Help Please - UGA vs IU

College Search & Selection
61

@grant123: Additionally, if you do decide to attend UGA, and remain interested in the UGA honors college, please let me know as there is some critical advice that I can offer.

If $25,000 per year is an amount that can be handled by you & your family without difficulty or loans, then the benefits of the Hutton Honors College at IU, the benefits of Business Honors at IU-Kelley and the benefits of Direct Admission to a major US undergraduate business program (IU-Kelley) are worthy of serious consideration.

Also, admission to UGA Honors College in the second year is not assured even if one meets or exceeds the 3.80 UGA GPA requirement.

62

UGA doesn’t have an “honors college.” Keep the misinformation coming. ?

63

It is called “honors program”, but it is well established.

OP: It can be an important distinction between “honors college” & “honors program”. If there are significant differences, then this is a major factor in favor of Indiana University. (However, it is worth noting that UGA Honors Program is one of the oldest in the nation.)

(Check your post #50.)

64

Midwesterner here whose daughter is considering both IU (Kelley) and UGA. Got deferred at UGA but easily accepted to Kelley and also into Hutton. Kelley is great and all, but UGA definitely more competitive overall than IU. Outside of Kelley IU is a pretty average school academically. UGA getting tougher and tougher to get into. Deferring out of state kids with a 34 that have below 4.0 unweighted. I think some may be exaggerating the difference between IU and UGA’s business. Again, Kelley is great but it’s no Wharton. To get direct admit into Kelley you only need a 30 and 3.8 and are guaranteed DA. And that’s superscore and weighted. Although I think Kelly is great and would love to see our daughter land there, in your situation UGA seems to be the clear winner especially considering it’s a $100,000 difference. Unless you’re really looking to move to a different area of the country.

65

@grant123: Contact @iubaccounting for info. from a current IU-Kelley senior.

Being admitted to Hutton Honors College is a significantly different experience than attending a large state university without being in Honors College/Program.

Most Honors Colleges offer the best benefits during one’s first year. Business Honor’s, however, offers most benefits with respect to internships & recruiting/job placement.

66

UGA has competitive admissions because of the Zell Miller scholarship for qualifying Georgia residents which covers tuition & fees. (Used to be called the Hope Scholarship, I believe.)

Trying to downplay the significance of being a direct admit into the business school for one who wants to study business is a bit ridiculous.

67

Do you understand Terry admissions? I don’t think you do. This student has absolutely nothing to worry about. Getting into Terry isn’t difficult. It’s just hoop jumping. It’s a rare student that doesn’t get in. And most get their first choice.

68

@grant123: Google "Indiana University Kelley School of Business Career Placement. The undergraduate employment statistics will be an option showing placement by city & average salary by business major.

Listed cities include: Chicago, New York City, Indy, Columbus, Seattle, San Francisco, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Dallas, Los Angeles, St. Louis, Austin, Texas, Houston, Boston & Detroit.

Again, @iubaccounting should be a great source of info. for you.

69

@grant123: P&Q rates & ranks undergraduate business schools. Those rankings include the average SAT scores for the undergraduate business students.

I was somewhat surprised by the most recent P&Q undergraduate business school ratings & rankings released on December 12, 2018 (one month ago).

IU-Kelley was ranked #22 with average SAT scores of 1437, and 68% of the undergraduate business students were in the top 10% of their high school class.

UGA-Terry is ranked #36 with average SAT scores of only 1300 (which supports another poster’s assertion that entry into UGA-Terry is easy) & that less than 66% were in the top 10% of their high school class.

70

UGA seems the best choice. Great school and much cheaper. Don’t let other people tell you how to spend your parents’ money. Do what’s best for you and your family, depending on fit and finances.

71

I can bring a little perspective into this OSU, IU, and UGA
 All these schools are very similar in the sense that they are all large Public with a lot of rah rah rah and outstanding academics. Daughter had the same dilemma last year. She was accepted to all these schools as well as other similar ones. She knew that money was going to be the deciding factor. She was a direct admit to Fisher and she was also able to secure a full-tuition scholarship at OSU bringing the overall cost of attendance on par with UGA (we are instate). She was also interested in going out of state, Her acceptance to OSU and UGA came in at the same time (the Friday before Thanksgiving). After researching all the programs, acceptances, financials, and location, there is no doubt in my mind that she made the right decision. She absolutely LOVES OSU.

Financially speaking, OSU will be cheaper than IU by about $10K to $12K a year. So basically somewhere in between UGA and IU. Fisher is an amazing school perhaps not at the level of Kelley but very very close. Columbus is a city, but by no means, the size of Atlanta, but lots of Fortune 500’s as well as upstarts are based out of there. It is between Cincinnati and Cleveland not to mention other major cities such as Pittsburgh and Indianapolis. After narrowing down some of her options, she decided that she wanted to be in a city.

We looked into Kelley and, it seems that a lot of people think to think they are tops. IMHO, I do not think they are worth the premium, especially if you are not studying Finance and assuming, of course, you have similar options. I know you have your hands full and this is not an easy decision. The University of Georgia is an amazing school and it probably would have been the school of choice if she did not attend OSU. But there is something to be said about Direct admission and wanting to go OOS. But financials matter. I know you have a lot of friends attending UGA or are going to be attending UGA, but if you want to hear the perspective a current Fisher student from Atlanta, I will be more than happy to get you in touch with my daughter. In addition, I know all these schools offer acceptance students days, etc. You might want to consider going to those in order for you to make sure you get a feel for what is like.

