And so in that sense, UGA could be a hinderance?
Uga Honors changes the parameters of your choice substantially - in my opinion it’s the closest “fit” to Duke, if that’s what you are interested in (or want to avoid). It’s widely recognized as an elite program and it works hard at providing the students it feels lucky to have there with every possible opportunity.
The opportunities it affords and the general experience (smaller, interactive classes with Ivy level peers, frequent contact with professors, personalized advising, support and automatic preselection for internship opportunities) make it a clear winner - even if UNC is a top 5 public university and KF is a great business school, you’ll be one among many there.
Priority registration is worth its weigh in gold at any large university btw.
Differentiating factors: basketball v.football, size of campus.
The two College towns have different vibes, not sure if you were able to visit.
Both states are widely seen as up and coming for College graduates and both universities are well represented along the Eastern seaboard.
My recommendation would be UGA honors undergraduate, UNC for graduate (unless you get into Ivy type universities or aren’t interested in grad school anymore - where the MBA is from will matter greatly, otherwise it won’t significantly add anything to your career and a T10-T20 is a must then; same thing for a PHD in econ, which btw will be a lot of math).
Uga non honors v. Unc would unc as an immediate no brainer btw but anyone who knows the field understands what a big deal uga honors is.
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Thank you! Someone in the know and not just giving advice based on USNWR rankings.
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Duke and UNC are very different, in that students who prefer one generally don’t prefer the other (there are exceptions, of course). In this regard, UGA might be the better fit, since it is reportedly more like Duke (hope I make sense).
I have no doubt in my mind that the honors program at UGA is top notch and outstanding, and if it is the right fit you should attend. I just want to let you know that my D was OOS (NE) at UNC, and her academic experience there was the same (or better) as her friends at higher ranked private schools.
If your two choices are UGA honors and UNC, there is really no wrong choice here. IMO it comes down to fit.
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It depends on the person’s eventual desired path.
Also, good MBA programs require work experience in between undergrad and the MBA program.
I found this to be a good write up.
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My D was planning on going the law (corporate) route when she started first year. She initially chose bba due to specific interest in corporate law.
She was able to take a Freshman English/Writing section (there’s no getting out of that at UNC, AP credits cover another class) specifically for students planning on law school that she enjoyed.
She’s now found that she’s enjoying her business experience so much that she’s thinking she may not go the law route afterall. Figuring out the future is a journey.
Not sure if you have had the opportunity to take any econ or business courses in high school, but in my experience while business and economics are related many people ultimately find they have a preference for one over the other.
FWIW and so there’s no confusion or misconceptions - KFBS has it’s own academic and career advisors in addition to UNC general advising and career center. Due to its smaller overall size (under 400 majors and under 75 minors admitted per class year as of now) personal attention, contact with professors, course sizes, and opportunities are not an issue whether someone is UNC honors or not as a KFBS student. I recommend googling KFBS undergraduate recruiting guide for stats on student outcomes. My D certainly has had no shortage of opportunities for case competitions, internships, symposiums, etc.
I think the apples to apples comparison would more be UGA honors vs UNC in general and then Terry vs KFBS is another piece of the puzzle, especially as per your previous post you are not definite yet on business, econ or political science.
So, you really do have at least two great options and it comes down to what you feel is overall best fit for you. Good luck even if you end up at Duke 
!
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Y’all, I know I keep saying this, but THANK YOU! I cannot tell you how helpful this has been, and how much I appreciate it. I’m going to hone down to see which is the best fit, and that will be my school. Thank you all so much, once again!
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Not entirely based on US News or Poets and Quants.
We went through this last year. We visited UGA and UNC. S20 liked UGA better than UNC but neither were high on his list. He took UGA off the list because Terry is the largest school at UGA with over 8,000 undergrads. Too big. I think UNC only admits around 350 undergrads each year so way smaller.
Also talked to my college roommate who lives in Atlanta and got his MBA from Terry. UGA has improved drastically and moved up the rankings. Both schools would meet his needs but UNC still has more cachet…just an opinion.
Maybe UGA Honors is a game changer. I don’t know. We didn’t really investigate any further. I would want to know how integrated the Honors program is with the business school and how many professors and classes can go through the Honors program. Otherwise, you’re competing with 8,000 undergrads.
