Son accepted into Undergrad Business School

[Cortez55403]

Yes, and I mentioned Harvard/Yale as just reputational names, not to say that they have undergrad B-schools. They only offer the MBA.

Harvard/Yale are unique because you just have to say that you went there, rarely does anyone ask you your specific major (as if Harvard/Yale have any jock majors). I'm not sure if it was the Daily Show or the John Oliver Show, but one of them recently ran a supercut of various TV commentators "casually" mentioning how they went to Harvard. It's hilarious.

Even in the sports world, it carries some weight: Ex.

Pablo Torre, ESPN host of The Daily....Harvard
Mina Kimes, ESPN of NFL LIVE....Yale
Andrew Berry, Cleveland Brown GM. At 32, youngest GM in the NFL. All Ivy CB at Harvard
Kevin Stepanski, HC of Cleveland Browns. All Ivy at Penn.

 

[Empirical Cane]

Even in the sports world, it carries some weight: Ex.

Pablo Torre, ESPN host of The Daily....Harvard
Mina Kimes, ESPN of NFL LIVE....Yale
Andrew Berry, Cleveland Brown GM. At 32, youngest GM in the NFL. All Ivy CB at Harvard
Kevin Stepanski, HC of Cleveland Browns. All Ivy at Penn.

It's the network of who they meet and where moreso than the education/individual. To be clear, the advantages those institutions provide are real and massive--good, bad, otherwise.

Also, curious to see the above and if they come from connected families.

Now, that doesn't mean everyone "had an angle at Ivy/Elite" schools, but if you were to review case by case, the number is staggering vs "pure merit".

 

[CANEMC]

Congrats man! Do you currently live in the ATL area? If so, has he applied to Emory or GT? He should get more in-state funding and both have solid business schools.

 

[TheOriginalCane]

It's the network of who they meet and where moreso than the education/individual.

Also, curious to see the above and if they come from connected families.

Now, that doesn't mean everyone "had an angle at Ivy/Elite" schools, but if you were to review case by case, the number is staggering vs "pure merit".

Actually, a very true and relevant point. These days, kids admitted to Harvard/Yale seem to fall heavily into one of two categories, either a "legacy" or a kid with insane qualifications who can get into every other school in the country anyhow. There are plenty of other kids outside of those two categories who merit consideration.

 

[Geddy Lee]

From the title you can tell that we recently received some good news about our son. He is still weighing some options.
Has anyone on here graduated from the b-school or have any opinions on how strong that program is in S Fla, and regionally? We did all our research but rankings only tell a small part of the story and often don't tell how a school or program within a school is perceived by the community.
Thanks in advance for any insight you can provide.

Congrats to your son bossman

 

[TheOriginalCane]

Just an example of someone's bio. This is the CEO of Logitech, he will be presenting a lecture for UM's B-School Distinguished Lecturer Series.

"Bracken Darrell holds an M.B.A. degree from Harvard Business School and a B.A. degree in English from Hendrix College in Arkansas."

I would be willing to bet that almost nobody on this board could (without googling) tell us the first freaking thing about "Hendrix College".

 

[Cryptical Envelopment]

From the title you can tell that we recently received some good news about our son. He is still weighing some options.
Has anyone on here graduated from the b-school or have any opinions on how strong that program is in S Fla, and regionally? We did all our research but rankings only tell a small part of the story and often don't tell how a school or program within a school is perceived by the community.
Thanks in advance for any insight you can provide.

I enjoyed it, and UM overall obviously... and its come a long way since I graduated, but its hard to answer this without some perspective. What other schools has been accepted into/ hope to be accepted into?

 

[LuCane]

I have my undergrad and MBA from the UM B-School.

Here's the reality. The degree is fine. It's not Harvard/Yale, but not many are. There are plenty of internship opportunities in Miami when your son would be in school, just due to the sheer size of the South Florida business community, and the fact that UM is the best school in the region. However (and I'm not sure how this will change post-Covid), you do not always get the largest number of recruiters to come down to Miami to recruit/interview candidates. Maybe, going forward, a lot of pre-screening/recruiting/interviewing may be moving to computer-based systems, and the geographic barriers may go away.

Anyhow, I was just having this conversation with a friend, and comparing UM to UF. While UF may have a marginally higher ranking for their Business School, and may have more alums out in the world, WHILE YOU ARE IN SCHOOL, you simply won't have as many spring-fall opportunities to work/intern if you live in Gainesville compared to Coral Gables. So you have to maximize your summer opportunities.

Let me give an example. When you look at large accounting firms (Top 10-15 in size), they need interns all year long, not just in the summer. I have seen Spring and Fall interns be given the chance to continue working beyond the original end-date of the internship, whereas "summer interns" usually have to be back in school at the end of summer (which was a bit of a challenge on the Tax side, as we had 9/15 and 10/15 filing deadlines, so we would have preferred to keep the summer interns a bit later into the year).

