USC Marshall vs Babson vs UIUC James Business Honors vs Fordham Gabelli School of Business

Hello Everyone!

My son was recently admitted to the following schools:

  1. USC Marshall for BBA (tuition -70k)
  2. Babson college ( 70k)
  3. UIUC business school as a James Scholar (50k)
  4. Fordham University for business with a 31k scholarship per year (50k)

We are quite confused about what to pick as of now and would love to hear your opinions.

Although USC and Babson are expensive, we are ready to pay for it if these schools are worth the high cost. We have a significant scholarship at Fordham, however, would Fordham provide an experience a good as say USC in terms of education and placements?

One of the things we are looking for is placements and internships. USC, Babson and Fordham are in big cities. Would there be a significant edge in terms of placements and internships at these schools?

How is the quality of learning in these schools? USC is a big school, do the students get sufficient attention from the professors?

Overall,

@pLuri First of all, I am only familiar with UIUC. Plus I am definitely biased since both of my children are Gies kids. My daughter graduated May 2017 with a double major in Finance and Supply Chain. She currently works in Chicago at a Big 3 Consulting firm. My son will be graduating in May with a double major of Finance and Accounting and a minor in Technology and Management. He will be doing financial consulting in Chicago post-graduation.

Here are some things I would consider when comparing schools:

  • size. Gies has ~650-700 freshman...by graduation the number is closer to 800. The total number of Business undergraduates is roughly 3000. It was a very comfortable fit for my kids. They had attended a suburban high school with an enrollment close to 3500.
  • AP credit. If your son is interested in taking the CPA exams, most states now require 150 credit hours. My son got a lot of AP credit and will be taking the CPA exams, even though his post-graduation employment does not require it. If your son is interested in Accounting, Gies has a very strong program. Regardless of the school your son chooses, I would research AP credit and how it can impact his future at the school. https://admissions.illinois.edu/apply/freshman/college-credit-ap
  • study abroad. We value the personal growth that comes with studying abroad. Both of my kids spent a semester in Europe. It was cheaper than being on campus and they absolutely loved the experience. I firmly believe it helped with their consulting job search. https://studyabroad.business.illinois.edu/programs/semester/
  • outcomes. Job placement is very good for Gies graduates. There is an especially good pipeline to Chicago. Also, having a strong College of Engineering helps to bring companies to campus for recruitment. https://m.box.com/shared_item/https%3A%2F%2Fuofi.box.com%2Fs%2Fxmq21r645v4n0c6x3qqrgczxyslzc8ti

Okay, now there are other things to consider. In my opinion ~$70k per year, or roughly a quarter of a million dollars, for an undergraduate degree is mind boggling…and we could afford it without loans. We are instate for UIUC so our savings is greater, but my family feels the perceived advantages from attending more expensive schools can be negated by the student…if your son has the skills, the drive and a little luck. (I only added the luck part, because I have nieces and a nephew who graduated at a bad time…around the 2008 recession. They’re all doing well now, but to be honest, their first two years post-graduation probably did not meet their expectations…and to put things in perspective, two were Notre Dame grads.)

If you asked me if I think your son should choose Gies, I would reply I don’t know your son so I can’t answer that question. I can say with confidence that there are a lot of opportunities for professional and personal growth at Gies. As in most cases, the “best” opportunities on a campus tend to be selective…think application and interview rounds…so “fit” comes into play. It may help to look at some of the organizations on campus. The following link is for business-related clubs and organizations, but of course a student may seek out other campus-wide organizations based on his or her interests.
https://giesgroups.illinois.edu/oua/business-clubs-organizations/

Fordham has deep connections to jobs in NYC, so for placements I would consider it excellent.

Is he focused on entrepreneurship. Babson and usc are leaders. Babson is right near Wellesley but not as traditionally pretty a campus more like a Brandeis with modern feel. Elite business school.

Personally I like the Fordham opportunity.

Thank you so much for your detailed response. It really helped us a lot. What you said about the high cost certainty has a lot of truth to it. That is one of the biggest reasons drawing us away from the higher cost schools. We’ll definitely look into the AP exams, but he may be unable to take them as he has his finals around the same time.

Once again thanks a lot for your help and time. I’ll also look into the links you provided!

@privatebanker Thank you for your response! No he is not solely focused on entrepreneurship. Fordham is especially appealing due to its location and the many internship opportunities there

@W84Quaker Thank you for your response! Agreed, the location and placements at Fordham are really appealing

I went to USC, but Fordham seems fine to me.

@simba9 Thank you for your response. Could you tell me about your USC experience? What was your major? Did the opportunities there justify the cost?

I went to USC in the late 80’s and it was for a Masters in Industrial Engineering. It was an evening program for working adults who wanted a graduate degree, so I don’t know how relevant my experience is to what you’re looking for.

I also didn’t pay for it. The company I was working for did. I wouldn’t have gone to USC if I had to pay for it myself - I’d have gone to a much cheaper public university. I’m glad to have gotten the Masters and it was an interesting program, but my undergrad degree was Computer Science, and that’s what got me all of my jobs. Being a USC grad got me one job because the CEO of the company I was interviewing with was also a USC alum. I actually didn’t think it was a good fit, but took it anyway. I quit after a few months.

Both Fordham in the Bronx and Babson in Wellesley are not in direct locations for internship in their cities. But they are completely divergent environs. You may be 10 min away for both. The attention from professors you will get at Babson is really tough to replicate because of its small size. The freshman FME class is one example. Babson is a beautiful campus with constant infrastructure updates (because of its price tag), But whether the price tag in outcomes is worth it to you or not is your call. Best of luck in your decision.