<p>If its 100k more for you and that would be a burden on your family then you would probably be better off at Indiana, even though you may have less of a chance of breaking into ibanking/consulting at Kelly.</p>
<p>Pat1120, there is no way Michigan Econ is $100k better than Indiana Kelly. In that case, I would definitely go for Indiana. I am not even sure Ross is $100k better than Kelly, although an argument could be made for that option. I would not worry about being a middle of the pack student at Ross though. A very high percentage of students seriously interested in IBanking are placed, regardless of their position within the pack!</p>
<p>Either way, Tom Brady rules!</p>
<p>Are you a pre-admit to Kelley? </p>
<p>Ross and McIntrye are generally considered more prestigious than Kelley though only by a little bit - and certainly not by enough to justify $50-$100K more in expense. I’ve never heard UIUC mentioned in the same breath as those three. I think Kelley is an under-appreciated gem and with the new facilities on the way I expect that they’ll grow in stature.</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice everyone! It has definitely helped in making my decision.</p>
<p>Yes, I am a pre-admit to Kelley. I am interested in why UIUC isn’t really mentioned on the same caliber as Kelley and many other highly ranked business schools. It may just be due to my location, but here it seems that they carry a pretty strong name. Many people think it is ridiculous that I’m (likely) passing up UIUC business for Kelley.</p>
<p>This may not be the right place to ask this question. But as I’m reading the Kelley degree requirement page, it appears they only require 124 credits for graduation. Isn’t that very low for a 4-year degree? I thought it would be more around 150-160 credits. Would it be unreasonable to expect to graduate in 3 years? I’m going in with at least 8 college level courses (4-5 on all AP tests, and Calc 3 through UIUC).</p>
<p>150 Credits is 5 years 120 is 4 (If you are taking 15 hours a semester)</p>
<p>Oh my… looks like I’ve done my mental math wrong <em>oops</em></p>
<p>Pat1120,</p>
<p>I don’t mean to disparage UIUC with my comments but to simply acknowledge that IU-Kelley is more well known than the B-School at UIUC. Most business schools, especially for undergrad, have local followings when it comes to hiring and alumni connections. Kelley is strong in Indianapolis and Chicago. I suspect UIUC will be very strong in Chicago and St. Louis. Kelley has been in the top 20 for a number of years, that doesn’t make it a better school, but it does make it slightly better known.</p>
<p>I have been in the business world a long time and I can assure you that a Kelley (or other IU degree) is very highly regarded. I would not worry at all about prestige.</p>
<p>UIUC is an excellent university. Overall, it may be slightly better than IU, though not by much. However, what makes UIUC so good, and what they are famous for, are the hard sciences (particularly Chemistry and Physics) and Engineering/Computer Science. IU is famous for the humanities, Music and Business. So, for students interested in Business, IU trumps UIUC.</p>
<p>As MomofWildChild aptly points out, Kelly has a very strong reputation in the work place. The only industry where McIntire and Ross will have an advantage over Kelly are the “blue blood” sectors (management consulting and investment banking). Even then, I am not sure the advantage (which is not that significant) is worth $100k.</p>
<p>Thanks for the help, vinceh, MomofWildchild, and Alexandre. </p>
<p>I wasn’t aware Kelley was regarded that much higher than UIUC’s business program. In that case, considering the CoA are about equal and I prefer IUs campus, I don’t think I will be attending UIUC. As you said Alex, Ross and McIntire have an advantage in management, consulting, and investment banking… which are all 3 fields I’m looking into. So unfortunately, that makes my decision a bit harder. </p>
<p>Indiana offers what they call a 3/2 MBA, where kelley students can receive their undergraduate degree and MBA in 5 years. Any thoughts on that program? Pros/Cons of getting an MBA at the same school as your undergrad? I was thinking it could be detrimental in terms of networking, but I’d save possibly another 50-75k.</p>
<p>^^ My only concern with that would be that most of the top MBA programs like the incoming students to have 3-5 good years of work experience. I don’t know how a 5 year degree with no work experience would play in getting hired.</p>
<p>Ah yeah that is true. Maybe I’ll look into the placement of the students and starting salaries etc.</p>
<p>IU is not that more highly regarded than UIUC overall. UIUC is more highly regarded in accting for example. IU has a slight overall advantage if any, and no advantage in Chicago. The average BBA starting pay is very similar.</p>
<p><a href=“http://business.illinois.edu/bcs/_shared/pdf/EmploymentProfile_2011-2012.pdf[/url]”>http://business.illinois.edu/bcs/_shared/pdf/EmploymentProfile_2011-2012.pdf</a></p>
<p><a href=“Undergraduate Career Services | Undergraduate Career Services | Indiana Kelley”>Undergraduate Career Services | Undergraduate Career Services | Indiana Kelley;
<p>Thanks for the post, barrons.</p>
<p>I thought they were more comparable than the others were saying. I’m sure in Chicago their names carry about equal weight. Like you said, UIUC does have the upper hand in Accounting.</p>