<p>After being wait listed at UMich, I've come down to choosing between Boston College's Carroll School of Management and Indiana University's Kelley School of Business. I have a few questions:</p>
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<li><p>Which school do you think has the better business (specifically finance) program? Most rankings I've seen has BC higher up on the list, but it seems that in recent years, BC is becoming slightly less prominent of a business school, and IU seems to be up&coming. I was directly admitted into both of the business schools.</p></li>
<li><p>As a upper-middle class kid from a wealthy suburban neighborhood in New Jersey, who attended a catholic school freshman year, and left to go to public school for the rest of highschool, where do you think I would better fit in? My family is not super wealthy (recession hit us hard) and I am also not religious. The public school I go to is extremely diverse, and there are very few preppy kids in my school.</p></li>
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<p>I just would like people's opinion on this. I know both schools are great options, but I want to make the right decision seeing that I will be spending 4 years of my life there.</p>
<p>I’m a BC grad and attended IU for grad school. You would fit in better at BC. Although BC is a Catholic school, they bend over backwards to not force religion on anyone. Indiana is very much a Midwestern school, and although you’d fit in better there than a typical Indiana kid would at Rutgers, you’d still be a bit of a fish out of water. I think both schools are wonderful and beautiful. Unless IU is significantly cheaper, I’d choose BC.</p>
<p>I think their business schools are about equal…both are way above average but neither is in the top few.</p>
<p>undergrad biz is mostly regional and, with the possible exceptions of Wharton & MIT, rankings don’t much matter. If you want to live in the NE, BC may open a few more doors.</p>
<p>Which is cheaper?</p>
<p>heres the thing, I feel like I dont fit in very well with the preppy crowd, especially those who are stuck up, pompous, cocky, rich, selfish, etc. I know that although IU is very midwestern, they also have plenty of kids from out of state, as well as many from the suburbs of chicago (who I assume would be like me)</p>
<p>on the other hand… tuition for BC is about 40 while it is about 26 or 27 at IU
AND, I received an academic scholarship from IU for 9k/yr. so knock that down to 18ish.</p>
<p>room and board is also about 3k more than it is at IU. I figure BC undergrad would cost almost twice as much as it would at IU. my parents tell me that money is not an issue and they will be able to pay for either institution, however if I decide to attend grad school, I may be on my own to pay for it if I go to BC</p>
<p>I would like to work on wall street but would definitely consider something in Indianapolis if I did end up at IU.</p>
<p>IU in a heartbeat. It sounds like a better fit for you and there are plenty of north easterners there ( not a real plus in my opinion). The midwesterners will be the nice, friendly ones.</p>
<p>The numbers make IU your best choice. You will have so many more options because you won’t be worrying about money for grad school.</p>
<p>Hmmm… any other input? I like the fact that IU has fraternities and has its own little town of Bloomington, however, I sort of like BC’s proximity to home, and the city of Boston is great. Lets say money is a non-issue, where do you think I should go now?</p>
<p>if money was a non-issue, I’d usually recommend a similarly-ranked private school. But if you want to work on The Street, I’d recommend NYU Stern over BC and IU.</p>
<p>There is no way BC is worth twice the cost of IU. Indiana isn’t Berkeley culturally but it isn’t BYU or Oral Roberts either. I think you will find a great mix of students from the US with a good # of international students as well.</p>
<p>with the scholarship I got from IU, 4 yrs tuition + room/board costs about half as much as it would at BC.</p>
<p>what if i were to throw Penn State into the mix, or perhaps Maryland?
