<p>Hello,
Those are my top choices as of now and while I still have a shot for HYP or Columbia, Stanford's rejection made me more seriously consider what will might end up being my hardest choice. Any advice, insights, or anecdotes would be greatly appreciated. And I will definitely be attending both Cal's overnight stay and UVA's days on the lawn. Thanks!</p>
<p>About me: Cali resident, plan to study business</p>
<p>Cal:
in-state tuition, moneys an issue for everyone, but my parents can afford any college (over 300 k/year)
no regents, so no perks or special attention
very generally and stereotypically speaking, i dont think i'm extremely fond of the quirky cal vibe, and I've heard UVA is a lot more conservative which would fit me</p>
<p>UVA:
echols scholar, im thinking priority registration is a big plus at crowded public schools
both have top-notch business schools but Mcintyre is ranked a little higher, however much that counts for
in a remote area, which I've heard is amazingly gorgeous but I think I'd prefer to be at least near a busy city
perhaps less crazy competition than at cal?</p>
<p>If you want to study business and end up in i-banking/consulting, UVA is better than Cal. A lot of UVA grads end up on Wall Street following graduation and especially if you graduate from McIntire or do econ. As for competition, it just depends on which classes you take. Premed is known to be cutthroat, whereas pre-comm is pretty intense as students set sight on getting into McIntire.</p>
<p>I agree with barboza. McIntire is #1 in undergrad business according to Business Week. It’s close proximity to DC and the IT industry in Northern Virginia make it a target recruitment for Fortune 500 companies. McIntire graduates also fare well at Wall Street and MBA schools. West Coast is a bit far from Wall Street recruitments, just saying. Also, I would take advantage of the Echols Scholar program and it seems like your personality works better with UVA.</p>
<p>Coolwhip, do you have plans to visit both schools? I think that’ll be the best way for you to figure out which school’s for you. Though both universities are public, the feel at UVA and UC Berkeley are totally different. Besides having a very historical and beautiful campus, UVA is smaller and feels smaller than Berkeley because most of your classes are concentrated on Central Grounds.</p>
<p>My friend who graduated from the comm school graduated in '08 with me, lives in NYC and is making around 150K as an i-banker…let’s just say she’s living it UP.</p>
<p>Just keep in mind that McIntire is becoming increasingly more difficult to get into. Given that you are an Echols Scholar, you probably have what it takes, but acceptance is not guaranteed.</p>
<p>@barboza
I’ve heard pre-business will be competitive at both schools because both are high-profile and in highly competitive public schools, though yes, not nearly as scary as pre-med. I’ve heard business students at berkeley are sometimes called “haasholes” lol</p>
<p>@ophelia
mcintyre and haas are tied one-to-one according to businessweek and usnews rankings, so im assuming at the very top, small differences are negligible, and yes the region probably will play a role in my decision, UVA is definitely closer to east coast and wall street where i think i’d prefer to work in over SF or silicon valley, but would a haas degree really be a significant hindrance compared to mcintyre on the east coast? (not a rhetorical question)</p>
<p>It’s no different at UVA’s McIntire The students there can be snobby and elitist, but I think they are more legit than Haas students given their impressive track record of getting into i-banks and consulting firms. I can tell you that the professors at McIntire are amazingly good and personable.</p>
<p>You guys seem to know a lot about Mcintire…I wanted to know how the marketing program was over there, or is it totally overlooked? And a friend was also wondering how mcintire compares to William and mary’s mason school of business. Insight anyone?</p>
<p>McIntire places a huge focus on finance and accounting, though there is a good portion of McIntire students doing marketing. It is common for students to pick two concentrations, such as finance and IT. And another great thing about McIntire is that they have their own career center and events, so they are exclusive. Students outside of McIntire for instance would not be able to use these resources. Another example is that McIntire has its own career recruiting site, in addition to access to the general recruiting site for UVA students. Therefore, there are a handful of companies that only target McIntire students which is nice for them.</p>
<p>Coolwhip, although both schools have been hit by the recession, my sense is that UC Berkeley has been hit harder both because of California’s fiscal crisis, and because a larger proportion of its money comes from the state.</p>
<p>Thanks Barboza! Do you by any chance know the likelihood of a person doing a double major with the comm school plus double concentration within the comm school plus studying abroad…or is that totally insane?</p>
<p>ishu, I know comm school students doing two concentrations that go abroad for one semester. It’s part of the comm school program in your second semester of third year. I believe the options are Denmark, Singapore (Singapore Management University) and UK (Nottingham/Bath).</p>
<p>I’m definitely in the same position as you. I live in CA so obviously Berkeley makes more sense financially. However, I’m actually more on the liberal end of the spectrum and am a little worried about finding my niche at UVA. I’m also not preppy or religious at all. I love the outdoors. The reasons I’m hesitant about Berkeley is because the city scared me off a little… Charlottesville seems like an adorable town.</p>
The students there can be snobby and elitist, but I think they are more legit than Haas students given their impressive track record of getting into i-banks and consulting firms. I can tell you that the professors at McIntire are amazingly good and personable.</p>