He’s very strong in applied math - so it would be Econ/Financial Analysis side of Business. He actually has a lot of friends debating between Business and Engineering. They’re all good at math and science, but don’t want anything medical related.
UNC Business school does have direct admit for very few incoming freshmen - provided they maintain a certain GPA. He did not get it, but he has the work ethic and study habits that we don’t expect it would be a problem.
He knows Engineering is tough with a high drop-out rate. I think that may be why UGA rose to the top. He doesn’t want to go to a school that he doesn’t like just b/c of the reputation of the Engineering program.
So Econ/Financial Analysis vs. Civil Engineering - I don’t see the comparison.
If I want to study Professional Pilot and I got into U of North Dakota for Professional Pilot or Harvard for sociology, I wouldn’t choose Harvard.
If he likes UGA and wants to be a Civil Engineer, then to me it’s a no brainer. He will be set up for life, hopefully doing what he loves.
If he goes to UNC and gets a degree in Econ or Financial Analysis, maybe he’ll be in sales or corporate finance or the insurance industry or working for Belk (corporate) or what not. And he gave up his dream for four years at a school he cherished growing up.
Just doesn’t make sense…to me.
btw - I often bring up the stat - 40%-60% of engineers, depending on the study, don’t make it.
But as others correctly note, there’s a difference between the kid who can get into UNC - and who goes to - sorry - but a Lamar or Utah State or North Florida. Or put another way - if you’re that confident he will gain entry into Keenan Flagler, then you should be confident that he’ll succeed in his chosen field.
At 18 years old is - in my opinion - not the time to give up your dream.
Sorry to sidetrack off your question to @VirginiaBelle - but I was just surprised at the contrast in majors, especially when you said he really wants to do Civil Engineering.
I wouldn’t make that assumption with UNC KF. The admission process is holistic. There have been examples on CC and other sites where excellent students have been shut out. Sometimes it’s a numbers game.
If he’s ok with math or Econ then fine but Econ is not the same as a business degree. Also, it’s one thing to choose a different major. It’s another to be forced to do it.
For civil engineering I would put VT and probably the other schools above UGA. VT’s business school is also well regarded. Good luck.
@VirginiaBelle - Where did your child end up? We are in a similar situation. Our 2023 son is debating between UGA (Honors/Engineering) or UNC (Business). He is drawn to UNC as his lifelong dream school, but he really wants to do Civil Engineering.
He did not apply to GATech because he doesn’t like city campus. He got into Engineering at NC State, Clemson and VA Tech - but he just likes UGA campus feel. We do worry about being at a lower ranked engineering school. We’re hopeful that top of the class at UGA would serve him over middle of the pack at other Engineering schools….but that may be too hopeful.
UNC dad here. DD is economics major with data science minor, presently. DD’s BF is KF senior. Getting into KF is no joke. Most do not get in. And remember, these are UNC kids. Competition is fierce. The good thing is that you can get a business adjacent major and do just fine. My DD just got a great internship offer as a sophomore.
I have no idea how good UGA’s business school is.
Have another kid, a son that wants to be an engineer. He has no interest whatsoever in econ or business. I am always amused by kids that have such diverse interests. I was clueless at 18!
as others have stated I don’t understand the allure of going to a school where you won’t be able to study what you want, just because of the name brand. UGA is no slouch, it’s ABET certified, and is more than reputable enough to get you where you want to be, even in its relatively new engineering school. if you do a google search it seems like kids are overall happy with their engineering education at UGA. give it a few years and I bet UGA’s engineering rep will be growing steadily- they seem to know what they are doing as an institution, and GA Tech can’t take everyone.
And if you decide you prefer business, Terry at UGA is well respected.
He undoubtedly has the same work ethic, study habits and academic credentials that all the applicants to KF will have, so not a sure thing for any applicant. Does he have business/finance related internships already under his belt? Many of the KF applicants will have that on their resumes. If he likes econ, then no problem - if he doesn’t get into KF on his first or second try, he can go with Econ and be very successful.
Terry at UGA is also very well respected and according to hearsay on CC, as long as applicants have a certain GPA and fulfill prerequisites, getting admission is somewhat easier than KF (I also think Terry might take more students than KF).
All schools are good choices so just splitting hairs.
That said, I think OP’s son should decide a path and then pick the school. He has several fantastic options. Some stand out.
If he decides business go to UNC. It’s his dream school. Give it a shot. It’s a T20 B school that recruits nationally. If it doesn’t work out then pick another major or transfer to UGA.
If he’s serious about engineering look deeper into VT or NC State. Highly rated civil engineering programs with a national reputation. If he hates it transfer into Pamplin or transfer to UGA.
Thanks for all the input. It all echos the factors he’s been considering. At the end of the day, he is torn between majors - and that will make the decision. And he would be just as fine with Econ as Business if KF wasn’t an admit.
We are North Carolina residents. He got merit to make the OOS options I listed possibilities. Took some private schools off the table already.
He knows VA Tech and NCSU are better Engineering programs. But we are respecting his decision to shut out the “US News and World Report” noise and make a holistic campus choice. While the majors are very different, the campus atmosphere at UNC and UGA are similar.
Hmm. That comes across as a big surprise to me. At UNC, it seems every kid is competing against the next kid. Getting into certain clubs require a resume and an interview. Getting a leadership position at said clubs requires serious strategy. And course rigor is extremely high at UNC. UGA is a fine school too but has a more fun vibe for sure.
I honestly don’t see Econ as a fallback to business as a major. Yes, business majors will take a few econ courses. But the actual discipline of Econ combines a LOT of theory (which the business majors generally ignore- they just want to know what monetary policy IS, they don’t want to see how the sausage is made) whereas the Econ majors are going to do a deep dive into each aspect of econ. If your son loves numbers then there are lots of paths open to an econ major; if he’s just doing econ with a “plug and chug” attitude, it won’t be a very interesting course of study.
Just my two cents. If he’s honestly ambivalent or torn about what path to take, does he have any admits where he doesn’t have to decide right now? And why not just major in applied math (which is its own discipline- he can take all the econ he wants- or not)? If he doesn’t know enough about business to know why he’s interested in it, just plain math will give him lots of options. Risk management, actuarial science, anything in corporate finance or treasury… think about how airplane tickets fluctuate in costs… or how airlines manage pricing when the costs of fuel go up and down… or how consumer products companies know what to charge for orange juice after a winter where the crop freezes on the trees in Florida… some fantastic “business” paths open to applied math majors!
Top business clubs at UGA like Corsair, SMIF, Terry Student Consulting ,Terry Ambassadors etc also require resumes, multiple interviews and lots of studying/prep. They are extremely competitive. Students in these clubs and others place quite well in both internships and jobs.
It is crazy! My DD just landed an internship. Zero help from any of these selective clubs. Sometimes, they seem to take themselves a little too seriously it seems. Lol!
My UNC daughter definitely hit the ground running beginning in her freshman year. She knew what it would take to make her KF application more attractive. She talked herself into an unpaid internship at KF and stayed after freshman year for a summer session to take a business course. Getting into KF and other UNC degree programs definitely results in a competitive environment. Then junior year, they compete again for internships.
My daughter didn’t join any of the clubs (other than she was in a sorority) and had no problem getting her summer internship - but KF does a lot to help them prepare. I agree with you that the clubs, while undoubtedly good for networking, probably do take themselves too seriously. My younger daughter says the business fraternity at VT is notoriously cut-throat and even a bit cruel in its member selection process. She wants no part of it.