I know these schools have worse business programs than both IU and BC, and I am leaning against Maryland because College Park, MD is kindof a crappy town. now what is your opinion.</p>
<p>I am biased, but I think people are really underselling BC here. I’m a northeasterner and I think it is incredibly prejucicial to say having northeasterners at a school is “not a plus.” I think I’m pretty friendly, believe it or not, and same goes for everyone I have met at BC – which is literally right down the street for me.</p>
<p>Now, is it worth an additional $80,000 over IU? Probably not. I am in a similar situation – I will probably be turning down CSOM because of money – but it is wonderful. I too have been hesitant because of the generalizations of BC students; preppy, white, rich, etc.; but this has been the complete opposite of my experience and I have spent a ton of time on campus. Yes, I think there is absolutely some superficiality and certainly people are well-groomed but they are all super nice, talented, and driven people. It is a great atmosphere, even with the little bit of preppiness here and there. It’s all very overblown. If money is no object, BC hands down IMO. I would go to BC over Harvard if I had to choose.</p>
<p>But with money being a factor, I think you should evaluate exactly what the extra tuition means to you. Can you parents really cover it or would you have to pay for grad school. If you ask me, if money plays a big role, I would go UMD. That is a really good school, “worse business program” or not. So are all your choices, though. I think you would love BC but you really can’t go wrong.</p>
<p>gingerbreadman- You nailed it. I just visited BC yesterday and everything you said about it was completely true. I was afraid as I walked on campus that there would be swarms of preppy, rich, stuck up, catholic school kids. This was not the case at all. Almost everyone I saw seemed very chill, and I did not get a single bad vibe from anyone who I talked to. They were all very nice, helpful, friendly, open, and all around great people.</p>
<p>I loved the campus and the fact that it was small enough to bump into plenty of people that you knew, but also big enough that there were plenty of opportunities to meet new people. In addition, there didnt seem to be any real cliques. I love having a core group of friends, but I’m not a huge fan of the popularity game and being excluded. I’m not sure how I feel about its location. It is a little farther from Boston than I would like, but I cant really complain.</p>
<p>Here are a few of my worries.
- Money: No matter how much I loved BC, would it really be worth twice as much as Indiana (w/ scholarship)? I cant say that one business school is any better than the other, so it sortof makes sense to stick with IU unless I am leaning strongly towards BC. My parents have plenty of money saved up for college, however, I have three younger sisters that also will need money, so I think I would be on my own if I decided to go to grad school. I dont know if I will go to get an MBA, but I kinda feel bad taking the money that could be used on my sisters.</p>
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<li><p>Campus Strictness/Lack of Greek System: I love to party. I know BC does plenty of it, but I get the feeling the surrounding towns pressure the police to put an end to the fun, because of noise or for whatever other reasons. I also noticed BC has its own police force, that can be seen EVERYWHERE on campus. That is so unnecessary and I hate it. Seems impossible to get away with a little fun. Is underage drinking strictly enforced and penalized? Without fraternities, what is the party scene like? </p></li>
<li><p>Location: People I talked to said they rarely go into Boston. Parts of the surrounding area seems like it could be fun to walk around and get a bite to eat, but there really isnt a nice town connected to the campus like there is at IU.</p></li>
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<p>I have less than two days to decide. Please help me out people!</p>
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<li><p>The $ situation is something only your family can decide. I’d vote for a private college over a public, but at xx the cost.</p></li>
<li><p>Not to worry, there is plenty of partying at BC. In CSOM, it typically starts on Wednesday nights. Having its own PD is actually a good thing. If the Boston cops stop you, you are more likely to get booked. Campus police have more discretion. </p></li>
<li><p>You must not have been talking to the right people. Some students go into Boston constantly; some to work/conduct research, others to play and/or shop. Others stay on campus to study and/or party. Plus, there are activities on campus (practically) every weekend. Instead of going downtown, perhaps you would attend a theater event or some other entertainment in which your roomie/hallmates are participating. Perhaps you go to a game on campus.</p></li>
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<p>Of course, I’m sure IU is similar in that regards.</p>
<p>Where does partying usually take place? Just dorms and/or off campus apartments? A dorm room seems way too small to host a party… Also, are they hard to get into?</p>
<p>Also, I feel like at IU I can definitely stand out and shine, possibly without too much work, where at BC I would be towards the middle-lower end of the pack. However, this would motivate me much more at BC</p>
<p>On campus, off campus. Everywhere.</p>