Help Please - UGA vs IU

Agree…IU no brainer if you want to study business. Nationally known and regarded program. Top 15 b school.

Remember most students change majors. And if you are indecisive now you may very well change majors. My daughter just graduated college in a major she never heard of until after mateiculating. My son is a senior and if not accepted to GT will be more than likely going to UGA. As a GA parent I know kids from both these schools have excellent opportunities. Life is short and college goesquickly pick where you will be happy. When you are happy people tend to excel. And remember there are highly successful people from all universities. Its more what you make of it then where exactly you go. And my daughtet said no way to ever going to grad school and is now getting her masters

Ya I was accepted into both Auburn and Alabama, but not interested in either.

I only mention Alabama because of the generous scholarships for the Honors College.

Former President of UA told us that he modeled the UA’s University Fellows on Georgia’s Foundation Fellows. He moved on to become Chancellor & UA’s University Fellows benefits got a bit watered down sometime thereafter.

FWIW: My two favorite undergraduate business schools in the US are Ross & Kelley because both are so well run & well established, plus both are located amid great university environments.

No way is IU a “no brainer”. With a $100,000 price differential, most people will give serious thought to very good, less expensive options such as UGA. If the OP’s family is truly wealthy (like top wealth), that is a different story and kids go anywhere they please. After all these posts, I’m still unclear what financial impact going to IU would have on the family, whether or not there are younger siblings to educate, Maybe I missed that. Ideally, financial limits are sorted out before applications even go out.

@Publisher The more you respond, the more evident it is that all of your “knowledge” and advice comes from rankings and the like. You seem to think there is a much more studious atmosphere at Kelley and that honors college students don’t party. Allow me to disabuse you of those ideas. Kelley students and IU students in general party hard, including those in honors. McNutt (where the Kelley LLC used to be located) is party central. UGA is the same. Most schools are the same. The OP can have fun at both schools and receive an excellent business education. They aren’t mutually exclusive. By choosing UGA, the OP isn’t saying he/she is any less academic/studious or career-focused or motivated. Step away from the rankings.

Pretty sure that OP’s family is comfortable enough to afford that amount. I have dozens of relatives in the Atlanta area. They do well, but don’t live on West Paces Ferry or in Buckhead. And that amount is within their budgets without taking out loans or making any lifestyle changes. Very bright, hardworking people. But even they send their kids, for the most part, to UGA & Georgia Tech. Both UGA & Tech have a lot of sophisticated & bright students. And Atlanta is a great place for internships.

It is important, in my opinion, to respect the insights, knowledge & experience of others. Whether in agreement or not.

I work at an investment bank and most major companies recruit at IU, they don’t go to Georgia. Georgia will get the likes of Coca-Cola, Sunburst, and local companies, which is fine. IU is more nationally recognized is all I’m saying. if it were my kid it would be IU hands down. Outside of Ivy League and the likes of Wash U and Carnegie Mellon, Indiana ranks among the top B schools in the country, consistently top 15.

@DG: I agree with all of your posts, but OP is undecided on his major.

ah I see…obviously all of those options have a wide array of majors to consider, if major is undecided it makes for tougher call…the geography in which you want to settle is a factor as well…Georgia is beautiful campus.

and in terms of rankings, how can you say they don’t matter? they are largely correlated with employment outcomes…of course there are exceptions…but if rankings don’t matter the OP should consider community colleges perhaps since the rankings and/or academic prestige, average starting salary etc doesn’t matter?

But IU-Kelley is heavily recruited by firms nationwide. It is also very well run. I am a big fan of Michigan-Ross as well.

Both UGA & Georgia State are well respected for insurance & risk management. Has been that way or decades. UGA created the first “marketing research” course of study decades ago & those focusing in that area of study were snapped up by companies such as Coca Cola.

You know IB & for one seeking that career that there are better & wiser choices.

agree re Michigan Ross…is essentially Ivy in terms of selectivity especially for direct admit

If money is NOT an issue, Kelley is the better choice and it will allow the OP to experience what is like to be in a different part of the country with students from all over the place. Kelley attracts students from all over the country. UGA does not offer that kind of diversity. By no means, Kelley is Wharton or Michigan Ross, but it does attract a lot of students who had to consider those schools and probably did not get in.

Kelley is known throughout the country whereas Terry is much more regional. I think the OP should visit OSU Fisher as well if visiting Bloomington. They are about 3 hours away from each other.

@grant123 A few pages back I posted about being a UGA accounting grad and my spouse’s best friend being an accounting grad from IU. You asked if I liked UGA. Yes, I did love UGA and the accounting program set me up for success, but that was 27 years ago and I am not you.

After reading all of the new posts I have to reiterate what I posted earlier. For accounting there is not an academic difference in these two schools. Employers have been hiring from these two schools for decades and have been shaping the curriculum for decades, and that gives the programs a trade school like feel. Rankings matter, but when you drill down to something specific like accounting it’s more about your chances of landing a great first job. Both schools will be heavily recruited by top accounting/consulting firms.

MBAs were mentioned earlier, and I would recommend not considering that. I would recommend a masters in accounting, and then after a few years out in the real world decide if you want an MBA. Both schools will allow you to attend an excellent MBA program.

What brought me back to this thread was that I had dinner last night with the IU grad mentioned above. We both agreed that within accounting groups our degrees are respected, but outside of that group it’s just a business degree from a state school. Both of us loved our time in college and feel like it set us up for success.

Good luck in your search!

Agree that for those studying just accounting, most any accredited school will suffice. But for those venturing into a double major such as accounting & finance, then quality of the finance program & its students does matter.

Not discussed in the post above are the tremendous benefits of IU’s Hutton Honors College–regardless of one’s major–and the benefits of Business Honors & its clubs as well as advantages of being a direct admit to the business school which enables one to build meaningful professional relationships from the first semester on campus.

Recruiting has changed over the past 27 years. Best to be part of a nationally respected business school if seeking competitive positions outside of the school’s geographic region.

Telling one to disregard the affiliated MBA program at each business school is very poor advice with respect to the rapidly evolving changes in marketplace demands. It is almost as ridiculous as an earlier posted who suggested that you ignore the advantages of the Hutton Honors College (to which OP barely qualified). The people with whom you associate during your college years will have a dramatic effect on both your undergraduate experience & upon future professional connections.

@alwaysmoving made a great point in her post above : “and I am not you”. This is true for all of us except the OP.

If costs were equal or close, then it would be foolish to turn down the opportunities, benefits & stature of attending IU-Kelley & the Hutton Honors College. But OP is young & needs to determine whether he wants to relax & enjoy during his first year or is ready to study & build career connections. Both paths are fine. Just no need to spend the extra funds if not ready to take advantage of being a direct admit & Hutton Honors & working toward Business Honors.

Worth repeating: Recruiting & job placement & internships are much more competitive & involve more preparation & planning than was necessary 27 years ago.

@alwaysmoving: In your most recent post in this thread, you recommend against getting an MBA in favor of a Masters in Accounting for an accounting major. Why ?

The Masters in Accounting has become a widespread offering due to the increased hours required for CPA license eligibility.

Wouldn’t it be better for an accounting major to get a specialty masters in order to expand their attractiveness to employers ?

Also, the Indiana-Kelley MBA is just a one academic year addition–just like a Masters in Accounting–so it is worth investigating even without the typical 3 to 5 years expected by the elite MBA programs.

So my question is: What good is a Masters in Accounting for an accounting major beyond getting the additional 30 hours for CPA license eligibility which could be accomplished by earning a specialty masters ?