I will say this, I have seen a rise in businesses needing people with international-type experience. So if your son can speak another language and/or take a bunch of the international business courses at UM, it might help to get him more interviews if the recruitment is being done via computer submission on a national level.

If a company wants a Harvard grad, there's not much that can be done to change that. But if a company is looking for someone who has a particular skillset, then the Miami degree is not any sort of detriment. Good grades are important, highlight the relevant coursework, try to have some language and/or computer skills that stand out, and get involved in some activities that show interest and/or initiative. And learn social skills. The interview is the key.

Great post.

For the OP, I'll add a few things from various perspectives and experiences:

- I went to UM Business School undergrad (before leaving elsewhere and then returning for law school), but only because I got to go there on a scholarship. Multiple peers, who were also Finance/Marketing undergrad students, got opportunities in NYC (Morgan Stanley, etc.) and other internships. If your son is interested in that route, the UM business undergrad is unlikely to stop him from some of those opportunities.

- Depending on what your son wants to do with the business degree, it's also sufficient (assuming GMAT) for acceptance into all grad schools. Plenty of friends went IVY for grad school.

- The UM network is strong locally. As other posters have mentioned, internships are the real value. The network matters, but it's completely different than years ago. Skills matter more and companies look at interns from FIU and other schools, too.

- The far more interesting part, in my opinion, is the growing technology scene (and, yes, some of it is superficial still, but some is real) in Miami. Multiple big venture firms have moved to Miami or opened a decent-sized office here in the last year. After law school, I worked in Health Care for the better part of a decade, but have spent the last 5 years in the education technology industry and can attest the startup scene is starting to evolve from hype to [more] substance.

- If your son develops a useful skill set or has the right attitude, the UM business degree and the network it brings with it will be valuable to those of us looking for talented interns. I hired 18-20 last summer, for example. More than the school they attended, here are the skills my company sought: evidence of adaptability, willingness to learn, reliability, and polished communication skills; creativity and willingness to learn new platforms. I know those are general, but you can't imagine how many sophomore or junior kids have zero problem solving (social or emotional) skills and want an internship to "chill."

- My biggest suggestion is to prepare your son with guidance about a new workforce and different expectations than the old paradigm.

 

[AtlAtty]

I have my undergrad and MBA from the UM B-School.

Here's the reality. The degree is fine. It's not Harvard/Yale, but not many are. There are plenty of internship opportunities in Miami when your son would be in school, just due to the sheer size of the South Florida business community, and the fact that UM is the best school in the region. However (and I'm not sure how this will change post-Covid), you do not always get the largest number of recruiters to come down to Miami to recruit/interview candidates. Maybe, going forward, a lot of pre-screening/recruiting/interviewing may be moving to computer-based systems, and the geographic barriers may go away.

Anyhow, I was just having this conversation with a friend, and comparing UM to UF. While UF may have a marginally higher ranking for their Business School, and may have more alums out in the world, WHILE YOU ARE IN SCHOOL, you simply won't have as many spring-fall opportunities to work/intern if you live in Gainesville compared to Coral Gables. So you have to maximize your summer opportunities.

Let me give an example. When you look at large accounting firms (Top 10-15 in size), they need interns all year long, not just in the summer. I have seen Spring and Fall interns be given the chance to continue working beyond the original end-date of the internship, whereas "summer interns" usually have to be back in school at the end of summer (which was a bit of a challenge on the Tax side, as we had 9/15 and 10/15 filing deadlines, so we would have preferred to keep the summer interns a bit later into the year).

I will say this, I have seen a rise in businesses needing people with international-type experience. So if your son can speak another language and/or take a bunch of the international business courses at UM, it might help to get him more interviews if the recruitment is being done via computer submission on a national level.

If a company wants a Harvard grad, there's not much that can be done to change that. But if a company is looking for someone who has a particular skillset, then the Miami degree is not any sort of detriment. Good grades are important, highlight the relevant coursework, try to have some language and/or computer skills that stand out, and get involved in some activities that show interest and/or initiative. And learn social skills. The interview is the key.

Thank you. This is what we need to understand.

 

[AtlAtty]

I enjoyed it, and UM overall obviously... and its come a long way since I graduated, but its hard to answer this without some perspective. What other schools has been accepted into/ hope to be accepted into?

UM is the only school into which he’s been accepted that has an undergrad business school. The other schools are good but don’t have an undergrad business school; Furman, Oberlin, Lehigh. and he’s waitlisted at the other UM-Michigan. So I’m also trying to weigh the value of an undergrad business degree as opposed to a BA in Econ or Finance.

 

[AtlAtty]

Is he a take at the Safety position?

I wish

 

[AtlAtty]

Can he play Striker?

If only

 

[AtlAtty]

Congrats man! Do you currently live in the ATL area? If so, has he applied to Emory or GT? He should get more in-state funding and both have solid business schools.

He needs to get away for a few years. ATL has been great for us but he was born here, may live here when its all said and done but wants to live somewhere else for college. And apparently doesn’t care about my bank account.

