Undergraduate: UCLA vs Emory vs NYU vs BC

I was just recently was accepted to UCLA (business economics), Babson, Boston College, Emory, and waitlisted at NYU Stern. I'm international so tuition would be relatively the same across the schools and I am generally interested in management and entrepreneurship with the hopes applying for a MBA. Any guidance would definitely be helpful. Thank you.

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Great job getting into those schools! Disclaimer: much of the advice on this forum is related to finance or consulting, so take it with a grain of salt. People on this forum are gung-ho about those areas. Since I can't say which schools will prepare you the best for management / entrepreneurship, I'll share a related anecdote and give general advice for undergrad.

As an anecdote, if you're interested in tech startups, sure, the West Coast has a lot and I've seen UCLA grads get placed into hot startups. However, there are a lot of other centers of entrepreneurial activity - depends on a number of factors, what you're interested in, where you want to live, pace of life, etc.

Generally speaking, people don't get their MBAs until at least a few years of work experience. Experience is generally required, MBA's are expensive (and some companies will pay for you in return for 18-24 months of working at sponsoring firm after you graduate), and its a career reset point.

What's this thing about career reset point? Once you graduate, you're more limited in options. Next jobs you take after your first full time (FT) job generally need to be somewhat related (in terms of job function / skills). Hence why undergrad is so great, and people often switch careers during their MBA program.

The great thing about undergrad is you can try anything and everything, and its all a learning experience. You can change your major. You can study abroad (aka party and explore abroad). You can see your friends after class. Enjoy undergrad. At the same time, know that you are gaining experience to figure out both what you dont like and what you like to do in a career. Many people think about their careers in a vertical sense (climbing the ranks). Something my friend's mentor once said is to "grow yourself horizontally", meaning get different experiences, be observant, be thoughtful, and reflect on said experiences. Let's say you've always knew you wanted to do X at a young age; great! that's awesome! Be sure to broaden your horizons too. How you think is framed and interpreted by what you know and your skills (legal background means you may think like a lawyer, etc).

 

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