<p>My daughter was recently denied admission to McIntire. I have read all of the posts on this topic, "just major in econ", "go to graduate school", "become a physical therapist", etc, etc. My main beef with UVA/McIntire is why can't they have students apply directly to the McIntire school like they do for the Engineering school, like Wharton does. Maybe do what Va Tech does for Engineering, you are denied admission to engineering, but into the college. That way the student has full knowledge before accepting. The McIntire website is VERY clear and informative about the acceptance chances and GPA, but it is VERY/VERY hard for a young person to internalize that data and make a mature decision. How many young people are mature enough to say, "....gee, I know I want to major in business, but I am not sure I can get into McIntire, therefore I will go to JMU or Tech so that I can pursue my chosen career." My guess is very, VERY few. I think UVA/McIntire has much to be proud of....the school has a great rep, and the McIntire school especially is extraordinary. I just think they should consider my idea. </p>
<p>I’m sure they have considered a different model, but it hasn’t changed in at least 35 years. Could be a case of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. McIntire consistently ranks as the #2 undergrad business school (at least according to Bloomberg BusinessWeek). I don’t think they’ll admit it, but rankings matter to these schools. Wharton’s ranking has been slipping from #1 in 2006 to #5 in 2013.</p>
<p>Maybe the question should be: should McIntire increase its enrollment to more closely match the demand? I’m not saying that McIntire should accept students with mediocre records, but it may be a matter of being able to accept well-qualified UVa undergrads with a 3.6 GPA instead of a 3.7 GPA. </p>
<p>Alternatively, should the econ dept be offering more business classes for students who were not accepted to McIntire, beyond the McIntire classes that anyone can already take? </p>
<p>There are majors at UVA that you apply for both ways you are stating. Engineering, Nursing, etc you apply for before coming to UVA. However, specific engineering majors, education, honors/specialty majors, etc you apply for by the end of your 2nd year. It’s a risk that you take by going to UVA, however there are so many other majors she can do (including econ), and if that isn’t what she wants then she could transfer somewhere else (possibly adding another semester/year but it might be worth it to her in the long run). When I applied to the education school it was in my 1st year, so I would have had time to transfer somewhere else. There are also a number of post grad education programs I could have done. Are there post grad business programs she can do? I think it’s just because everyone coming in to UVA is equally qualified during 1st semester, however once grades start coming out it becomes clear who is the creme de la creme and that is what McIntire wants for its program.</p>