Archive for the 'Pre-College Decisions' Category
While it’s certainly true that the business school does not make the student nor the professional, going to a highly ranked institution for business can be beneficial. However, not everyone can get into Penn to get their undergraduate or graduate business degrees. More famous institutions, such as the Ivy leagues, and Notre Dame, have such low acceptance rates because so many people apply to what they think are the only options for good business schools. But having a high rank isn’t the only thing that should distinguish a business school. In fact, there are amazing business schools at less well-known universities, some located outside the continental US. You won’t be likely to hear much about these universities if you haven’t done good research. Unfortunately, research takes a lot of time, so College and Finance put together a list of ten schools (you should have heard of ) that are great for undergraduate and/or business degrees. These ten schools offer fantastic business programs that give degrees that are well respected in the professional world. Without further adieu, let’s start with the first school to make the list.
1. University of Rochester – If you haven’t heard of Rochester, you should improve your school research techniques. With one of the top MBA programs in the country, many companies just might take an extra look at one of their graduates. While not as well known as some of the other institutions, it still will deliver a solid education over 22 months of coursework. Benefiting from small class sizes is another benefit of a Rochester education.
2. Emory – Located in Atlanta, Georgia, and founded in 1836, Emory University’s business programs are among the most highly ranked. You won’t see Emory athletes on ESPN, or hear about the school when Ivy League chatter starts up, but they did have the 5th rated undergraduate business program in the country. One of the benefits to the Goizueta Business School is the presence of many excellent faculty members, including former president Jimmy Carter.
3. Babson College – Massachusetts is home to some of the best universities, and Babson College continues this tradition of excellence. Business students at Babson College benefit from highly rated programs at the graduate and undergraduate levels. In fact, Babson’s Entrepreneurship program is the top rated program of its kind in the country. Students will experience a curriculum that has a liberal arts background as well as a solid foundation in the principals of business that have been tried and true throughout the years. While not as illustrious as some of the universities in its’ same state, Babson still commands much of the same academic from top companies around the country and world.
4. Clark Atlanta University – You can find other fantastic business schools in Atlanta by starting your search with Clark Atlanta University. Founded in 1988, this private, historically black, university has some of the most highly regarded business programs in the country. With just over 4,000 enrolled, students benefit from small class sizes. While not as mainstream as some of the other business schools, Clark Atlanta University still offers a well rounded, highly regarded business degree that will help graduates in obtaining jobs.
5. York University – If you’re looking for a solid business school located outside of the US, then York University is certainly a viable option to consider. Since the 1960s, York University has been awarding students with business degrees, which have helped many reach their professional goals. The program length for a full time student is a mere 16 months. There are also part time options for persons who have other commitments.
6. INSEAD – Even though it is located outside of the United States, INSEAD still has plenty to offer students. The program length is approximately 10 months, and persons who enroll will join around 900 full time MBA students. INSEAD also takes pride in it’s teaching methods which are diverse, utilizing case studies, lectures, peer-to-peer learning, and more in an effort to help students reach their goals.
7. Erasmus University – Also known as Erasmus University Rotterdam, and located in the Netherlands, this may be the first time many people have heard of this university. However, Erasmus has been around for over thirty years, and has been educating students since its founding. The length of business programs at Erasmus University is around 12 months. Students benefit from a rigorous course load and critical thinking challenges designed to help students learn and succeed in the business world.
8. The University of Navarra – Outside of traditional business schools based in Northeastern America, what other places draw ‘excellent business education’ to the mind? You might not think about Spain, and more specifically, The University of Navarra at first, but you should. Since 1952, students have been expanding their horizons with the help of the university of Navarra. In fact the MBA programs offered have had extremely high rankings in the world of business schools. While traditional schools located in the United States might be in the top ten, there are plenty of other schools as far as Spain which can help young professionals reach their goals.
