<p>My D got into Mich, WUSTL and waiting to hear from USC. Waiting to hear about preferred admission at Mich for BBA. Already in Olin and if accepted at USC would be in Marshall as a freshman. Which program is better? If she doesn't get preferred at Mich taking a chance on getting into the program sophomore year. Great choices but confusing times!</p>
<p>Well, this ranking just came out:</p>
<p>[Best</a> Undergraduate Business Schools 2012 - Businessweek](<a href=“Bloomberg - Are you a robot?”>Bloomberg - Are you a robot?). </p>
<p>Michigan is ranked 7th, WUSTL is ranked 8th, and USC Marshall is ranked 33rd in this ranking. USC is VERY big in SoCal, and sometimes we think that projects to the rest of the country. Some people may tell you “well if your daughter wants to work in SoCal, she should go to school at USC”. There is probably a lot of truth in that because what USC does very well is establish connections. But, your daughter is only 17 or 18 years old and maybe she will want to work in NYC or Boston, or Chicago in which case she may want to consider other schools like Michigan and WUSTL.</p>
<p>Here is a letter from the Dean of Olin:</p>
<p>Dear Olin Community:</p>
<p>I am pleased to report that Olin’s BSBA program moved into the top 10 of Businessweek’s annual Best Undergraduate Business Schools ranking released this week. Our BSBA program is #8 in the U.S. and reflects the accomplishments of our students, faculty, BSBA staff, career services and the positive impact we have on recruiters and employers.</p>
<p>We should all be proud of this recognition and celebrate Olin’s challenging and transformative program that inspires and prepares our students to be great business leaders.</p>
<p>I am especially proud of the grades that our students gave us in Businessweek’s survey including: an “A” for teaching quality and an “A+” for facilities and services.</p>
<p>Bloomberg Businessweek used nine criteria to rank 142 undergraduate business programs in this year’s survey. Criteria include: surveys of both senior business majors and employers over a three-year period, median starting salaries for graduates, and the number of alumni each program sends to top MBA programs.</p>
<p>A calculation of academic quality is also included in the methodology, combining average SAT scores, student-faculty ratios, class size in core business courses, the percentage of students with internships, and the number of hours devoted to class work. Olin’s undergrad SAT scores are #1; the highest among the top 50 schools.</p>
<p>With 97.4% of Olin students participating in internships - an important experiential learning opportunity that makes our students job-ready and attractive to recruiters- puts Olin in the #3 spot nationally for internship participation.</p>
<p>Congratulations to our students, faculty and staff on this well-deserved ranking!</p>
<p>Best Regards,</p>
<p>Mahendra Gupta, Dean
Washington University in St. Louis
OLIN BUSINESS SCHOOL
“Creating knowledge…Inspiring individuals…Transforming business.”</p>
<p>USCMom… isn’t your name telling your preference? 
Many college students change their major. For that reason, I think WUSTL would be a better school.</p>
<p>Ranking… To me the surprise of this ranking is not that Olin at number 8 but that Wharton ranks number 4!</p>
<p>Thank you for your input. My online name came from when my older D was applying to and now attending USC. This is a different daughter with a different set of priorities/needs. She was very impressed with Olin when she visited, hasn’t seen UMICH yet and liked USC Marshall. I agree with you about picking the better school - the quality of the education stays with you forever - no matter what career path you take or retake…</p>