So I’m having a really tough time deciding between Amherst and Bentley. If I go to Amherst I’m going to try and transfer into Isenberg for Finance, currently enrolled for Economics. At Bentley I’m already admitted for finance.
My issue is that I don’t live and breathe business like most Bentley students do. I’m fairly certain that I want a job in finance, but not completely 100%
Money is no issue for ether school, I got great financial aid both ways.
–Have you researched how difficult/easy it is to make an internal transfer at UMass into the b-school? I don’t know the answer – I just know that at some schools it is just a matter of filling out the paperwork and at others it is near impossible. If you think you want business this could be an important consideration.
–Have you contacted UMass and ask if your admission can be flipped into the b-school? It is probably too late but I’m thinking there is nothing to lose by asking.
–It is important to understand that economics and finance are very different majors. Economics is a liberal arts course of study and gets very theoretical at the upper levels. In contrast if you go to an undergraduate business school you will take a business core with introductory classes in subjects such as accounting, finance, IT, marketing etc. and then you will major in one of those disciplines. I’m not saying that one path is better than the other, but they are different. I would take the time to look at the coursework (can be found online) for both an undergraduate b-school program and an economics major and see if one path is preferable to you. That may impact your decision, especially if you find an internal transfer at UMass may be difficult.
–FWIW my S decided against Bentley (which we all liked a lot) because he felt he wanted more diversity of interests among students and wanted an “out” in case he decided he didn’t want to study business. The difference was that he was a direct admit in the b-school at the college he ultimately attended.
My son also really liked Bentley but ended up choosing another school. Bentley would have been $25k more expensive so that was def a factor. I will say Bentley is very impressive and at accepted students day I spoke to many seniors who already had jobs lined up after graduation. Some accounting majors and some finance and marketing. They have a fantastic internship program and career development is their strong point. Being so close to Cambridge and Boston is also a positive.
I asked several people whose child chose not to go to bentley because it was too business focused if their child ended up changing their major and all of them said no, they continued with a business major. Sometimes just knowing you have that option is reassuring even if you never need it but if you’re willing to take the risk I think you could be highly rewarded. In the end it was just a bit too intense and expensive for my son.