASU is where I got my MBA. FIne. school but immense.

They’re all within reasonable distance so hopefully u can hit all In 2 days.

If you go to Tucson get an Eegie. You’ll see them everywhere. Don’t eat there. Just get a strawberry/lemon eegie.

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They’ve got Eegie’s now in the Phoenix area!

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The Eccles school at the U is good, from what I can see as a parent of an adult student there, and not super killer competitive. The really nice thing about being at the U of Utah for school is that Salt Lake is a very nice city, with a growing young feel to it, sort of going the way of Seattle/Portland. Yes, the state as a whole is very conservative, but the city has some very liberal, modern-thinking areas now. And the area around the U is lovely, with sweeping views out over the Salt Lake valley.

If he decides he wants another major, the U is a huge major university with lots of majors available.

You cannot beat the proximity to fantastic skiing and hiking, and other outdoor recreation.

As for the housing issue … there is off-campus shared apartment housing right next to campus, but it’s not cheap. There is excellent public transportation, so no need for a car.
How can they have a housing list that starts that early, before people have heard from other schools? Common reply date was April 1st! They’re supposed to sign up for housing before the acceptance deadline of end of April?

If I were you, I’d call the housing office and ask for an exception. It sounds as if Utah is a great match for him.

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