Indiana University vs. Tulane University

College Search & Selection
1

Right now I am committed at IU, but I still think about Tulane all the time and wonder if I’m making the right decision. I have until May 1st to completely decide, and I really need some advice.

INDIANA:
Pros- Kelley School of Business (ranked #5 in marketing), pretty campus and walkable, huge Greek houses, a ton of school spirit, fun sports, Little 500, I’m in the honors college, great study abroad programs, quidditch team

Cons- $38,000/year, not a lot to do in Bloomington, high acceptance rate, staff is hard to reach (I sent my counselor an e-mail a week ago and he has yet to respond)

TULANE:
Pros-New Orleans, ability to switch majors in an instant (once you’re admitted to Tulane, you’re admitted to all of the colleges it offers like business, science, etc.), pretty campus and walkable, diverse group of people, $34,000/year, low acceptance rate, Mardi Gras, Crawfest, warm weather, free laundry, required community service time

Cons- I wouldn’t be the smartest one there, 18 hours from home, small Greek houses, not a ton of school spirit, isn’t well known for any of its programs

Background on me: I will be double majoring in marketing and computer science, and I will minor in French. I also plan to study abroad, take part in Greek life and community service, and I want to attend a school where the cost will pay off

2

IU is my alma mater. There is actually a LOT to do in Bloomington - it’s a quintessential college town. There’s a lot to do at IU as well. And it’s a beautiful campus.

The biggest difference, I’d think, would be size of student population and geographical area.

I know that IU is very strong in Languages and Liberal Arts.

Greek life is a strong presence, but avoidable if you are in the right dorm/part of campus. If you want to embrace it, otoh, it’s very easy to do that.

If you are female, I should warn you that the rush process for sororities at IU is BRUTAL. Google it.

It was my experience at IU that professors are hard to reach, although I had a couple that were very accessible and very influential. For the most part, though, there was no hand-holding whatsoever.

You might get more of that at Tulane because it is smaller.

And fwiw, winters in Bloomington IN are fairly mild, depending on where you are from. Not as mild as New Orleans, of course, but it’s not Chicago or Ann Arbor MI.

If the COA is about the same, and you think you would do better academically at IU, and you like the idea of being at a big midwestern rah-rah campus, then IU is probably a good fit for you.

I have heard the Kelley School is very competitive - are you already accepted there?

3

Yes, I’m a direct admit at Kelley! Very excited about that. Someone said they focus more on graduate students than undergrad, do you happen to know anything on that topic?

4

IMO Tulane is much better than Indiana. At least from my high school, IU is a joke. It’s a safety school for kids with mediocre grades, the social life is disappointing, and Kelley doesn’t even help much in terms of future internship/job placement. Tulane on the other hand is overall well-respected and admired. It’s hard to get into and the fact that you got a scholarship shows how much they want to have you. New Orleans and the greek life also give students the opportunity of a life time. On top of everything, Tulane has one of the biggest alumni networks in the country and often sends kids to the big 4 accounting firms and hedgefunds. Tulane is a no brainer

5

It is not true that Kelley focuses more on graduate students than undergraduate. Actually, Kelley is ranked higher for undergrad (#8) by USNews, compared to graduate (#15).

Still, I understand your dilemma. Personally, I would probably choose Tulane because it is a better school and New Orleans is an amazing city. Bloomington is nice, but not amazing.

6

I was in the College of Liberal Arts, but I hear good things about Kelley, and that it is better to be a direct admit, than try to be admitted later, so that is already in your favor. I also understand that Kelley can be beneficial when it’s time to intern and find jobs. But of course, you need to check with Kelley and people more in the know, :).

I know someone trying to get into Kelley and it seems it is competitive…

My experience at IU, about 20 years ago, is that there is more of a focus on graduate students and research. It is one of the things I did not like about my experience there. That being said, I did end up having an advisor in my last two years there, in my dept., that ended up being very nurturing to us undergrads. He was a great teacher as well. and I know people complain about Teaching Assistants but some of my best teachers were actually grad student T.A.s.

It may be true, though, that the business school focuses more on undergrads… something you might want to check into more with people who went to the Kelley school, if that’s important to you.

My thinking is that you will always have smaller class sizes and more attention at a smaller place. You just need to decide which is more important for your needs. You will get a good education at IU - you just need to expect that you won’t always have your hand held.

7

I’d pick Tulane in a heartbeat, as long as the distance doesn’t bother you. Either way, I’m sure you’ll be fine!

8

I would post on the indiana site about the kelley school and the employment opportunities. The kids that are direct admit into kelley typically have better stats than the Tulane kids(at least from our high school) but transferring into kelley is not that difficult from what I’ve heard. I heard that ross kids put direct admit on their resumes to set them apart. Not sure if that is really true but if it is, wouldn’t be surprised if kelley direct admits do the same.

9

What did u decide?