As for Olin the only reason I would rate it higher is because of the individual attention you would get. It’s a private school. Not sure how many undergrads they enroll every year but I bet it’s under 200. Having gone to large public schools I’ve encouraged my kids to look at private schools or public schools with good honors programs, especially in their major. Same would apply to Duke even though I don’t think they do undergrad business.
S20 ended up at Georgia Tech. So far he seems to love it but he transferred out of Scheller into their ISyE program. Good luck. There’s no wrong choice here.
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If OP gets into WashU, then the calculus changes again. 
GTech really has many majors, so that it’s de facto become the State’s flagship, and a nationally-known one at that.
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Did this student narrow it down to UNC and UGA, or are the other options still on the table if accepted? I am not clear about this.
This student spoke about campus culture and community, so I will comment:
It was reported that UGA honors will give you a sense of community. This is a huge plus. It was also reported that Greek life is big. You need to decide what this means to you. What do students do who are not in Greek life? Do you plan to join?
UNC honors, even if accepted, will not necessarily provide a sense of community. Honors at UNC is not a big deal, according to those who I have spoken to. Many choose not to live in honors housing for various reasons. Additionally, it is my observation that most OOS students are not placed in honors. This isn’t really an issue, as the OOS students I know have thrived (internships, close relationships with profs, very active on campus, etc).
Greek life at UNC is small, clubs are big, very active, and well attended. The downside is that some require a lengthy interview process to join (certainly not all or even most).
I think somebody commented that honors at UGA will provide a community that feels similar to the overall vibe at Duke (maybe I misunderstood?). If this appeals to you, I would investigate the honors program at a more in depth level and decide if that strong community feel is there. It sounds like it is (I don’t know a lot about UGA).
Best wishes to you. You have some great choices!
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I’ve narrowed it down to UGA and UNC assuming I won’t be accepted to Duke or WUSTL. If I do get accepted to either, they’re on the table.
Thank you so much for your comment! Can’t wait to make the final decision.
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And even then it depends. I mentor a student who turned down a full ride at highly ranked public business school (not U of M) to go to WashU. She did well but was not a top student. When consulting recruiting came around, all her friends at publics who were top of the class got consulting interviews and she did not. The consulting firms were only interested in a few of the top students at Olin. She pivoted and ended up with a great job in finance but it was not her first choice of industry.
So I think that students need to be a lot more strategic then even they think.
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The average SAT score for UGA Honors students (718 incoming) for 2020-2021 is 1517.
The average SAT score for UGA Foundation Fellows (97 incoming Foundation Fellows students) is 1544.
OP: I think that I understand the basis of your indecision as the two schools do have a different vibe and the Research Triangle area offers a lot to college students and to young professionals. And UGA has a prominent Greek based social life. And I understand that UNC is twice as expensive as UGA for you due to a merit scholarship award to you from Georgia. And I understand your interest in UNC’s business school.
I am most concerned, however, by your interest in obtaining both an undergraduate business degree (BBA) and an MBA from Georgia in 4 years of study. Does Georgia permit this under the DoubleDawgs program ? (It is not listed among the double degree options at doubledawgs.uga.edu/ProgramList.)
Whether or not permitted, earning a joint BBA in business & an MBA in 4 or 5 consecutive years is not a good idea as this reduces the MBA experience to just another year of undergraduate study–and employers understand this.
It would be helpful to know if you have any specific career interest at this time.
If your plans included a double degree in Finance and a Masters degree in Economics, I would strongly encourage you to select Georgia Honors over UNC. An MBA could be later pursued after a few years of post undergraduate work experience.
P.S. We had a somewhat similar experience in our family over a decade ago. Full ride Foundation Fellows type scholarship to a large public versus a top 10 private National University. You may face a bit of a similar situation if accepted to Duke University. The decision depends upon fit, finances, & future plans.
My best advice at this point is to rethink any intention of earning both a BBA in business & an MBA during one consecutive 4 or 5 year course of study.
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There is discussion here about the SAT scores of students in UGA honors. They are certainly an impressive group and I have no doubt that they had plenty of college options, and will do quite well at UGA.
