Hey everyone,
How is USC Honors Business compared to other business undergrad schools like Purdue, Indiana, and Babson?
I understand the rankings are completely different but what resources does USC Honors have that other colleges might not have?
Thanks
I find it curious that USC’s IB is ranked #1 but their Business is not ranked in top 20. Must have focused on developing UB area. Funny because South Carolina is not a big city. It seems to me they should also have a better Chinese language program and IR.
@websensation SC is a state not a city. There is quite a bit of international commerce in the state including BMW, Michelin, Boeing, Fluor Daniel, GE and a multitude of feeder companies for those programs.
@websensation Foreign language programs are funny things. From school to school there is zero consistency in language focus (acquisition is not always the primary focus). I can’t begin to name all of the programs my Dd has contacted and the varied responses. Some only have intermediate mid language abilities as their goal. Some advanced-low. A very few have the ability to take students to a higher level. Study abroad is going to be the most important factor in higher level language acquisition goals.
Fwiw, schools that you might assume have better programs might not. For example, one main university that has a master’s program in a language doesn’t even have an established study abroad program. They stated that there can be difficulty in transferring back in study abroad credits. Their entire study abroad program seemed chaotic. Then you have programs that are built around their study abroad.
Did your ds apply to any of the schools with a Chinese flagship? If he is NM, ASU would be an obvious option: https://www.thelanguageflagship.org/content/chinese. He could get their NM scholarship and have superior language level as a real objective. I personally wouldn’t focus so much in the rankings, but the actual opportunities to achieve personal objectives. It isn’t Stanford, but Stanford isn’t going to have superior as a language objective. The flagships are the only programs that do. (The Croft program at Ole Miss would have had a language flagship combined with an IR specialty program. I believe it is too late to apply to that program.)
You might want to separate the Business School from the Honors College when considering U of SC. The Honors College is top ranked and you will get some nice benefits from that, such as early registration, double advisors (one from the HC and one in your major), opportunity to take seminars/small classes for your Honors/gen ed requirements, and access to some of the better/more popular professors. You will get a strong overall education and the thesis requirement will demonstrate your writing and research skills.
However, many of your business school required classes will NOT be Honors College classes. For Intro classes like Finance and Marketing, there are simply too many HC business majors for the number of seats available in Honors business sections, so chances are you will be in a 250-seat classroom. As you progress in your Business major, you will take non-Honors classes because that’s the only way they’re offered, but these will be much smaller classes. There are some interesting Honors business electives offered each semester, as well.
Depending on your desired major, the schools you mention have different strengths. Carolina is known for International Business, Babson for Entrepreneurship, Kelley for pretty much everything (not familiar with Purdue). Doesn’t mean that you can’t major in something else at each of those schools, just noting their recognized strengths.
@LuckyCharms913 Which one do you think is more recognized in the business world? Babson or Kelley? I’m pretty sure I want to do entrepreneurship, but I want to work a few years before going into the entrepreneurial world. Babson’s curriculum is a lot more real-world and hands-on while Kelley has a much larger alumni network. Babson’s ranked highly on certain rankings but not many people where I live (in the South) know about Babson. I’m afraid that that lack of awareness of Babson would hurt me in getting a job in the South. What are your thoughts?
We live in the mid-Atlantic, and I hadn’t heard of Babson until my kids started the college search. I wouldn’t have any idea how Southern employers view Babson or Indiana, although I am aware that both schools have excellent business programs. If you want to work in the South, I would definitely give SC strong consideration (especially if you were admitted to the Honors College). If you choose SC, make sure to declare a business major ASAP; they closed the B school to new majors last year to prevent oversubscription.
One comment strictly from a parent’s perspective: I am encouraging my kids to get a broad education no matter their major. Business courses offer some very career-specific training; but my D (SCHC student) is also taking English, philosophy, heavy foreign language, etc. My S is a senior in HS, and the school he is most likely to wind up at (as a business major) has a lot of core curriculum requirements. He’s not in love with that idea right now as he’d like to just leap right into business classes, but he does see the value in improving his writing and analytical skills and increasing his exposure to the liberal arts. He also is interested in Entrepreneurship as a major, and I have been reminding him that if he’s trying to sell himself/his ideas to investors, the ability to intelligently discuss a variety of topics may come in handy.
You might want to consider whether Babson’s pre-professional focus is a fit for your interests, or would you prefer a more broad based curriculum. Also, the size of the schools is so different: Babson is tiny compared to IU or SC. Do you care about things like sports? I don’t know what the atmosphere is like at Babson, but Carolina is just a fun place to go to school, and I have heard that Bloomington is a terrific college town.
You have three fine choices, and I don’t think you can go wrong with any of them. Take a look at costs, and at how your preferences align with what each school has to offer.
@LuckyCharms913 okay thank you!!!