9. University of Western Ontario – Canada has a number of less well known, yet still outstanding, business schools. The University of Western Ontario is one of these schools. Located in London, Ontario, it is one of the oldest universities in Canada, having been founded in 1863. With almost 30,000 students, The University of Western Ontario is privy to all the resources available to large universities. The average business program length is approximately 12 months. For some people who may not know what to do if they aren’t accepted at more renowned universities, Western Ontario could be a fantastic option.
10. International Institute for Management Development – This non-profit business school is located in Lausanne, Switzerland. In addition to receiving a top-notch business education, IMD students can benefit from the rich and diverse cultural background of Switzerland. While relatively new, having only been founded in 1990, many persons have enhanced their career prospects through education at the International Institute for Management Development. It’s not a household name, but it is well on it’s way to becoming one as the International Institute for Management Development has achieved high rankings in a variety of lists for excellent business schools.
So there you have a list of 10 great business schools that may not be dominating everyone’s application lists, but will certainly help you on your way to becoming a successful professional, or furthering your career.
July 16 2009 | Admissions and College Advice and Pre-College Decisions | No Comments »
Every year, perspective students are faced with the daunting task of selecting the place in which they will spend the next 2-4 years (sometimes more) of their lives. One’s college choice is also important because of the financial implications from an investment standpoint. Unfortunately, sometimes students find that they may have not made the right decision, and end up looking to transfer after one or so years. With that in mind, Derek Kraus decided to found myUsearch. Essentially, myUsearch allows students to search through colleges and find those schools that most accurately match what they are looking for in terms of higher education. Mr. Kraus was kind enough to grant College and Finance an exclusive interview to help shed some light on the service:
1. What would you say your main service is for those of us that are unfamiliar with myUsearch?
myUsearch is a free service for anyone looking to enroll in college. Our free service provides students with unbiased college matching results. We do not advertise or promote any specific colleges. We also fund and award scholarships to students that use our college matching service.
For colleges, myUsearch provides the opportunity to introduce themselves to new students, plus colleges have the ability to connect with those students actually interested in their programs. We provide colleges with a very targeted approach to marketing, and eliminate spam for students.
2. How did you design the survey on your site?
Our “Smart” Questionnaire is designed to eliminate irrelevant questions, and reduce the time to find the right colleges.
3. How is your site different from existing college search sites?
First, we do not promote nor restrict students’ college results based on whether a college is willing to pay us.
Secondly, we have a large list of over 3,400 colleges from across the country that students can match with. Again, we do not restrict colleges based on whether they’re paying us. We list them regardless.
Lastly, we make sure to ask students all the necessary questions for providing a proper college match, and we eliminate those questions that are not relevant.
4. What’s the philosophy behind creating the site/business?
Our philosophy is two-fold. First, we wanted to provide students with an honest and accurate method for determining which college is best for them. We were tired of seeing so many college search sites that either did not provide a valid service, or took advantage of students. Secondly, we are avid supporters of education, and we have always wanted to provide scholarships for students that have financial difficulties with college. By starting an education based business, it presented the opportunity to direct business funds directly into our very own scholarship program.
5. What’s your background prior to myUsearch?
Initially, I had a difficult time in college. My grades were awful and my family did not have enough money to pay for my college education. I was fortunate, however, because I was a college athlete and I had a mother that made me realize just how important my grades were. Eventually I improved my grades, graduated from college and passed the Certified Public Accounting exam, which I thought would never happen.
Recently I worked at an online college where I experienced firsthand the difficulties and inefficiencies colleges were experiencing with my competitors.
6. Where do you get all of the ideas/content/writers for your blog?
We are actively involved in multiple higher education forums, blogs, etc. and we also stay current with student and college topics through various newspaper publications.
We’ve gathered writers from posting job opportunities at college campuses, as well as recruiting others that already maintain blogs about higher education or the college experience.
7. How does the myUsearch College Matching making process work?
We pose the most relevant questions for students to answer and then objectively match them with the right colleges within our large database of college profiles.
8. Should students using myUsearch still visit their college before deciding?
You bet they should. myUsearch is focused on narrowing that group of colleges to visit to the best opportunities and to disclose those lesser known colleges that actually should be considered.
