does anyone here have any thoughts on which is more important and for what reasons? also how important is a GPA in regards to this?
yes very important. that's one reason going to UT would be more important then going to st. edwards or tx st would be. for example moving to NYC you would have more contacts with alumni with a degree from UT.
UT (Texas) is way way better than the other two. If you can get into Texas, you need to do that over the other two.
yes of course. another point i didnt really make was. what if a person had an option of a liberal arts degree from UT or a business degree from texas state. that could end up being a choice i have to make very soon.
These are just my opinion and in all honesty, I've seen people becoming employed with almost any degrees while people with solid degrees such as Engineer struggling to get that first entry level position. That said, on average I would chose an UT liberal Arts degree (especially Economics) over a business degree from TX St that focuses on soft skills. However, if it's a TX St degree with some "hard skills" such as accounting or CIS you are likely more employable than a humanities studies undergrad from UT. Just my 2 cents.
Degree is more important, but bearing in mind everyone can't study and/or get a job in the same thing, you can hedge your bets on a crap major by going to a better school. Also note that Finance jobs are more competitive than anything else, because Liberal Arts majors who decide on corporate work at the last minute only has Finance as a frame of reference. Whatever you do, don't skimp on Math or Computer electives. Everyone has to take at least two semesters of math, and colleges allow Liberal Arts, Business and Humanities majors to take Finite Math and then a watered-down version of Calculus (Business Calculus) instead of Trig/Pre-Cal and Calculus. Take the Trig and Calc track that STEM and Econ (?) majors take, and if you do poorly in it just step up your game. As far as Comp Sci electives, try not to leave school without exposure to Visual Basic, Java, SQL and MS Access (on the assumption you're fully proficient with MS Office).
Go to UT, but do well enough to stand out from the other 5,000 kids applying for the same internships and entry-level jobs Junior and Senior year.
For what it's worth, my BBA in Management from Texas State hasn't sold me short at all. The job market was rocky for me in the beginning though. The McCoy School of Business had just moved into the new building my last couple of years at Texas State, and the school was really beginning to blossom. This was back around 2008. I'd imagine that it's only been improving since.
heres what's really important. Cross St. Edwards off the list, you won't get any tail there. Now the girls at Ut and State are both very attractive... But the bars are cheaper in San Marcos and the girls are dumber and mostly there pursuing teachers degrees. (Top 5 permmiscouous degree only behind psychology and a few other liberal art degrees) You will get much more action in San Marcos... Oh and the McCoys school of business is decent. Most of my friends that got degrees in financing/accounting are doing very well.
/endthread UT is great and I would have loved to go there (I applied but was denied), but going there isn't a guarantee of anything after graduation, especially if your major is worthless. Two examples of bright people I know who went there and did well in classes but haven't found anything to do with their degrees: a guy who majored in history and a girl who majored in psychology. Both very smart people with great GPAs, but they did nothing to separate themselves from the pack while at UT (which, I understand, is hard to do). 5+ years after graduating one is working as a supervisor in retail and the other is a secretary* at her father-in-law's company. Knowing what I know now if I were in your shoes I would go to TX St (nothing against St Edwards but I know nothing about it) to major in finance/accounting/banking/business over going to UT to major in liberal arts. That's not to say that a liberal arts degree from UT can't get a great and great paying job after graduating, but it's probably not very common. Plus, the quoted part above. Very true. Do not underestimate how important this is. *No shame at all in being a secretary, of course, but she only got the job because of her father-in-law and before that couldn't find anything. PS - Also, what about a mechanical engineering degree from Texas Tech? I think their engineering program is pretty good (from what I've heard) and should be easier to get into than UT or A&M.
Unless there's some serious good ol' boy alumni networking situation going on, I hope potential employers would look at the type of degree first.
1. Figure out what degree you want to do. 2. Go to a school that is known to be the best for that degree in terms of classes, career recruitment history etc.
I'd rather have a really good business internship and a liberal arts degree from UT than a general business degree from St. Edwards or Texas State, personally. UT's job placement programs are almost always among the top 3 in the nation. If you're talking Finance specifically, then yeah, maybe consider the other schools. Same with Engineering. But don't assume you cant work hard and get into UT Business later. Or even settle of something like Economics or a more creative major with business-degree-type potential. I'd do General Studies at UT, take the easiest classes I could and work to get into something better. Don't underestimate the UT job placement network, it's that good.
Unfortunately, I don't think there is a pat answer. Some opportunities will care more about name and others about degrees, and still others neither. My current position -- strategy -- I couldn't have gotten without the pedigree of my school. When I was coming out of school though, I'd likely have gotten employment faster with a more practical degree.
