IU Bloomington vs. NYU

College Search & Selection
1

Hey! I committed to IU Bloomington originally as a direct admit for their Kelley business school, but I just got admitted off the waitlist for NYU’s Stern School of Business. I was initially elated, but now I don’t know where to go.

IU Pros:
-Deans Scholarship and National Merit Scholarship, along with being about half the price without even taking scholarships into consideration
-Cheaper cost of living in the area for when I move out of the dorms
-Beautiful campus that I absolutely love
-One of my best friends is going too, so we have a plan to room together already (I did tell her as soon as I got the letter from NYU, and she said to not worry about her and pursue whatever would make me happy, but I would still be losing the comfort of a built-in roommate I know I’ll get along great with)
-Closer to my hometown (about 5 hours) with a bussing system that goes to both the in-state college a good portion of my friends are at and my boyfriend’s college, so I could visit friends and family more often
-Hutton Honors College, plus I applied to JLLC and have plans to rush a business frat I know friends at (and IFS, which means I would be going to IUB with a set of friends from there already)
-Since I was initially planning on going here, I already have all my research done and everything planned out. I signed up for an early NSO session, created my four-year plan around IUB specific majors/extracurriculars/programs, and as a whole planned the rest of my life out around attending IUB
-I’ve heard the competition is less cutthroat than NYU

IUB Cons:
-Not as prestigious as NYU
-Worse business school
-Not a small town campus per se, but it’s definitely a college town, and I’m worried I’ll get bored of it quickly

NYU Pros:
-More prestigious, potentially with more connections
-City “campus”! I’m a city lover at heart, and NYC seems like it has so much to offer
-Better business school ranking wise
-Fantastic food in the city, which sounds like a silly concern, but I’m a big food person
-Surrounded by the business world when going to college
-Experience of commuting to and from class (which could also be stressful though)
-The museums !!! I am so excited to visit all the museums and sketch
-More diverse student body
-Great opportunities

NYU Cons:
-No scholarships or honors colleges, etc. since I was admitted off the waitlist
-No sense of an official “campus,” with less Greek life and a more difficult time making friends
-Further from home (which might also be a good thing for my own sense of independence)
-Priority deadlines have already passed, like priority housing (though I will probably end up getting an apartment)
-Don’t know anyone going there
-Apparently super competitive, which I could definitely keep up with; I just don’t know if it’d be the healthiest environment mental health-wise

It is worth noting that my parents will be able to cover the full cost of tuition, room, and board either way, and I am incredibly appreciative for that. I think the tldr; would be that IU is closer to home with more of the people I know to help me along to way or figure things out with me, while NYU is more prestigious with better opportunities if I work hard for them and a nicer city, but none of those same comforts.

2

Who says NYU is more prestigious ?

Who says IU is worse ?

NYU is # 5 in US News and IU #8. That’s basically the same.

What discipline of business are you studying ?

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3

I will say, this is a comparison I never thought to see!

That being said, I know a number of people who attended IU, all of whom loved it. (One even moved back recently, they loved it so much.) At IU (and probably at any big state flagship), there are so many opportunities on-campus that you will rarely need to step off-campus if you don’t want to. Touring Broadway productions will usually make a stop at the IU auditorium and with the world-famous Jacobs School of Music, there are famous visiting musicians plus over a thousand musical performances a year.

If you’re looking for food, Bloomington is one of the few places in the country that has more than one Tibetan restaurant (the Dalai Lama’s brother lives in the area and there is a Buddhist center where folks like Richard Gere have visited). It also has Afghani, Thai, Moroccan, Ethiopian, and other international cuisines on offer. There’s lots of opportunities for bike riders (beyond the Little 500) and there’s lots of outdoors activities for those who want them, from Brown County State Park and Lakes Lemon & Monroe.

Basically, I wouldn’t eliminate IU due to a fear of running out of things to do.

That being said, IU and NYU are very different from one another.

  1. How important are class sizes to you? If you’re in the Honors College at IU, your classes will be significantly smaller than the regular classes at NYU.

  2. Even more fundamentally, what do you want your college experience to be like? If you’re looking for the “stereotypical” college experience of a residential campus, then IU would be a much better choice than NYU. But if you’re trying to throw yourself onto a professional track ASAP and wanting to do internships with corporate America during the school year, then NYU would be a much better option.

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4

I think you’re splitting hairs comparing Stern to Kelley. Especially with all the perks and price of Kelley. Stern might place better for tippy top Wall Street firms but that’s a very, very small slice of the pie.

Have you visited NYU? We walked by it not realizing it was there until we saw the bookstore. NY is very expensive.

Go to Kelley and prosper.

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5

Sorry, I really didn’t mean to disparage IU, and I apologize if that’s how it came across. I’m looking to be a consultant in the future, so if I went to IU I’d probably double major in public policy analysis (which I know IU is really good for) and business management. At Stern I’d do a management and organizations concentration.

6

Where you go between the two won’t matter for consulting. And what kind of consulting…there’s so many nuances.

IU is a top b school and top public policy school.

You clearly would be more comfortable there. You need to want to be in the city to go to NYU.

I would say your friend going would not be reason to go. In some ways, that’s a reason not to go.

You need to be open to new experiences. Short of wanting to work on Wall Street it seems IU would be a better fit for you. Best of luck.

7

I agree. Kelley is sooooo prestigious!

8

I have to disagree with you here. Kelley is a very excellent business school.

And your list of cons for NYU is way longer than for Kelley…and two of your Kelley cons really are not accurate.

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9

You didn’t, but you worry about prestige when Kelley+Hutton will serve you just as well.
Your parents can save the difference between IU and NYU, set it aside, so that you can study abroad in any country (say, business study after freshman year) then take an internship in any city you want, including NYC (after sophomore and junior year). NYC (or any city) is much more fun when you don’t have to worry about money and studying.

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