9. Colleges are constantly changing, new programs, acceptance rates, rankings, and more, how often is myUsearch updated?
This is a problem with several other college search sites. Our goal is to have any and all changes updated on the site the instant these changes occur. We have developed an operational process that allows for instant updating and a more accurate database.
10. Would myUsearch be useful for students unhappy with their current college situation and looking to transfer?
Yes. Ultimately, myUsearch is useful to any person searching for a college, regardless of whether they’ve had prior college experience or not.
11. Where does myUsearch draw its information from? Directly from the Universities?
Without going into great detail, yes we derive our information directly from colleges and universities. However, we also derive our data from other public resources if the college isn’t currently working with us. This allows us to provide the best information to students and maintain our objectivity.
12. How important would you consider attending the “perfect” college or university to fit one’s needs is to success?
We believe that it is very important to a student’s long-term success at that school. The problem today with peoples perception of the “perfect” college is that it is usually based on someone’s ranking system. The problem is that just because a college is highly ranked does not mean that it will be a good fit, nor does it mean that those that are not ranked are not very good, if not great colleges.
13. About how large is the catalog of colleges listed in your database?
Currently we’re over 3,400 colleges and growing.
14. What types of scholarship opportunities can students find on your site?
Currently we’re offering two $1,000 scholarships. Both are financial need based. One is for a student looking to enroll in a video game design program and the other is more general and only requires an essay recommending ways in which colleges could improve the admissions process.
15. Do you have any future expansion plans for the range of myUsearch’s services?
Most definitely. There are multiple improvements and additional services we’re researching. Two most likely additions include expanding our scholarships to include different offering types and increasing the dollar amounts of each scholarship granted, and including campus tour videos with each college profile.
16. Finances are a huge concern for many college students, does or will myUsearch offer something more regarding finances, in addition to scholarship opportunities and information?
In order to provide the best college financial service we would need to develop an arrangement with the Federal Department of Education and their online forms. Currently there are several other sites that provide more in-depth college finance information, and the DOE alone provides direct assistance with Federal Aid. Therefore, I do not anticipate providing more in-depth financial information outside of expanding our scholarships and our information and links to these other great sites.
17. What do you hope that students will get out of using myUsearch?
An honest and accurate approach to finding the right college. We want students to have a memorable and successful college experience. Ultimately, we want to assist in making sure that students actually graduate from college. We believe that selecting the right college is step 1 to improving college graduation rates.
18. Do you think that students who use myUsearch will significantly lower their chances of disliking their university, and deciding to transfer as a result?
Of course. This is what we strive towards. We continue to evaluate ways in which we can improve the matching process, so as to increase the likelihood of a happy and successful college experience.
June 13 2008 | College Advice and Financial Advice and Pre-College Decisions | No Comments »
It’s about that time of year when perspective college students around the country will be getting their acceptance, or rejection letters. By now, you probably know that if the envelope is nice and fat, full of pamphlets and the like, then you’re in. However, if it’s a thin little sheet of paper you receive, then you’re either waitlisted, or worse, rejected.
In truth, rejection is not the worst possible thing that could ever happen to you in your young life. With universities the way they are these days, prestigious schools get many, many more applicants than they could ever hope to accept. And as the applicant pools go, students seem to be getting better and better grades, doing more extracurricular activities than ever before, and it is simply becoming more difficult to distinguish one’s self from the pack. So, maybe you’ve just gotten that depressing letter that has the beginning “we regret to inform you,” (You probably think they don’t regret it as much as you do). If so, then read my tale of rejection, and maybe it will put some perspective on the situation.
