<p>Hi everyone, I was wondering if some parents (especially those with kids already in college) could give me some advice about where I should go next fall.</p>
<p>Of the 13 schools I applied to, I was accepted to UC Berkeley, UPenn (Wharton), NYU (Stern) and a few other safeties. In addition I was waitlisted at Stanford (accepted waitlist offer) and rejected from UCLA (planning to appeal). I applied as a business major everywhere.</p>
<p>My top two choices right now are Berkeley and UPenn but I am not sure which to choose. I know that UPenn is obviously more prestigious but know that I have actually been accepted I am not sure that I can compete with all the other students. I honestly don't know how I got in because my stats were in the lower ranges of the average accepted student's. On the other hand, Berkeley is great and a lot closer to home. It is also still a highly regarded school. </p>
<p>My family lives in California at the moment (SoCal), but my step dad is in the military so there is a chance they could move before I finish college.</p>
<p>My plan was to get a career in IBanking but, to be completely honest, this interest was mostly motivated by their high salary. Although I don't think I would mind going into the field right after undergrad, I am starting to wonder if maybe it would be better to find something I really enjoy and do that first instead. Couldn't I always get and MBA then go into IBanking later?</p>
<p>My main problem is that I feel that I know what would be best for me (logically speaking) but I don't really know what I want. </p>
<p>Does anyone have any advice on what I should do?</p>
<p>P.S. For argument's sake, say I got into UCLA or Stanford as well, what should I do then. I REALLY like UCLA because I love the campus and environment but I haven't really done a lot of research as far as academics. For Stanford, I know it is a great school and would provide me with a lot of opportunities but I have never really looked into the school or imagined myself being there; I only applied because my mom wanted me to.</p>
<p>Take a look at the class schedules for Fall 2013 (they should be on the schools’ websites) and research which classes most appeal to you, how many sections are offered, whether they are large lecture classes with discussion sessions led by TA’s, or whether they are smaller lecture/discussion classes taught by professors. Do you prefer larger vs. smaller classes? Do you want the big university environment or a smaller university? Do you prefer to stay in California or venture back east? You should also talk to your parents about whether finances are an issue. Obviously, as an in state resident, Berkeley and UCLA will be much less expensive. Join the Facebook pages for the schools that admitted you and get a sense of who your classmates would be.</p>
<p>Congratulations! Great choices… have you had a chance to visit any of these schools? I definitely second the recommendation to talk to your parents about finances once the financial aid information comes in (if it hasn’t yet). Then, you will know of your acceptances, which ones are possible. You certainly could visit (or revisit) both Berkeley and Stanford pretty easily. I also agree that once financial factors have been considered you will want to think about things like class sizes, size of school per pkdof13.</p>
<p>But note that at Berkeley, you are not in the business school. You need to take the prerequisite courses, then apply to the business school in your second year. This is a competitive admissions process; if not admitted, you need to choose an alternate major. (For Penn, are you directly admitted into Wharton?)</p>
<p>You did not mention an important factor: what is the net price of each school for you, and can you and your family afford the net price comfortably (and without excessive debt)?</p>
<p>Neither UCLA nor Stanford has an undergraduate business major.</p>
<p>@bbccpp, Honestly I am not too interested in Stanford. I just put it out there in the (rare) case I do get in</p>
<p>As far as finances go, at UCLA and Berkeley I have CalVets which covers tuition and CalGrants which should cover almost, if not, all of housing. </p>
<p>I have not gotten the Aid report back from UPenn yet but based on what I have been offered at other colleges (45K at NYU and 48K at Boston University, all scholarships) I should be able to expect a rather generous package. I am willing to take out some loans for Penn because of the fact I should have a good chance of finding a job after graduation.</p>
<p>I have visited UCLA and loved the vibe and the campus. I have not visited any of the other schools however, UPenn is offering to fly me up next week for the Scholar’s Preview and UCB is offering the same for a Senior weekend they are having. Hopefully visiting the campuses will make the decision easier.</p>
<p>I guess my main dilemma is: should I go to UCLA or UCB and enjoy my next 4 years but risk not being able to find a good job, or go to UPenn where I am almost guarnteed a job but risk being unhappy with my undergrad experience.</p>
<p>Also, if were to choose to stay on the Ibanking track and go to UPenn, how much would be a reasonable amount to take out in loans? I’m thinking a little as possible but defiantly no more than 20k/year.</p>
<p>You should pick UPenn (Wharton). It’s obviously the best for UG business schools and if you hated business, maybe you could transfer to another section of UPenn. DD visited all 3 schools (in general, not for business) and liked UPenn the best, and we are in CA. It’s so much smaller than Cal or UCLA and still a very social school. The main thing that I would worry about is the cold weather and distance from your family in terms of affecting your “happiness”. I think that you will love the vibe when you go visit UPenn. Generally speaking, it’s not worth appealing a rejection (UCLA) unless it’s your #1 choice and would go there if the rejection was turned to an acceptance.</p>
<p>The Wharton degree will open a lot of doors. I recommend visiting Penn and Berkley and then deciding. My D had a great experience at Penn. It’s a very exciting school with great academic, EC and social opportunities.</p>
