William and Mary vs Tech (for business)

<p>I know that generally W&M seems to have higher rankings overall, but what about for business specifically? At first I was sure that I'd go to W&M, but I visited Tech this weekend and really liked it. The business program seemed strong too. So what is the general consensus on which one is better program/looks better to future employers? Thank you for any feedback.</p>

<p>W&M’s undergraduate business school is significantly higher ranked (you can check out rankings here [Best</a> Undergraduate Business Schools 2011 - Businessweek](<a href=“Bloomberg - Are you a robot?”>Bloomberg - Are you a robot?)). W&M’s business school is also relatively new (they recently finished a brand new building for the business school, Alan B. Miller Hall [William</a> & Mary -*School of Business (New)](<a href=“http://www.wm.edu/about/administration/senioradmin/adminoffice/construction/completedprojects/business/index.php]William”>http://www.wm.edu/about/administration/senioradmin/adminoffice/construction/completedprojects/business/index.php)) and seems to be on the upswing.</p>

<p>Some other things to keep in mind:</p>

<p>W&M will likely offer more opportunities for you to explore academically and will leave you in a better position if you should decide that business isn’t really your thing after you get to college. W&M also has a much smaller student body and will have a smaller faculty to student ratio, giving you smaller class sizes and more access to professors. And of course VT and W&M have completely different campuses in terms of size/location; which one you prefer is really a matter of personal preference.</p>

<p>That’s my 2 cents, granted it’s probably a little biased.</p>

<p>I love both schools…a lot…and have family ties to each. Son is at VT, brother was a business grad of W&M. Both totally love their schools.</p>

<p>It just depends on what you are looking for in your college experience. I will counter ExceptMe’s point “W&M will likely offer more opportunities for you to explore academically and will leave you in a better position if you should decide that business isn’t really your thing after you get to college” by saying that because of Tech’s size and more options for majors, you could benefit by going there if you changed your course. </p>

<p>But again, you can’t go wrong with either. VT has a bigger alum network, which some would say is a significant factor when you are starting to look for a job, but W&M has its wonderful liberal arts focus and tremendous reputation with employers. </p>

<p>If you felt great at VT, that says a lot. You want to feel like you would enjoy your time there. How did you feel when you were at W&M? They are different in many ways and depending on one’s interests, I could definitely see a student fitting in better at one than the other. Good luck as you decide! The good thing is you have two great choices :)</p>

<p>We of course cannot comment on VT’s program. What we can tell you is that W&M’s Business program exists within the liberal arts curriculum which means a) you’ll still have a great deal of breadth to your studies, b) even once you enter the business school as a junior you won’t be confined only to business courses and c) you have the opportunity to double major or minor outside of the business school allowing you great flexibility in your course of study.</p>

<p>Miller Hall (the Mason School of Business’ brand new facility) is amazing and provides state-of-the-art technology and work space for business students and the school’s ranking gets better with each passing year.</p>

<p>Hopefully you plan to attend Day for Admitted Students. The Business school will be open for tours at the end of the day, the director of the undergraduate program will be part of a pre-professional program session and the department will provide a session on its offerings during the day.</p>

<p>My S2 had this same decision last year: VT honors or W&M for business. We quickly realized that if we told him which school to pick, he would hold it against us forever. It had to be HIS decision. So we developed a “decision matrix” for him to compare factors at both schools & both programs. I’m not sure if he ever used the matrix, but it got him thinking & researching both programs. In the end, it was HIS choice. </p>

<p>I honestly thought he would choose VT & was quite (pleasantly) surprised that he chose W&M. So far, it has been a good choice & good fit for him. I have been impressed with the accessibility of his academic advisor, who helped him map out his course of study (double major) for the next 3 years. I also think that S2 was impressed with the new Miller business facility, which is indicative of a school putting money into a particular department, rather than cutting a departmental budget in a time of educational austerity. Something to think about …</p>

<p>Another thing to consider: compare the strengths of the different business programs offered at each school. VT is particularly strong in the hospitality industry while W&M is especially strong in its marketing program.</p>

<p>Great points 12rmh18. Glad your S is enjoying his experience at W&M so far.</p>