Help me select a university

College Search & Selection
1

Hiii,
I plan to do a finance major for fall 2018. I am an Out of State student for all of these universities.
I have been accepted into the business programs for the following universities:
Indiana University at Bloomington (Direct admit to Kelley School of Business)
North Carolina State University (Honors Program)
University of Houston (Honors program)
University of Minnesota
University of South Carolina at Columbia

Please help me with making a decision. If you have any questions feel free to post them.

Thanks for your input on this matter.

2

In order of the ones I would select if money were no option:

IU Kelley
NC State Honors (I prefer the weather or else i’d put it lower)
University of Minnesota (colder and in a city - but if you enjoy those qualities I’d ahve it above nc state)
university of South Carolina
University of Houston Honors

Kelley is your best bet for long term success and a great collegiate environment.

3

So in terms of cost, not including spending or travel $$, which are highly variable and controlled by you:

Minnesota: ~$37,500

Indiana: $48,740

NC State: ~$40,600

Houston: ~$33,000

South Carolina: $44,562

Taking price and overall academic strength into account, I’d rank them like this in terms of value:

  1. Minnesota
  2. Indiana/NC State
  3. Houston/South Carolina

But you have other factors in play:

  • Kelley might bump IU up onto the top line with Minnesota (though Minnesota offers a fine Business education in its own right, Kelley is more reputable)
  • The honors programs at UH and NC State might move them both up a spot, yielding a more personalized value ranking of:
  1. Minnesota, IU, NC State
  2. Houston (the academics just aren't quite at the level of the three above it, but honors helps...)
  3. South Carolina

That’s my take on value.

Now, if money is tight, that changes things. But if these are all affordable, that’s how I would rate them.

The University of Minnesota is, IMO, quite underrated by US News. They have a bunch of Nobels (more than at least half the schools ranked above them), proof of their proud history of research and academic strength. It is one of the best OOS flagship values.

4

hiii,
Thanks for all the help.
It seems that the final decision would come down to NCSU (honors) and IU.
The weather and remoteness of the IU campus seem to be an issue. Considering that, is IU worth it?

Thanks in advance

5

Include your own best estimates for transportation and heavier winter wardrobe (if you don’t already have that) into your calculations. Check the schedules and cost for airport shuttles between each place and the sirport you would fly in and out of, and road times (plus hotels if the round trip can’t be managed in one day) if you would be driving.

There is approximately 8k difference between IU and NCSU even before travel costs. Where would that difference come from, and what else could you use that money for?

6

Thanks for the help.
The extra cost is fine as long as it is justified. My parents are willing to pay the additional fees if a degree from IU is better than its counterpart at NCSU. This is where we have been confused for the past few weeks.

Thanks in advance

7

Hii,
Thanks for all of the advice. Currently, I am leaning towards NC State Honors. However, I got accepted into to the W.P Carey School of Business at ASU. Would appreciate any help to compare these two universities.

Thanks in advance for any and all help.

8

Really, probably the biggest difference, between these two schools and the others you’re considering, is geography. One question I’d ask is, Do you have a preference where you live after graduation? Of course, grads of all these schools live and work all over the country. And maybe you’ll go to grad school. But often internships and coops will be with local or regional companies. So at least your best initial opportunities might be in the same region as the schools. Do you see yourself in the Mid-Atlantic or Southwest? Again, your college choice will not be determinative in terms of where you work after you graduate but will give you more connections in the school’s region.

Raleigh is a very nice city, and at NC State you get that, with Chapel Hill and Durham, and ACC sports and rivalries. ASU puts you in the American Southwest, which I think is a pretty cool location, especially if you like outdoors stuff. Both AZ and NC are dynamic states with good growth potential, so that’s good for a business major.

So, to me, all really good, really comparable choices. I don’t think your education will be very different either way you go. But a big difference between Minneapolis, Bloomington, Raleigh, AZ, etc. Good luck!