UNC or UC Berkeley (Business)

Parents Forum
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Hi everyone, I am seeking some input on whether my son should go to UNC or UC Berkeley for business. He is in-state for UNC but Berkeley seems to be a better option. He would have to apply to get into their respective business schools, but I believe he can get into UNC’s easily and Berkeley’s will be hard/competitive due to the nature of things there. I was also wondering about the job prospects and such. He is not too into tech, so he would mostly go a pure business route even at Berkeley. He is not sure what field/specific aspect of business he would like to go into, but he is considering consulting, management, and investment banking as of now. he like the idea of also starting a business in college if he gets the right idea, so is the “startup” culture at Berkeley something he should be more inclined towards? He has initiative and always seeks out opportunities, but I feel like he would be able to stand-out more at UNC. However, a Berkeley degree and education seems to hold more value going forward.

Investment banking salary averages are $82,000 for UNC and $83,666 for Berkeley.
Consulting salary averages are $69,500 for UNC $73,406 for Berkeley
General management salary averages are $47,667 for UNC and $73,800 for Berkeley.
Overall salary averages are $66,325 for UNC with a $7,085 signing bonus $74,942 for Berkeley with a $8,500 signing bonus

I know these numbers only mean so much, but just thought of including it for perspective.

Other than for Investment Banking, most Berkeley students get employed in the Bay Area, where the cost of living is extremely high, while UNC students usually go to Raleigh or Charlotte, where cost of living is less. Why are the consulting averages still relatively the same then?

I would appreciate any advice and input. He has also been admitted to Babson, Wake Forest, McCombs at UT-Austin, Kelly at Indiana, and Carroll at Boston College, but I think UNC and Berkeley are his best options as of now, but please feel free to share insight on any of the schools I mentioned. Thanks!

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Can you pay the $60,000 a year or so,for him to attend Cal?

UNC-CH is an awesome school. TBH, given these two terrific choices, and the cost differential, I’d choose UNC.

If he is going to be a business major, surely he can see the cost differential and what that would mean economically.

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If you are confident about an acceptance into UNC but not so confident about Berkeley, then I think I would pick UNC. The cost difference is also significant, in my opinion.

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@thumper1 I am hoping he gets the output, so yes, I am willing to pay ~$240,000 over 4 years, but $100,000 for UNC is still something I am considering. I think his experience at Berkeley will be far superior and will help him down the road, since he would be among some of the most gifted kids in the world. UNC is also a good school, but I feel the environment at Berkely will be totally different.

@twogirls I think he could still manage the acceptance at Berkeley (Haas) since we know a few kids who have gone through the process, and he has a clear passion and drive for what he wants to do. He just needs to stay motivated. Admission certainly is competitive, but he has a few ideas and things he wants to implement when he goes there, and hopefully that will give him that added boost in the application process.

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