Finally, when she came home during the winter break, she had a chance to see all her friends who are currently attending other schools from all over the country. Schools such as Wisconsin, Arizona, Alabama, Texas, FSU, and UGA. EVERY SINGLE ONE of these kids loves their schools. They all found the perfect school. It goes to show you that by the end of the day, we all seem to struggle with these decisions, but whether location, financials, or size dictate the outcome, many end up very happy with their ultimate choice.

72

Have you visited IU recently? Do you feel like you would fit in? I would not pick a school based on perceived prestige alone. $100k is alot of money. You are not even certain you want to stick with business. UGA makes more sense based on everything you said.

73

Of course the cost difference is substantial. That is the only reason that this thread exists. But at IU-Kelley & Hutton Honors College & Business Honors, you will get a much different experience than your other options.

If the difference in cost will necessitate taking out loans of any amount, then go to UGA for room & board. But, if the cost is not a substantial concern to you & your family, then you have a choice to make based on other factors.

P.S. Again, you have verifiable numbers & placement info. about IU-Kelley. And an available resource in @iubaccounting for accurate up-to-date information. Use those resources when deciding about your future.

74

I checked P&Q’s December 12, 2018 ratings & rankings of undergraduate business programs.

Starting pay difference last year was only a difference of less than $12,000.

IU-Kelley undergraduate starting pay averaged about $69,300.
UGA-Terry undergraduate starting pay averaged about $57,850.

Among the 88 undergraduate business schools rated & ranked by P&Q, IU-Kelley had the 11th highest average SAT score, while UGA-Terry had the 45th or 46th highest SAT score average.

Internship placement rate at IU-Kelley was 91%, at UGA-Terry it was 85%.

A large part of your decision, therefore, should be based on what type of undergraduate college experience you want. IU-Kelley will be business & academic focused. Your new friends will be business students & Hutton Honors College students for the most part. Followed by Business Honors in your second year & thereafter.

At UGA you will have the comfort & familiarity of your high school friends & the advantages of being close to home. Business school will come in a year or two. And you will have a substantial sum to put toward graduate school.

75

In another thread, posters are discussing undergraduate business school rankings regarding two other midwestern universities. In examining these rankings (US News based on business school deans & program directors surveyed), Indiana-Kelley shines.

IU-Kelley is ranked in the top 10 for accounting, finance, management, MIS (management information systems), & marketing.

UGA-Terry is ranked in the top 10 for insurance/risk management & real estate.

OSU-Fisher is ranked among the top 10 for production/operations mgmt., supply chain mgmt./logistics, & accounting.

All of these undergraduate business schools have their strengths.

76

By the end of the day, these are all good Business Schools. I honestly do not think Kelley is worth the premium over many similar schools. When we went through the process last year, the one thing that we got out of the acceptance visits was the ability to be able to get an internship. It can be quite competitive, but after everything is said and done, it all comes down to the individual student, grades, and desire. All these students are fighting for the same internships.

As another poster pointed out, many seem to think that Kelley is as prestigious as Wharton. Not even close! It is not nearly as difficult to get into Kelley or IU as it is to get into Penn. I often hear “where do you go to school? I go to Kelley” Please!!! Having said that, Kelley is a great school and IU is a great University. But overall, if the student is not a 100 percent sure that they are not going to stay in the Business School, the other schools have a better overall reputation. Also, when comparing pay scales between say Kelley and Terry, you have to remember that Kelley tends to send a lot of kids into Markets such as Chicago and NYC whereas UGA tends to send more students into Atlanta, Charlotte, and smaller cities in the South. The pay scales are different.

The OP and many who are in similar situations have to decide what makes sense to them. There are so many students whose parents can afford to send their kids just about anywhere. The difference between $100K to go out of state or stay instate might not mean anything. Is Kelley worth $100K more than UGA? Probably no. But there are so many factors to consider. The fact is that the in-state school will always cost much much less than the OOS school unless the students can secure close to an OOS waiver in order to make it somewhat cost competitive. So anyone applying to an OOS public should know all the scenarios.

Also, there is so much information out there in regard to scholarships, acceptances, etc. It is a known fact that OOS applicants to IU with target scores can qualify for a scholarship that amounts to about $10K. The Ohio State University tends to offer about $12,500 and sometimes a little more with their Buckeye Scholarship. Anyone prior to applying should have known that there were going get x amount at IU, OSU, and UGA and with that all the what-if scenarios.

77

Maybe many people can afford $100k but as with anything what you don’t spend a 100k on can be used elsewhere. While college is not like a car or a house its the same principal do you want money left over or not. Do you buy the most you can qualify for or do you save the money? UGA is an excellent school and as in state student you pay no tuition with the zell. If something were to happen to a parents employment or its a difference of their retirement it does come into play. If 100k does not matter to a family that is one thing but to many that is alot of money especially when there are multiple children to educate. Then there is grad school to consider. Or down the road a possible large down payment on a house if not spent for education.

78

Coming from the outside, what is your opinion on the reputation of UGA terry?

79

LOL! I was thinking the same thing too! I was much more surprised about UGA admission than IU’s direct.

80

Grant: If in doubt, go to UGA for free. Enjoy college & your friends. Join a fraternity. Have fun. It’s okay to do so at this point in your young adult life.

I know many students who are very academic & career focused. For them, the Honors College & the business school environment is motivating, exciting & working toward their career goals.

You have mentioned briefly that business may not be your ultimate major. If undecided, then why invest the money at this stage of your life when you can use it for grad school or anything else ?

After a few brief communications with you, I encourage you to stay close to home & be with your high school friends & enjoy all that Athens & a rollicking SEC school has to offer.

If I thought that you were a bit more formal (for lack of a better word). I would suggest the University of Alabama Honors College or Auburn.