Hi, I’m trying to decide between UT Austin and Emory, and I’d appreciate any advice.
At UT, I’d be a Human Dimensions of Organizations major, which is under College of Liberal Arts. It focuses on business/ psychology/ organizational behavior, so it matches my career interest: I’m planning on going into human resources/ consulting. However, it is not a business degree, and I’ve heard that internal transfer to McCombs is pretty difficult. I can still try and if not, minor in business. Lastly, I’m a TX resident, so I’d be paying in-state tuition.
At Emory, I’m planning on majoring in Business Management. I’d be spending my first two years at Oxford campus, which I don’t mind because I love the small classroom size and tight knit community. But the cost of attendance would be twice that of UT, and I’d have to take out student loans (will probably have around 120,000 debt after 4 years).
Do you think Emory is worth the cost/ debt and a better option for me than UT?
Go to UT. In-state tuition is an incredible bargain there. Save the debt for if you want to go to graduate school (your undergrad + MBA might be a great combination). Seriously, your future self will thank you for not saddling them with crushing debt.
Emory is most certainly NOT worth the debt. No bachelors degree is worth 6 figures, that would be financial suicide.
I can attest that it’s extremely difficult to get into McCombs from the outside, bordering on ludicrous. It’s quite possible you’re choosing between two very bad options. One is forcing you into liberal arts, and the other one is unaffordable. Do you have any schools where you can get the major you want? Texas A&M for instance? You could go to Texas State 30 miles south…a very underrated school in my opinion. It’s directly between two major cities, which means a wider variety of internship opportunities in a commutable distance.
Although I didn’t apply to either A&M or TX State, I do have other options! I’m just not sure if they are on the same level in terms of reputation and opportunities (they’re also more expensive than UT).
I got into SMU with 35K scholarship (annual) as BBA Honors at Cox, and I’d be majoring in Management.
I also have Fordham (30K scholarship/ Management w International Business concentration) and Syracuse (25K scholarship/ Dual degree in Business and International Relations).
You should not look into an MBA now. First off, no real school will take you without at least two years work experience. And for those who go get an MBA right out of undergrad, they are wasting their time and opportunity to gain later - because an MBA with no work experience will get you an undergrad salary.
btw - and I’m all for UT over Emory because the debt alone is ludicrous. I even agree with the person who said Texas State over Emory - because again, a name alone is not worth the money and while Emory is a top school, it’s not overly well known nationwide - meaning, the school is strong but go to Denver and mention Emory and people won’t know it. I had one friend who thought it was an HBCU.
My other point was going to be - HR as a field seems to be dying. It’s easily replaceable by automation - hence, now computers make decisions on who to interview. It will always be there - just is lesser form than before.
But that doesn’t mean you should change your course of study. The world always changes - and today’s students will change with it.
Nobody was suggesting he/she go straight through to grad school. The MBA is a future possibility that would be doable without incurring too much undergrad debt.
Emory is one of my favorite schools, but there is no comparison between UT Austin and Oxford campus. That is not Emory. I would pay more to go to UT Austin.
UT, by far!
(On your resume though, write Major: Organizational Behavior, Minor: … Because the academic title is confusing/unlikely to be picked up by algorithms and companies will prefer clarity).
Good minors:
Global Management (including managing HR issues with intercultural specificities)
Risk Management
Health Reform&Management
Connect with career services as early as Winter Freshman year, look for internships or any sort of experience.
If you minor in business, consider taking a course which covers Financial Accounting as most consulting firms value an understanding of various aspects of accounting & want employees who can read & understand a balance sheet.
Do not take on student loan debt of $120,000. Based on your situation: If you must borrow, try to limit the total amount borrowed to the equivalent of your first year take-home (after tax) income.
It would be around $40,000! It’s definitely not as bad as Emory’s, but I’m just not sure SMU is a better option than UT or the right fit/ culture for me in general.
From a size POV, SMU and Emory are similar whereas UT much bigger obviously. I think UT is in the city whereas Emory and I believe SMU are near the cities - just in the city limits. I don’t know about other parts - Emory vs. SMU.
I was going to say the same thing…the environment at Emory vs UT are VERY different. Does this matter at all? Being from Texas, this person likely knows what UT is like but I will just remind them that it is SO HUGE that you can get lost. My parents describe it as sometimes feeling like you’re a part of a cattle operation. You’re often on your own and it’s “sink or swim”. Some ppl like feeling anonymous but some get destroyed by it. It’s not the most friendly school. (More than half my family went there, including my brother, so I’m not just being mean. It’s what they have said to me) Its also hard to change majors.