The Story
I applied to four schools my senior year. I was accepted by two and rejected by two. As it turns out, I ended up attending the back-up school of my back-up school. My dream school was The University of Pennsylvania. Specifically, The Wharton School of Business. I fell in love from the moment I made my first campus visit. It was the school for me. It was where I could be successful, comfortable, and happy. When it came time to apply, I did everything in the book I was supposed to, and then some. I even had my grandfather (who was an alumni) write a letter of recommendation. I wrote what I thought was the most amazing college essay ever written. It was an incredible opus in which I talked about how much I loved Penn, how much I wanted to be a part of the tradition, and so on. Alas, April came, and I received my tiny envelope. They truly regretted to inform me that I was rejected. It was a tough application class, and I didn’t make the cut. I wasn’t even waitlisted. My SAT and ACT scores were in range. My GPA was above average. I held a job throughout High School, played football and volleyball, and was even in plays. I wondered how it could happen to me, and where I went wrong.
Needless to say, I was quite distraught. Then, less than a week later, my backup school, The University of Notre Dame sent me another thin letter. Worst of all, one of my best friends, whom I had a higher GPA than, and almost as high SAT score (with a higher ACT score) got accepted. Was I inadequate? Was I simply someone who had too lofty expectations? A multitude of questions and thoughts of self-doubt flooded my brain for weeks. I was truly depressed, and felt that I had failed. I was too focused on my failure to even be happy for my friend. I was convinced that my life would never amount to anything, because I wasn’t going to be a Penn Quaker, or a Fighting Irish.
With that in mind, I had to choose between Purdue University and The Ohio State University. I decided to become a Buckeye, and, to make a long story short, I’m extremely happy I did so. I’ve had some great learning experiences, and created memories that will last a lifetime. I’ve experienced things that never would have been possible had I attended my first two choices. In fact, my freshman year I had the opportunity to go see my Buckeyes defeat the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at the Fiesta Bowl in Arizona. Sure, in a different world I would have been standing on the other sideline, but it sure was sweet to cheer along with the victorious side. After the game, when I was singing the Alma Mater along with the fans, band, and football team, I felt like I was where I belonged all along.
The Moral
Looking back on it, over three years ago, I had the wrong idea about college. The college you go to does not make you who you are. It can certainly help mold you and set you off in the right direction in your adult life, but it doesn’t complete you. Dream schools are great, but they are not the end-all, be-all of colleges. Simply because some report ranks a college high in a certain area doesn’t mean that you are nothing if you don’t attend that specific school.
College is supposed to be a personal journey. College is all about learning and growing. Your dream school can certainly help you do that. However, those back-up schools you might be snubbing could probably be just as successful in helping you achieve your goals.
If you get a rejection letter from a school you had your heart set on, don’t think of it as the end of the world. As lame as it might sound, think of it as a new beginning. In the hustle and bustle of today’s world, it seems that too many people get caught up with rankings, hiring rates, and other numbers that really don’t say much about who they’ll become. Who is more successful, the Harvard graduate who scrapes by with C’s and ends up getting a dead-end job working for some company, or the state-school graduate who works hard, makes an impact at his or her university, and uses college as a time to grow into a successful adult? It’s all about what you DO in college, not what college you attend. One movie I love that concerns college is Orange County. I don’t want to give away too much if you haven’t seen it, but the idea that your college doesn’t define you, and that you don’t need to go to a certain school to be successful is central to the film’s plot.
Remember, those admissions officers don’t really know you, they only have a glimpse of what you’ve done in high school via your application. They could be missing out on one of the best students to ever walk through their door. Just because some person looking at a piece of paper, trying to determine if you are worthy of admission, decides that you are not, doesn’t mean you’re a failure. Also, being rejected from your school of choice doesn’t always have to be the end of the story. You can always work hard and attempt to transfer, or take a year off and re-apply. Remember, if life closes a door on you, it will usually open a window. The bottom line is, if things didn’t turn out the way you wanted them to, it’s not the end of the world. No letter can make or break you. It’s what you do when confronted with adversity that defines you. So, if you’re reading this, having recently been rejected, you have two options:
1. Feel sorry for yourself, and hold regret that you didn’t work hard enough, and rue the day you tried applying to your target school.
2. Take the rejection as an opportunity and run with it.
After wasting time with 1, I eventually chose 2. Which one will you choose?
April 30 2008 | Admissions and College Advice and Pre-College Decisions | No Comments »
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