<p>With some schools (ex Business Schools) so selective now, what did you and your child do when they did not get into
the school they appllied to?</p>
<p>Did they change majors? Transfer colleges?</p>
<p>Any war stories would be appreciated.</p>
What did you/child do when your child got into their dream college but did not get into their school
<p>First, check to see if there is a clear path to transfer into the program they really want. Minimum GPA, courses required,etc. to transfer in. Can they start in a different major and then later transfer?</p>
<p>This is not a “war story” but an example. One of my kids was not admitted directly into engineering (because of his high school grades, not SAT’s) . But the college he wanted had a clear path to move from a general studies type of curriculum into engineering as long as requirements were met. It was not a problem. If your child got into their “dream college,” it may be worth it to still attend that college and try to transfer later. If that is not at all possible at this particular college, that’s a different story. Good luck.</p>
<p>Agree with above poster. But if at the end of the day your child determines that there is no direct path into the major of his/her choice at that school, then I would start looking around for a school where that child could pursue his career path. I am thinking that the definition of “dream school” should include the ability to pursue one’s desired major. How “sure” is your child of the major?</p>
<p>My (D) is a junior and is thinking about UofM and pursuing a BBA from Ross. She has the credentials to get into UM (in state, 4.0 unweighted GPA, #1 Rank, 32 ACT), but Ross only admits about 32% of applicants into the Business School. Other schools are even more selective (Wharton at Penn has a 12% selectivity).</p>
<p>I think alot of kids get wrapped up in a dream college but are sorely dissapointed if they don’t get into the school of their choice. They might be better off at a less selective school with a direct admit into the undergraduate school of their choice.</p>
<p>In our case she might go to Indiana (Kelly business school) or Miami - Ohio (Farmer business school) as a direct admit instead of shooting the dice for Ross at UofM. I know kids with good UofM freshmen achievements that did not get into Ross.</p>
<p>Why can she not apply to all of them including Ross? Her stats are good - do you have any way of determining what the average stats are of students accepted to Ross? </p>
<p>There are many workarounds if your kid doesn’t get into the business school. Major in Econ through the school of Arts and Sciences (many employers consider that a much more rigorous course of study anyway). Major in Applied Math and take a few finance/valuation classes. Major in Psych with several courses in statistics, Buyer Behavior/Market research. Major in Poli Sci with classes in Global Trade/Economic Development (depending on why your kid is interested in the B school). There are many ways to cover the business curriculum, some of which are preferred by corporate employers. A quant focused econ degree can be much more valuable than an undergrad degree in business.</p>
<p>I can’t imagine encouraging a kid to “aim lower”, assuming the goal is a rigorous education. Of course there are many fine U’s besides Michigan- but if that’s your instate option and the only concern is not getting into Ross, there are thousands of Arts and Sciences grads of Michigan who have launched wonderful careers in business without attending Ross.</p>
<p>I’d encourage her to stick with Michigan as well, given that it is instate and so highly regarded (and she really likes Michigan)… I glanced at Ross’s website. It looks like you can take some of their courses even if you are not in Ross and it also looks like there is a business minor. And as blossom says, there are many workarounds, like economics.</p>
<p>Check the following:</p>
<p>a. How difficult internal transfer into the desired division or major is.
b. Whether alternate majors without high barriers to entry exist which the student would be satisfied with at the college.</p>
<p>Business is really the application of statistics, math, and various social studies (economics, sociology, psychology) to business problems. A motivated student majoring in something other than business could learn a considerable amount of the liberal arts bases of business through appropriate elective choices. However, some subareas like accounting are not as substitutable.</p>
<p>There may also be recruiting differences in that some employers may favor business majors if the business major is more selective than the liberal arts majors.</p>
<p>I would certainly apply, but my son and I had decided that if he didn’t get into business at his first choice, he would go elsewhere. I suspect your daughter will get in, but I think she will get a lot of money from Miami Ohio, and will get some from IU also. </p>
<p>The financial angle is something that a family should discuss then before applications go out. </p>
<p>This scenario happened to my son except with engineering. His school permitted him to take the first semester of the engineering curriculum, but there were no guarantees that he would be able to transfer in. He absolutely was in love with this school even though he had three good engineering options.</p>
<p>He went to the dream school, and is so so happy there. However, he is studying applied math with seemingly few regrets.</p>
<p>I think blossom is right on the money with her assessment (as someone with an MBA and an econ undergrad). It may not be the best case scenario, but a very reasonable alternative. </p>
<p>I was really worried about my son’s decision, but now I realize it was probably for the best.</p>
<p>Good luck to your daughter!!</p>
<p>“Why can she not apply to all of them including Ross?”</p>
<p>HarvestMoon, Ross doesn’t accept freshman applicants. You can only enter as a junior. So you can’t know as a U of M freshman whether you’ll make it into Ross down the road.</p>
<p>IMO that scenario a huge disadvantage of attending UM with the hope of getting into Ross as compared to schools that accept direct admits to the business school. I encouraged my son (a business major) to focus on schools where there was a direct admit to the business school. </p>
<p>I know a few kids who didn’t get into Ross. Most stayed and ended up as economics majors (and went almost directly to grad schools). one transferred to Kelly, and another transferred to a business school closer to home… It is a very personal choice and you have to weigh how much you love UM versus how important an undergraduate business degree is to you. There is no easy answer and no solution that is right for everyone.</p>
<p>@Hannah actually Ross does have a “preferred admissions” plan for exceptional high school seniors. I was assuming because of her D’s high stats she was considering applying under that plan as a high school senior.</p>
<p><a href=“Bachelor of Business Administration | Michigan Ross”>https://www.bus.umich.edu/Admissions/UndergraduatePrograms/Admissions/HighSchool.htm</a></p>
<p>That’s true – but most eventual Ross admits won’t get in under that program, and have to go elsewhere or else take a chance.</p>
<p>You can also apply after your freshman year. You do not have to wait to enter as a junior.</p>
<p>Ross is a 3 year program, no? So most apply and go in after freshman or sophomore year of college at UMich. Some are preferred admits from HS.</p>
<p>To the OP:
Where is in-state? Ross, Kelley, and Farmer are all respected undergrad b-schools, but only Ross and Kelly are Wall Street targets (if she cares about that). However, at Kelley, while getting in to Kelley seems easier than getting in to Ross, if you want to enter IB, you really should get in to Kelley’s IB workshop, and that is quite competitive to enter. In any case, there are a fair number of undergrad b-schools. UIUC’s is known to be strong in accounting. ND’s b-school seems to have a strong network (especially in Chicago). PSU’s seem solid. Northwestern doesn’t have an undergrad b-school, but they have Kellogg certificate programs that allow you to take business school classes while getting a liberal arts/engineering/other education (and they are recruited by Wall Street and MBB consulting). I can go on and on.</p>
<p>Are costs a concern? Why business?</p>
<p>I would echo the comment from @PurpleTitan “Why business?” You can be just as employable or more by simply taking a few business courses (or business minor) to supplement a major in sciences, healthcare, engineering, math, and even some liberal arts majors. And why worry so much about getting your major exactly right? If you can’t change your major you probably don’t belong at that school anyway.</p>
<p>“About 80 percent of students in the United States end up changing their major at least once, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. On average, college students change their major at least three times over the course of their college career.”</p>