<p>Your stats may be low for UPenn, but you got into Wharton and Stern (with scholarships) and Berkeley and BU (with scholarships) and sort-of Stanford. You’ve definitely got what it takes to succeed anywhere.</p>
<p>You’ve got great options. Give up on UCLA. </p>
<p>UPenn will be need-based aid, not merit aid, so if your family isn’t deemed by them to have need, you won’t get anything despite the merit aid you get at other schools. However, if UPenn deems you to have need, they will definitely provide great money.</p>
<p>
You “risk” being unhappy anywhere, and you “risk” not finding a good job anywhere. Nothing is guaranteed. My son is far away, and we’ve always been exceptionally close (only child, home schooled, his best friend’s parents are our best friends, etc.). We miss him and he misses us. But he’s in a great school and getting wonderful opportunities. As much as it hurts a mommy to say this, you need to do what’s best for you in the long run, not hang out around home. Fly! Be free!</p>
<p>$20,000 per year = $80,000 in debt for four years. That is generally considered too much. If you do make it into investment banking, that may not be too big a deal. But even though Penn Wharton may be a recruiting hot spot for investment banking, not everyone who graduates from there lands an investment banking job.</p>
<p>Also, having that much debt may force you to take the highest paying job path, even if you decide while in school that you would rather do something else.</p>
<p>In real-world terms, even if you got into UCLA it probably ought to be out of the running compared to Wharton and Berkeley if you are interested in business, and especially in finance/investment banking. Of course, you’re not really interested in those things. </p>
<p>If you were really interested in finance/investment banking, it would be awfully hard to turn down Wharton if you get anything close to a competitive financial aid offer there. It’s really the gold-standard name in that field, and you (probably) don’t have the option to go to any of the colleges that would have equivalent heft. (Stanford is one.) Berkeley is very credible, and only a half-step behind in that regard, but it has the disadvantage that you have to wait until later to apply to Haas.</p>
<p>You shouldn’t worry too much about being unhappy at Penn. Penn is not known for having a lot of unhappy students. If you are unhappy there, chances are you would be unhappy anywhere else as well.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone for all the replies. I’m going to e visiting UPenn for the Scholar’s Preview next week so hopefully I fall in love with the campus (or can at least see myself there). </p>
<p>I also think I will stick with the plan to go into IBanking/finance. As I said, it is mostly motivated by money but because I want to be able to help my mom out in the future. She is raising me and my 4 siblings on her own and has sacrificed a lot to give us a good life. I know she doesn’t have much, if any, saved for retirement and she hasn’t been able to visit home (she is Astralian) in almost 20 years. I just want to be able to help her out in the future and allow her to enjoy her life without so much stress due to financial matters. This is kind of off topic put I just wanted to point out that my reasons for a finance job aren’t entirely selfish. :)</p>
<p>I guess in the end if I REALLY hate working in finance I could always find a different job. What are some other things that you could do with a business degree? I’ve always had an interest in the business side of pop culture (fashion, music, ect.). Does anyone know how difficult it would be to find a job in this type of field and how I would go about finding it/gearing my resume towards it?</p>
<p>*sorry for any grammatical errors. I’m typing this in my phone.</p>
<p>Too bad you didn’t apply to USC (Marshall). USC has business of cinematic arts and business of entertainment classes.
<a href=“Home - USC Marshall”>Home - USC Marshall;
<p>I don’t know how to get to the business of entertainment, but I would think that you could attend Wharton and then in your summers in SoCal you could intern at TV, film, news, or music production companies. Check out the companies on the link.</p>
<p>I am a Stanford undergrad. I’d like to tell you to go to Berkeley but that would make the decision to easy. Here is a quick list of my thoughts but I would urge you to read the final paragraph.
UPenn
More prestigious
Closer to Wall Street
Ivy
Everyone does ibanking and consulting (from friends who’ve told me)
Far away from home
Expensive</p>
<p>Berkeley
Amazing engineering programs
Great business finance tracks (at least from the grad programs I looked at)
Best state school (imo)
In state tuition
A state school
Far from Wall Street</p>
<p>You did not mention tuition as an issue. I will assume you can figure out a way to make the financial details work.</p>
<p>I chose the school I felt the happiest at when I visited. Ironically my experience didn’t turn out to be as fun as I expected but I have learned so much from my time in college.</p>
<p>If I were picking again, I would still choose Stanford, hands down but for different reasons. I would choose it because it would make me a stronger person, a more loving person, and a wiser person.</p>
<p>You can get these experiences at any school, especially so at any top school.</p>
<p>I would suggest you think critically about the location. That has turned out to be the biggest factor that I love about Stanford. The bay area is so awesome but I definitely did not realize this before I came to school. Tahoe 4 hours away, Yosemite 5 hours away, SF just a train/BART ride away. Not to mention, if you are interested in money, Silicon Valley is the home of many successful startups. I can’t speak to UPenn but Berkeley is just as conveniently located in this regard.</p>
<p>Finally, what do YOU want from your college experience? I prized getting a computer science degree at a top school among more than just engineers. You may want a school that earns you big bucks but some of the richest people in the world have no degree (Gates, Zuckerberg, Branson).</p>
<p><em>Think about what you want from the experience not what ‘next step’ it will get you too.</em></p>