I had previously posted about getting off the waitlist at UNC and being worried about financial aid. I got the aid package yesterday and it was really great brought my cost down to virtually the same or less than UVA. I’m instate at UVA and always saw UVA as my number 1 because of the strength of their business/ commerce program. At the moment I am leaning towards UVA just because I believe that it is the better overall school and has the stronger business program while not having the uncertainty of a potential tuition increase. As my parents paid a VA pre paid plan and tuition is locked in at UVA and tuition increases at UVA would have no impact on me.
Now I have until June 3rd to decide and I had a few questions.
- Which business program (assuming I get into McIntire school of commerce at UVA) is perceived to be better and increase my likelihood of finding a job/ higher paying job specifically on wall street?
- What is UNC known for, if UVA is known for business and law, what is UNC known for?
- How much should the tuition increase at UNC during my four years?
- Im going down to Chapel Hill to visit this Saturday, there are no tours available on saturdays what should i do/look for on campus to get a better feel for the school?
Any answer to any of these questions is much appreciated
Keenan Flagler and McIntire are ranked at a tie in USNews rankings for undergraduate business. The only difference in rankings is that UVA is the #3rd ranked school for management degrees, neither school break the top 3 in other specialties. Both are heavily recruited by the professional services firms for consulting and accounting; both are heavily recruited for investment banking as well. Both have a limited amount of OOS students, which impacts the culture of the schools–they are not as “polyglot” as schools with no limits on OOS students. Both have outstanding study abroad opportunities in business.
To answer a couple of questions…UNC is known for its business programs, its medical programs, and has the number 2 ranked pharmacy school in the US.
Both offer excellent opportunities. One significant difference which swayed our D’s decision when looking at both schools is the influence of recruiting for NOVA government and government supported companies at UVA; where at UNC the recruiting leans more towards the commercial businesses, including the RTP pharmaceutical and biotech companies. My D had no interest in working for governmental agencies or for those companies heavily reliant upon governmental contracts for success, therefore she selected UNC.
I believe there are a couple of parents that have had one student at each school, perhaps they can comment on the culture and other differences experienced between the two.
You mention your FA package was good at UNC. Make sure you take into account the need for travel to and from the Chapel Hill area in your budgeting.
Good luck with your decision.