Undergrad Business School - UMD vs UVA

[Anonymous]

If I knew my kid could ace freshman year with a stellar 3.9 GPA which would nearly guarantee admit to McIntyre I would go for UVA. If there is any chance that they struggle with acclimation, have a more challenging freshman year, not even horrible, but get like a 3.0 first semester, they likely would not get into McIntyre, and I’d see that as too risky. And Econ is Nothing Like a Business degree in terms of course choices etc, heavier in quant, I know my kid would not have enjoyed that as a plan B and only applied to schools with direct admit…. I think you have to know your kid, their mental health, their ability to handle change, etc etc. There are definitely those kids who kill it freshman year and get a 4.0. If yours is one of those go for UVA.

[Anonymous]

Darden no question. Being in state is icing on the cake

[Anonymous]

OP, would your kid being happy majoring in Econ or something else if he doesn't get into the business school at UVA?

[Anonymous]

What about the music piece? You said your kid would be a double major. I think UMD's music school would be significantly better if that piece matters a lot, but I am not an expert on that. Just something to add to the mix.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Darden no question. Being in state is icing on the cake

Darden is the graduate business school at UVA and is not for undergraduates. That is McIntire.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What about the music piece? You said your kid would be a double major. I think UMD's music school would be significantly better if that piece matters a lot, but I am not an expert on that. Just something to add to the mix.

OP here. Music does matter to DC. Unfortunately UVa doesn’t have as strong of a music program as UMD. So the UVA business will have to be head and shoulders above Smith for UVA to be a better option even being in state.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What about the music piece? You said your kid would be a double major. I think UMD's music school would be significantly better if that piece matters a lot, but I am not an expert on that. Just something to add to the mix.

OP here. Music does matter to DC. Unfortunately UVa doesn’t have as strong of a music program as UMD. So the UVA business will have to be head and shoulders above Smith for UVA to be a better option even being in state.

I see a pattern of not too strong programs at UVA. Music, Engineering, the rest of STEM.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If I knew my kid could ace freshman year with a stellar 3.9 GPA which would nearly guarantee admit to McIntyre I would go for UVA. If there is any chance that they struggle with acclimation, have a more challenging freshman year, not even horrible, but get like a 3.0 first semester, they likely would not get into McIntyre, and I’d see that as too risky. And Econ is Nothing Like a Business degree in terms of course choices etc, heavier in quant, I know my kid would not have enjoyed that as a plan B and only applied to schools with direct admit…. I think you have to know your kid, their mental health, their ability to handle change, etc etc. There are definitely those kids who kill it freshman year and get a 4.0. If yours is one of those go for UVA.

Of course parents of an OOS UVA admit think that their kid will ace freshman year and get into McIntire. That’s why they apply. I agree with you that it is most likely too risky for an OOS applicant, since the backup alternatives aren’t particularly strong. I can’t see paying OOS tuition even for one year for that much risk.

[Anonymous]

Different level of companies recruiting at UVA. If you want to do IB for a wall street firm, for example, will be hard to do it from MD.

With respect to different programs of study within the B School, this isn't really important as an undergrad at least. There are concentrations, but it's not like engineering where someone who focuses on civil isn't going to get a job as an electrical engineer. You take a few classes in your concentration, but it's not going to overly qualify you for certain jobs.

The direct admit thing might be an issue, I'm not sure how hard it is at UVA. I would not overly focus on this though - you can submit your resume to interview with any of the on-campus folks with any major (at least at my school you could). If you have good grades and some other interesting things on your resume, you'll likely get a chance to interview. There are some business tangential majors (like econ and math) that are attractive to these employers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Different level of companies recruiting at UVA. If you want to do IB for a wall street firm, for example, will be hard to do it from MD.

With respect to different programs of study within the B School, this isn't really important as an undergrad at least. There are concentrations, but it's not like engineering where someone who focuses on civil isn't going to get a job as an electrical engineer. You take a few classes in your concentration, but it's not going to overly qualify you for certain jobs.

The direct admit thing might be an issue, I'm not sure how hard it is at UVA. I would not overly focus on this though - you can submit your resume to interview with any of the on-campus folks with any major (at least at my school you could). If you have good grades and some other interesting things on your resume, you'll likely get a chance to interview. There are some business tangential majors (like econ and math) that are attractive to these employers.