 

[Empirical Cane]

He needs to get away for a few years. ATL has been great for us but he was born here, may live here when its all said and done but wants to live somewhere else for college. And apparently doesn’t care about my bank account.

A very healthy perspective. Life and the globe are much bigger than Fulton, Palm Beach, Broward, Dade, or any other counties, could ever hope to be.

Get out and live in the larger world.

Fly birdie fly!

 

[CashMoneyCane]

A lot of nonsense on here regarding Miami somehow being less valuable than an Ivy school. Firms might not target Miami like they do Dartmouth, but it doesn't mean you can't get the same jobs as Ivy grads get. It depends on your son. I went straight from undergrad business to a Wall Street job at one of the prestigious banks (and was recruited by several others) and ended up working with a bunch of Ivy or similar grads. I know people from Miami that went to Goldman, Morgan Stanley, Lehman when it was still a thing and all the Big 4 accounting firms. I was also the first person at Miami to interview for the GE Financial Management Program (for Commercial Finance) and know they've started to target Miami more since. I also knew a lot of people who did nothing with their business degree. The banks mostly recruit for operations jobs but you can get front office roles. If you do well in Accounting you should easily get a job at a Big 4 -- I think they take like 100 Miami grads every year collectively.

If you're studying Marketing, then you only have yourself to blame when you get a lousy job. Get a good internship, network, get friendly with the professors in your major and do your research. All the big banks and trust companies have offices in Miami. All the Big 4 have offices in Miami. Lots and lots of corporations have their LatAm headquarters in Miami. All of them need finance and accounting people.

Now, that's all to say that the University of Miami doesn't make your son a drug addict, because if he becomes one, you should definitely blame a non-profit institution for it, and not his own bad decisions.

 

[CaneinBroward]

Congrats to you and your son! I graduated with a BBA over 25 years ago. Down here, it has some sway, not sure how it is viewed in other parts of the country. From what I have seen when I have gone back from time to time, they have really upgraded the facilities in that time.

 

[Angry Ibis]

UM is the only school into which he’s been accepted that has an undergrad business school. The other schools are good but don’t have an undergrad business school; Furman, Oberlin, Lehigh. and he’s waitlisted at the other UM-Michigan. So I’m also trying to weigh the value of an undergrad business degree as opposed to a BA in Econ or Finance.

Gonna break our hearts when you start posting that Dean Quelch isn’t zooming with your boy as much as the Dean from Oberlin....

 

[rsa coral gables]

I am a UM law grad and went to a small liberal arts college in north carolina.

if he is coming to miami, he needs to learn spanish, portuguese is also a plus. more languages, more opportunities. plus, he needs to be on the cutting edge of technology. forget the past and the present.

 

[NJshoreCane]

And learn social skills.

.

 

[Hoyacane1620]

A lot of nonsense on here regarding Miami somehow being less valuable than an Ivy school. Firms might not target Miami like they do Dartmouth, but it doesn't mean you can't get the same jobs as Ivy grads get. It depends on your son. I went straight from undergrad business to a Wall Street job at one of the prestigious banks (and was recruited by several others) and ended up working with a bunch of Ivy or similar grads. I know people from Miami that went to Goldman, Morgan Stanley, Lehman when it was still a thing and all the Big 4 accounting firms. I was also the first person at Miami to interview for the GE Financial Management Program (for Commercial Finance) and know they've started to target Miami more since. I also knew a lot of people who did nothing with their business degree. The banks mostly recruit for operations jobs but you can get front office roles. If you do well in Accounting you should easily get a job at a Big 4 -- I think they take like 100 Miami grads every year collectively.

If you're studying Marketing, then you only have yourself to blame when you get a lousy job. Get a good internship, network, get friendly with the professors in your major and do your research. All the big banks and trust companies have offices in Miami. All the Big 4 have offices in Miami. Lots and lots of corporations have their LatAm headquarters in Miami. All of them need finance and accounting people.

Now, that's all to say that the University of Miami doesn't make your son a drug addict, because if he becomes one, you should definitely blame a non-profit institution for it, and not his own bad decisions.

To add to this, my son graduated in May 2020 with his BSBA from MIami land in December with his MAAC. He was in one of the accelerated programs offered by the business school. Part of that program involved a summer internship during the summer before senior year. All the Big 4 accounting firms had representatives interviewing. He was offered an internship in Miami with PWC in their Coral Gables office for the entire spring semester. It would have required him delaying his academic program so he declined. He ended up with a summer internship position with Ernst & Young in NYC in their audit program. At the end of the summer he was offered a full time position which he will start this coming August. He's currently studying/taking the CPA exam. Not sure how many Miami students they take each year but he was the only one who was offered a position in NY. For us, that was perfect because that's where we live. I know he had friends who majored in Finance who were also offered positions with UBS, JP Morgan and some other smaller firms in South Florida. My daughter graduated from UM in 2016 and also had friends in the business school who started in South florida and now work in other places.