Utah v Weber?
>> Saturday, August 16, 2008
The U starts next week and Weber starts the week after. Yet I'm still trying to decide which school I should attend.
The U costs more ($13,000), but is more prestigious and more heavily recruited. Weber is cheaper ($6,500) and I like the teachers and know what to expect. I plan to probably work for a large local firm instead of one of the big 4 since I'll need flexibility in my schedule and can't work 60 hour weeks for most of the year -- so do I need the heavy recruiting at the U?
Also, at the U I would have night and day classes. When Travis finds a job I will need to find a babysitter for Emma during the day, but I'd be home most nights for the girls. At Weber the classes would be only in the evening. This would work better for Emma, but I'd see less of the girls in the evening which means Travis would have to do homework and lessons with them.
The schedule at the U would be Tuesday and Thursday morning and Monday and Wednesday evening from 6-10, plus 6-8 hours a week for the graduate assistantship. Weber would be at the Layton campus on Monday 6-9, Tuesday 3-6, Wednesday 6-9, and Thursday 3-9.
Each school offers classes that the other doesn't. The U has forensic accounting and cost accounting. Weber has advanced auditing, internal auditing, and government accounting.
Further, I don't know who does the class scheduling at the U, but many of the classes I want are offered at the same time. As a result, this fall I will have to take 2 nonaccounting classes just to make my schedule work. No classes overlap at Weber so all of them can be accounting.
Weber will make me take one class from an instructor that I don't like, but I might not like the teachers at the U -- since I haven't met them yet.
Either way I can graduate next spring.
So, I'm asking you to vote. All of you. Utah or Weber? (I need to decide this weekend) (Also please give me your reasoning)
8 comments:
Do Weber! The teachers all love you there, it might be easier, and you'll be gone inn the evenings so you won't bug me to do my homework!
xoxoxo
My vote is for Utah. Not that Emma doesn't need you, but I'm guessing the older girls might need your attention more... Also, then you can bug Celeste to do her homework:)
So...you wouldn't be considered a traitor going to the U of U?! I'd think you'd get shot down by lightning! GO UTES....once you go red you never go back.
My vote is for the U of U. After all my parents graduated from the U. It would be great to try a different school for your master's, and the U does have prestige.
For the U you will only be away from Emma two mornings a week, and you will be with all of the children every night except one (O.K. two for one month only).
Love, Mom
As you already know, I think you should do Weber (and not just because you chose the purple clippers which were behind my back instead of the red ones:)! It seems to be the less complicated choice. You want to do auditing, and Weber is the school that offers the auditing classes you want to take. It is cheaper. It is closer to home which makes you more accessible in an emergency. Because the bus takes you directly to the Weber campus, Travis can use the car to get to work and drive kids around. You will probably be able to get homework done during the day while the older kids are at school. If you're home at night, you will be trying to do homework while helping kids with their homework, making dinner, and being the chauffeur. Also, you won't be gone late every night. I understand the prestige thing. However, there are many stories of people who didn't go to the more prestigious school but have risen quite nicely in their careers (CEO of Deloitte and Touche, graduated with a bachelor's - not a masters - from Utah State, among many examples). I also think that once you get started, talent/ability and a good work ethic become more important than your alma mater. In the end, I think you should pray about it and go with what feels right. I can't find the quote that I have had written down for years from President Monson, but basically it says that if a person prays in faith and follows the promptings of the spirit, that person will never be wrong, even if the wisdom in that choice isn't immediately apparent. So, having said that, I might think you should go to Weber, but in the end I think there is someone who knows much better than me what will be best for you and your family. You have been given the gift of the Holy Ghost, and you have the right to use that gift.
Love, Marjorie
But It's so simple. All I need to do is devine from what I know of you to determine which school you should choose.
Only a great fool would choose the school that doesn't know how to schedule classes. But you are not a great fool so you can clearly not choose the school to the South. But I must have known that you are not a great fool. I would have counted on it. Therefore, you should not pick the school with a bad football team. So you can clearly not choose the school to the North.
(Wendy) You've made your decision then?
Not remotely.
As everyone knows, a UofU degree comes from the UofU and the UofU is entirely peopled by criminals. And criminals are used to having people not trust them just as you are not trusted by them so you can clearly not choose the school to the South.
(Wendy) Truly you have a dizzying intellect.
Wait till I get going! Now, where was I?
(Wendy) UofUians.
UofUians, yes. And you must have expected that I would have known the degrees origin, so you can clearly not choose the school without a TA-ship.
(Wendy) You're just stalling now.
You'd like to think that wouldn't you?!
You've beaten a giant which means you're exceptionally strong. So you could put recruiting into your own hands counting on your strength to save you. So you would clearly not choose the school to the South.
But you have also bested a Bachelor's degree which means you have studied. And in studying you have learned that degrees are mortal so you can clearly not choose the degree to the North.
(Wendy) You're trying to trick me into thinking you know what school I should pick. It won't work.
It has worked! I know what school you should choose!
(Wendy) Then make your choice.
I will. And I choose -- What in the world can that be....
In my opinion you should go with the school with better name recognition. When potential employers look at resumes (whether they are in state or out) they will give higher weight to the candidate from a school with greater reputation. You better believe that having Georgia Tech on my resume has made a bigger difference than having some lesser known school.
I have been informed that my prior comments, while entertaining, were less than constructive. So here are some real thoughts on the matter…
I actually agree with Marjorie on most of her comments favoring Weber: less commuting, available for kids, etc. Plus, when I had all afternoon classes, it was much easier to get my homework done. I was always able to get it done in the morning before class. When you come home from day classes you get immediately absorbed in parent role and the next thing you know it’s 10:00PM and you haven’t touched your homework. And then you’re falling asleep in your classes the next morning.
Also, being a new graduate facing a mountain of student loans myself, I would vote for Weber. I don’t have Dave Ramsey’s number available to check with him but I’m sure he’d agree.
Looking at the classes you want to take I would honestly say that the classes you would like from the U would be interesting but not practical. Cost accounting is only needed if you are going into industry and if you are looking to go local, you would probably never use forensic accounting. Even if you went with a big firm, you would have to get years of experience before getting invited on to a specialty team like that. All of the classes at Weber would definitely be used (with the possible of exception of government accounting). Plus the U is requiring you to waste time on non-accounting courses. It just really seems like you would be getting more bang for your buck at Weber. If Consumer Reports was doing the analysis they would give Weber a Best Buy rating.
And now for the tricky subject of prestige. I have no doubt that John’s career was benefited from Georgia Tech. And when I was at Fidelity, if you wanted to be a fund manager, you needed an Ivy League degree or forget it. But I really feel that the accounting world is different. Your school might open up more possibilities for initial employment but that is it. (PWC is currently begging us to give them ANY names of accountants with at least 3 years experience. By the way, if you know anyone let me know. I would get a $3,000 finders fee that I will split with you!) Once you are practicing, your job experience is all that counts. Just make sure you get on good engagements with a good firm. I would pick at least a Regional sized firm and would avoid local. As long as this type of firm is equally recruited at Weber like you said then no worries.
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