60% admit rate (could be lower) says OP should focus on this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If I knew my kid could ace freshman year with a stellar 3.9 GPA which would nearly guarantee admit to McIntyre I would go for UVA. If there is any chance that they struggle with acclimation, have a more challenging freshman year, not even horrible, but get like a 3.0 first semester, they likely would not get into McIntyre, and I’d see that as too risky. And Econ is Nothing Like a Business degree in terms of course choices etc, heavier in quant, I know my kid would not have enjoyed that as a plan B and only applied to schools with direct admit…. I think you have to know your kid, their mental health, their ability to handle change, etc etc. There are definitely those kids who kill it freshman year and get a 4.0. If yours is one of those go for UVA.

Acceptance to McIntire is more than just grades, there will be many 3.9 and 4.0 that won’t get in. It’s very holistic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If I knew my kid could ace freshman year with a stellar 3.9 GPA which would nearly guarantee admit to McIntyre I would go for UVA. If there is any chance that they struggle with acclimation, have a more challenging freshman year, not even horrible, but get like a 3.0 first semester, they likely would not get into McIntyre, and I’d see that as too risky. And Econ is Nothing Like a Business degree in terms of course choices etc, heavier in quant, I know my kid would not have enjoyed that as a plan B and only applied to schools with direct admit…. I think you have to know your kid, their mental health, their ability to handle change, etc etc. There are definitely those kids who kill it freshman year and get a 4.0. If yours is one of those go for UVA.

Acceptance to McIntire is more than just grades, there will be many 3.9 and 4.0 that won’t get in. It’s very holistic.

Holistic? Based on what?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If I knew my kid could ace freshman year with a stellar 3.9 GPA which would nearly guarantee admit to McIntyre I would go for UVA. If there is any chance that they struggle with acclimation, have a more challenging freshman year, not even horrible, but get like a 3.0 first semester, they likely would not get into McIntyre, and I’d see that as too risky. And Econ is Nothing Like a Business degree in terms of course choices etc, heavier in quant, I know my kid would not have enjoyed that as a plan B and only applied to schools with direct admit…. I think you have to know your kid, their mental health, their ability to handle change, etc etc. There are definitely those kids who kill it freshman year and get a 4.0. If yours is one of those go for UVA.

Acceptance to McIntire is more than just grades, there will be many 3.9 and 4.0 that won’t get in. It’s very holistic.

Holistic? Based on what?

Participation in clubs, sports and the community and volunteering are very important.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If I knew my kid could ace freshman year with a stellar 3.9 GPA which would nearly guarantee admit to McIntyre I would go for UVA. If there is any chance that they struggle with acclimation, have a more challenging freshman year, not even horrible, but get like a 3.0 first semester, they likely would not get into McIntyre, and I’d see that as too risky. And Econ is Nothing Like a Business degree in terms of course choices etc, heavier in quant, I know my kid would not have enjoyed that as a plan B and only applied to schools with direct admit…. I think you have to know your kid, their mental health, their ability to handle change, etc etc. There are definitely those kids who kill it freshman year and get a 4.0. If yours is one of those go for UVA.

Acceptance to McIntire is more than just grades, there will be many 3.9 and 4.0 that won’t get in. It’s very holistic.

Holistic? Based on what?

Participation in clubs, sports and the community and volunteering are very important.

So...it's just more HS bulls**t? The ratrace just continues.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If I knew my kid could ace freshman year with a stellar 3.9 GPA which would nearly guarantee admit to McIntyre I would go for UVA. If there is any chance that they struggle with acclimation, have a more challenging freshman year, not even horrible, but get like a 3.0 first semester, they likely would not get into McIntyre, and I’d see that as too risky. And Econ is Nothing Like a Business degree in terms of course choices etc, heavier in quant, I know my kid would not have enjoyed that as a plan B and only applied to schools with direct admit…. I think you have to know your kid, their mental health, their ability to handle change, etc etc. There are definitely those kids who kill it freshman year and get a 4.0. If yours is one of those go for UVA.

Acceptance to McIntire is more than just grades, there will be many 3.9 and 4.0 that won’t get in. It’s very holistic.

Holistic? Based on what?

Participation in clubs, sports and the community and volunteering are very important.

They care if you play intramural or club sports? I mean, it's college so if you weren't recruited, you aren't playing varsity sports.