Here’s the deal:
-I did the the VCCS guaranteed transfer agreement with UVA and W&M; I’ve been accepted into both already.
-Canisius College in New York has offered me about 20k in scholarships.
-St. Bonaventure U. offered me near a full academic ride
-Probably a decent shot at Cornell U. with my 4.0 GPA and 2050 SAT. My buddy transferred there from the same community college as me with a 3.85 and no SAT so I definitely have some hope for Cornell.
I’m not sure how to weigh the money v. prestige v. campus size. Cornell seems insane honestly. Most of the higher-ups at my government internship I’ve talked to don’t draw any distinction between a W&M and Cornell education (besides the 70k vs 25k total cost). Basically I’ve all but written off Cornell without even being accepted yet; an athletic conference isn’t worth an addition 45k to me .
The big decision I suppose is between the 2 Virginia heavy hitters and that near-full ride to Bonaventure. I will get no money from the Virginia schools and my father has offered to pay for my graduate school if I go to Bonaventure. My question is can I get into an elite graduate program from a little known college? I personally feel my chances for life advancement are far better I go to a world renowned school like W&M or UVA. Also, St. Bonaventure has gotten absolutely crucified on it’s niche school reviews by alumni and former students so that’s turned me off pretty substantially. I could ramble on about my dilemma forever but basically I’m torn; free grad school or elite undergrad school…what to do what to do what to do.
What are you planning to study and what type of graduate program are you considering? Do you mean graduate school or professional training programs (like medical, law, etc)?
If you want a job in finance eventually I would highly recommend one of the 3 well-ranked schools you listed. UVA, W&M, and Cornell are simply on another level from Bonaventure and Canisius.
Cornell is definitely the best academic school compared to UVA and W&M, but they are close enough that financial considerations could sway your best option. This is especially true if you’re getting in-state tuition at UVA and W&M (which it sounds like you are).
One last point - you may think you want to go to grad school now, but there’s a good chance that changes. UVA and W&M will set you up nicely no matter what you decide to do, and provide you with the most options once you graduate.
I just sent in my finical aid info to Cornell, I doubt it will matter though. My (widowed) father makes apx. 120k a year.
But hey, why not.
Cornell does seem to be ranked everywhere in the top 10-15 for mathematics; William and Mary and UVA are normally absent. I’m not sure how much value I place on that though.
Would majoring in standard mathematics while minoring in finance be about the same as majoring in financial mathematics at UVA? That seems to be my only option for W&M and Cornell as both do not offer financial mathematics/engineering for undergrad.
Also, I think in my mind I’ve already written off St. Bonaventure and Canisius at this point; I can only ignore reputation so much.
Yes, you can go to a top graduate program from a little known college. It’s what you do, not where you do it, that’s most important.
However, the where you go is a little bit important - mostly indirectly. The professors at W&M and UVa are the kinds of professors that might be friends with admissions committee members at the schools you’re applying to; they’re doing more advanced research you can join in on and learn the process; there are probably better resources and internship or summer opportunities at UVa and W&M as well.
And also, you don’t really know what you will do after college. You may want to go to grad school, but maybe senior year you feel like taking a break.
Can your family afford UVa or W&M? Normally I’m a ‘follow the money’ kind of person, but when you have two really excellent in-state options with more affordable price tags - and you only have to attend them for 2-3 years - and assuming your family can afford it, the calculus changes a bit.
Don’t worry about departmental rankings - those are usually for doctoral programs, not undergraduate programs. There’s some overlap but they are not definitely the same. All three of those universities are great in those areas.
Careful now…I know Cornell’s ivy prestige is tempting but lately its been outranked and overrated. And now to be a buzzkill, but have you seen their suicide rate? YIKES!!!
Yeah, but at least some of that suicide rate is due to the proximity of the cliffs off of which to jump. Students at w&m might be just as stressed, but it’s hard to kill yourself with a butter churn (trust me).
@Magnificence St. Bonnies has an overall Niche rating of B+, basically the top 25% of all schools ranked on Niche. Canisius is much lower ranked in basically the top 50%. The ratings are purely driven by students and alumni, so your comment about being crucified is not accurate.
Rate My Professor also has a section for school ratings as well.
Colleges know other colleges well, so your concerns are unfounded.
I’ve no first hand experience with St. Bonaventure. My priest, a franciscan, encouraged me to apply there.
The first few pages at niche were very critical of Bonaventure, but I suppose that could be written off as a few disgruntled students.
Also, am I correct in saying Bonaventure’s business school is new? They made it seem like it is. That’s sort of a put-off when I’m considering a duel major or minor in finance.
The 60% graduation rate scares me as well; that doesn’t seem like an academic atmosphere comparable to the other’s ( minus canisius). But again, I probably should at least visit before I completely write it off.
That’s definitely the way I’m leaning as of now. Other than being in a different athletic conference, I’m not seeing much overall academic separation between the 3.
The Swan Business Center is brand new but the school of business has been AACSB accredited longer than most schools.
You are only correct that School of Business has a brand new facility. Bonaventure’s Accounting grads are all hired before graduation.
The graduation rate at St.Bonaventure is impacted by a few pre-health programs that don’t have traditional graduation cycles.
As far as Niche goes, there are 355 individual rankings giving it a B+. If you notice, one reviewer named College Sophomore is the one responsible for the negative reviews.