Hi.
I am currently a senior in high school and am trying to figure out if I want to do ED to boston college (my brothers go to CSOM) or UVA. I am in VA and think I have a good shot at either as I have the stats, at least with ED. I want to do business undergraduate. My main concern about UVA is that there is no direct admit into the business school.
Also, for my year, they are changing it so you apply to McIntyre at the end of your freshman instead of sophomore year. I know econ majors at UVA have been fine in the past in terms of getting jobs from people I have talked to. In light of this change for my class, would I be at a larger disadvantage if I am not in McIntyre for getting interviews/jobs, especially in finance? Would I be better off at BC in CSOM or UVA in econ?
My daughter got into CSOM at BC and UVA (we are OOS)…opted to attend UVA and then did not get into McIntire with a 3.7 GPA when she applied at UVA.
She graduated this past May and took a job making over $100k and has 3 other UVA grads as coworkers (all of whom graduated from McIntire)… her current roommate works at Deloitte and was a non McIntire grad.
Surely McIntire is not the end all be all and if in state I would think long and hard before going to BC because there is probably little benefit.
Two excellent options. If you want an undergrad business degee then I’d go for the direct admit (assuming affordability). If you are fine with an econ major then go with whichever school you prefer.
If you haven’t done so yet, I would spend some time reviewing the coursework you would take as an econ major and in a business school to see if you have preference. They are both fine paths to take, but there are meaningful differences.
This is important. You take a chance by going to UVA. But I wouldn’t be concerned with the outcomes you’d get.
Business isn’t econ and vice versa. One is pre professional and one is social science. If you want an assured finance degree, then BC.
In fact, if you want an assured finance degree, why apply to UVA at all - when you have lots of other schools out there with a direct admit path?
If you’re open to either major, that’s different - then which do you prefer?
The other thing is expense. Can your family afford BC - or rather, do they want to afford BC? It sounds like you have great stats and you can’t likely go to fine schools for $20K and up.
Best of luck.
Thank you for the info… This is all really helpful and congrats to your daughter…
What do you think about the fact that they are moving the application up by a year, though? It is my understanding that people typically get their internships sophomore year, and that is before ppl apply/get into McIntyre. Do you think them moving it up a year will make any difference?
IMO the difference to consider is really between direct entry and taking a chance on getting into a b-school. I don’t expect the year difference in applying at UVa is all that meaningful for admissions (other than putting more pressure on freshman year) since everyone will be in the same boat.
FWIW my S who wanted a b-school chose to only apply to direct entry programs.
It will help with IB recruitment which starts 2nd year…
Unless they are expanding the class size, it won’t help. It seems like each year about 60% or so get in - and have an average GPA of 3.7ish.
Look up Goldman Sachs Interns on linkedin in IB - I found a UGA (also not direct admit), Penn State. I’ve found hires with Computing. I read the other year about a WUSTL with an Art History major.
Look up other firms - you’ll find mostly finance and Econ but also other degrees.
Getting an internship after second year is tough and there are no guarantees even at the top schools. But whether in Econ or McIntyre, I think you can be successful - with grit and hustle.
I’d personally pursue the major you want - knowing your desired outcome is possible from either major.
What if you find finance or marketing is your passion but don’t get into McIntire? It’s a possibility.
Go direct admit if you can. Econ is not the same as a business degree. S20 went with direct admit B schools for this reason. Transferred to Industrial Engineering freshman year. It happens.
I don’t think you mentioned finances. Depending on your stats there are good direct admit B schools that could come in at the same cost as in-state UVA. Good luck.
It will likely have a material impact.
Let’s work backward through the IB recruitment process. Between 50%-65% of full time analyst offers are typically made to returning interns. That means the best way to secure a full time job at graduation is to complete a successful internship as a rising senior. That means getting a junior-senior summer internship is extremely important.
Previously at UVA those interviewing for these summer internships didn’t yet have application to McIntire results as a means to differentiate amongst candidates. Consequently all candidates were “leveled” and eventual economics or humanities kids would unbeknownst to interviewers be offered internships, do a great job and get offers.
At schools where dedicated business opportunities exist recruiters typically prefer candidates taking advantage of those opportunities. In fact they recruit at those campuses in most cases specifically to target “business” kids.
A good peer comparison is William & Mary where the application timeline has been similar to what UVA is moving towards. Students at Mason are offered summer IB internships at significantly greater rates than other students and as a result gain eventual full time IB employment at a much higher rate.
It is true that I Banks recruit non business kids aggressively but this is primarily at target schools such as the 6 Ivies that don’t have business programs, elite LACs etc. If the school has a an undergrad B school and a student is not admitted it can prove challenging.
There will always be exceptions but often there is a backstory that shouldn’t be extrapolated. Happy to provide examples.
Lastly, IB recruiting is very specific and unique so be cautious of generalizations.
Good luck.
@Cavitee I am not diminishing the UVA non McIntire kids at all. I have had several work for me that were really strong. I do think however the new acceleration of the application process will make it harder for those deserving kids (who aren’t in at McIntire) to get a shot. It just unfortunately is the nature of the recruitment process that interviewers will be predisposed to hire commerce kids as the interviewers tend to be risk averse.
Have you run the NPC on Boston College, or are you okay being full pay? Would you need to take out loans to attend Boston College?
Both are very good universities. You are in-state for UVA which might (or might not, depending upon your circumstances) save you a bundle.
How certain are you that you will want to stay with finance? Quite a few students change their majors after starting university.
At first glance I like moving this decision earlier. It does mean that you need to make an effort to do well for your freshman year. If you do get into McIntyre, it might help with internships. If you don’t get in to McIntyre, this gives you more time to think about alternatives. I suppose that being a straight admit out of high school might be better still.
I might want to admit a bias here since I would be more interested in economics rather than finance. I was a math major, which has some relation with both. I quite liked the econometrics class that I took in graduate school, could see the value of it, and it did use enough math to make a math major (or at least me) spend some time making sure that I was solid on the mathematical background for econometrics.
I agree completely that moving from a 2 yr to 3 yr program will help with IB recruiting. I can only speak to my child’s current situation who is in finance with a UVA Econ degree…
I think it may help with recruitment or it’ll help with something if it will be moved up. That said UVA appears on all IB feeder lists I’ve seen.
But unless the class size expands, it doesn’t necessarily help with entry - unless you excel and others suffer the first year blues.
If the same number apply and the size remains the same, then acceptance rate and likely stats will also stay similar.
Here is a thread that might be of interest…
@tsbna44 i just have to ask…what is your personal experience with IB, UVA and Boston College? Please share so we know how you came up with your responses. If it’s only a search on LinkedIn…that’s one thing. If there is additional experience, please do share. It will help this family and others.
I’ve noted my sources - various feeder lists anyone can look up - and linked in searches.
The student is wondering will moving up the entry a year help - and perhaps it might with jobs, but given all students are in the same boat, does it assure entry at a better clip? Unless they expand the class size - then one would logically concur that it wouldn’t.
Anytime one is looking at a school selection, you use the information available to you - and that’s what I’ve done here.
I did not state nor insinuate I have experience with UVA (other than visiting twice) or BC (once - but not on a college visit). I do know of kids in IB (UF, one interned from C of C, and my son had an opportunity to engage with Jane Street thanks to guidance from a former poster here @neela1 . They contacted him within days after applying.
Might I remind, this is a forum open to all thoughts / ideas - and OP can pick and choose the thoughts/ideas of interest to them.