These same high scoring kids (both instate and OOS) will also do well at UNC. There is no shortage of high achieving students. There is no shortage of intellectual discussions outside of class, and the OOS students I know worked hard and were very challenged. It’s not a cake walk.
My point is that both schools offer strong academics, often mirroring higher ranked schools. My feeling is that the vibe at these schools might be different.
The cost difference is impressive and worth noting.
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I pointed out the UGA Honors versus Foundation Fellows SAT scores as a correction to an earlier post which incorrectly stated that UGA Honors average SAT was 1544 when it is 1517. I did not intend to imply that the level of discourse would be different at the two schools.
But, since you have raised the issue, I do think that the level of discussion in UGA Honors would be similar to that found at the top universities in the nation–but not, in my opinion, at the undergraduate business school.
P.S. There is a very different feel or vibe at UNC versus UGA which helps one to understand the OP’s dilemma.
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I read the article “Will You Need an MBA After Getting your BBA” written by the head of the University of Michigan’s Ross School BBA program. In my view, the article offers little–if any–meaningful advice to those who may be pondering this question other than to focus now & wait several years before making a decision regarding pursuit of an MBA. Okay, seems reasonable, but if a student did not understand this before reading the article, then that student is unlikely to be admitted to a highly selective undergraduate business program such as Ross.
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Thanks for pointing out the mistake. I just have scrolled too far on my phone to get the number. But my original point stands - very few schools of 2500 or less with a higher average. In fact very few schools period.
Edited my post above (great new function).
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@7SenJS : Since you mentioned an MBA degree in post #16 above, I think that it may help to share a thought about MBA programs.
Prior post-undergraduate work experience is a key component needed in order to maximize benefits from an MBA program. MBA programs typically focus on how to approach & solve real world business issues. In order to participate & in order to understand in a meaningful manner, one should have real world business experience.
It is also better to work for 2 to 5 years after completing an undergraduate degree before seeking an MBA since many use the MBA degree experience (networking & recruiting) as a way to change employers and/or industries. Working for a few years often helps one to better define their desired career/career goals. (Defining one’s career goals/reasons for seeking an MBA is a crucial component of an application to an elite MBA degree program.)
If, for example, you would like to work as a management consultant (MBB–McKinsey, Bain & Co, Boston Consulting Group and a dozen or so other big names in MC), you will be expected to earn an MBA after 2 or 3 years of working as a management consultant in order to advance your MC career or in order to switch industries & employer.
Law school is different. Law schools and entry level (first year associate) at elite law firms buy brainpower–not work experience.
In the context of this thread, you should consider which opportunity (UNC Keenan-Flagler/UNC other versus UGA Honors) is more likely to place you in the best internships and in the best starting jobs as this may have an effect on elite MBA school admissions (as the top MBA schools tend to favor applicants from certain prestigious employers). Law school is different as one’s numbers (LSAT score & undergraduate GPA) are the primary admission factors.
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Thank you once again for you thoughtful comment. My idea is that I already have numerous AP credits, and it looks like I could graduate from UGA in 3 years. If I decided to major in something other than BBA (possibly poli sci or economics), then I could take advantage of their double dawgs program and get my MBA in four years at UGA. However, I’d only do that if I planned to go to law school. I figure that, as long as I plan to go into law, it can’t hurt to have the option of getting my MBA as a bonus.
Yet, I would not be directly pursuing a career in business in this situation. If I decide that business is the end game, then I won’t try to get my MBA at UGA, and will instead complete my undergraduate degree, gain work experience as you say, and then apply for elite MBA programs.
Again, the plan is very preliminary, but it’s nice to have my options open. At this stage, it’s KFBS vs UGA Honors, and I’m still figuring out exactly which one to go with from here.
Thanks again for your comment! Really appreciated.
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The DoubleDawgs program at Georgia lists dozens of options. If interested in Finance, then Finance undergrad degree with an Economics masters degree should result in lots of consulting options in addition to rotational programs with corporations. Also would be a strong background for practice in biglaw.
Duke University offers a DoubleDukie program. Duke undergrads receive scholarships & other concessions to this 10 month masters degree options from Fuqua for those with either no post-undergrad work experience up to a year or so of work experience. Two masters options from Fuqua–one is quant oriented other is a well designed general masters degree in Foundations of Business.
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