I live in Illinois so my parents want me to go to University of Illinois because of the in-state tuition. I dislike U of I and am leaning toward University of Wisconsin although I am open to any D1 schools. Can anyone tell me the good schools that have a good buisness major and how I should convince my parents that OOS is better? It’s kind of hard because U of I has very good programs but I’ve gone to Champaign many times and have not liked it at all. Thanks!
IU has a really great business school, and if you have the stats you can be directly admitted and receive merit aid that brings cost down near UIUC
Hi, kdramaadict. I stumbled upon your post and thought I’d post a few thoughts.
First, to be up front, I am the mom of 2 current UIUC business students. We are from the western suburbs of Chicago. I do not know you or your aspirations for the future. You didn’t explain what you disliked on your U of I campus visits…was it the location? the size of the school? the people? something about the course offerings? the sports teams? 
Anyway, I’ll share a few thoughts. I’m not trying to change your mind, but it may help you in your approach when visiting other schools.
- The size of the business school should be considered. We seriously toyed with the idea of Indiana. With the offered scholarships, it would've been less expensive than U of I. We were impressed with the students we met. However, the size of the business school was much larger than UIUC and we viewed it negatively from a career services standpoint. Here's a link about UIUC's BCS (business career services). Undergraduate job placement is 96.5%. https://business.illinois.edu/bcs/
- Along with the size of the business school is the availability of quality out-of-class experiences. Wherever you decide to apply, I suggest researching the RSO (registered student organizations....like the business frats) opportunities. I would say that has proven to be the best part of my children's college experience. It not only is a way to make friends and network, it also provides a learning environment that differs from the classroom. My eldest, who is graduating in May, was able to secure a job from an employer that some people think you have to attend Michigan or Wharton in order to get.
- If study abroad appeals to you, UIUC has a lot of programs from which to choose. (And for both of my children it was cheaper than a semester on campus.) https://studyabroad.business.illinois.edu
- Also, I just want to point out that having a strong engineering school has enhanced their business experience. They've done case competitions and consulting projects across the disciplines. My younger child will probably do T&M. http://www.techmgmt.illinois.edu
- Lastly, check out the amount of AP credit you can receive at prospective schools. I think UIUC is generous and it has given my children a lot of flexibility.
Regardless of where you go, best of luck in your future endeavors!
Look at Miami University in Oxford Ohio. I’m not into business myself, but I visited with my dad (a graduate of their business school) and was absolutly blown away by how pretty it was! They place a very strong emphasis on undergraduate teaching, so your professors will care about your success. They have some pretty wealthy business alumni as well and a very tight alumni network. If I wanted to study business and couldn’t get into an Ivy, Miami would be my #1 for sure. They give quite a bit of scholarship money, and plus, you aren’t too far from Oxford if you live in Illinois.
UIUC has a strong business school and given the price differential between that and most other OOS option like Wisconsin or even IU- Kelley it may be very hard to convince your parents that the extra money is worth the difference in education/experience. And you haven’t explained exactly what it is that you don’t like about UIUC that you have found to be better at other similar state flagships such as UW. If price is an issue (as it is for many families) you may want to look into colleges (including private colleges) which might offer you merit aid (ex. where you are in the top 75% or so of the stats) in an amount that could make the total cost equivalent to your in-state option.