I am between IU Kelley and Bentley and scholarships make them around the same price. There are a couple of things I would like to know:
My son is considering Bentley so I can only speak to what we have learned. It is somewhat small on a beautiful traditional campus.
Bentley recruits best in Boston but many of those companies also have a NY presence.
Pros of Bentley is it is solely a business school so they are focused on that and do it well. They do have a liberal arts component to their curriculum. It is ranked high for connecting its students to internships and a high percentage of its graduates find jobs or move on to graduate school. It is a shuttle away from Cambridge and then easily accessible to Boston which is a awesome college town.
Cons is should you decide you’d like to major in history you would need to transfer. Some prefer to mingle students from various majors and departments and not just business majors.
I don’t have any direct knowledge of IU Kelley but I have read it is a solid program.
Just looked it up and you can major in history and a bunch of other non business majors. You should check it out.
If you look up the IU Investment Banking Workshop you can get a feel for the school’s placement. Not sure specifically how many- but we do send quite a few IBers to NY and Chicago each year.
We had a similar decision a yr ago, Bentley (with good scholarship) and Wake Forest. To add to the equation S really loves Boston (He’s a native of FL but I’m from Boston and we have visited relatives and vacationed many times - he’s a huge Red Sox and PATS fan and that’s actually important to him). He ultimately decided on Wake because he wanted the traditional college experience and thought Bentley was just too focused on Business (They do have liberal arts opportunities). He wanted school spirit and D1 sports, etc. It’s proved to be a good decision because through Wake’s core curriculum, he’s developed a true interest in PoliSci and will minor in it (Far more extensive non business offerings) .The business school at Wake is awesome (I’m sure Kelley is too) and places well in IB, consulting, Big 4,etc.
Bentley is attractive with tremendous job placement in Boston which is a major area for top jobs. That part makes it hard. All in, you can do well at either.
(Ironically, S is rooming with a kid form MA and they watch all the PATS games together)
We are considering the same issue with my younger brother. He was accepted “Direct Admit” to IU’s Kelley School of Business, Bentley and Babson. He has ruled Babson out completely. I am a Michigan grad starting my second year at NYU (Stern) grad program. I loved Michigan, lots of RAH RAH and great networking but very hard at times to stay focused on school. IU has the RAH RAH, great campus, a well respected business program, IU’s IB club (only 50 to 60 students a year, very competitive) and great networking (mostly Chicago from what I have heard), however, very large classroom size, a lot of TA’s and it is in Bloomington (I don’t want to knock Bloomington, but it is not Boston and to each their own). Bentley has great student to teacher ratio (max class size of 35 and average around 22), a great business program, an even better career services center and some of the best trained interns we have seen at work. However, ice hockey is its only D1 team (not knocking Ice Hockey, only that it is not the same as 50,000 IU Basketball or Football Fans), no walk off campus town (not sure it matters with UBER, Boston minutes away and the the quality of food and entertainment in Boston) and 4500 students (does not fit some students idea of what college life is “supposed” to look like…RAH RAH and Greek Life).
For my brother I feel he is leaning towards Bentley; better connection to professors, more inclusive classrooms, less competitive, east coast recruitment, and far less distraction. We have not heard anyone complain the school was too small or boring. Actually, we have only heard great feedback, a family friend loves it. Most of all my brother wants to stay on the east coast, NYC is his first choice and we feel more confident that Bentley will recruit better to NYC.
As a big school grad I understand the confusion you and my brother may feel between the experience (Greek life, parties and sports) and the education. I am not sure you or he can make a mistake but I think for him a small, inclusive university in a great city with easy access to internships, jobs and home (we are from NY) is the best choice for him.
So…If you want RAH RAH, Greek life, IU IB Club (if you make it), the IU campus (beautiful) and Midwestern life (Chicago; internship and job opportunities) then IU is probably a great fit.
If you want a strong connection to your teachers, less competitive atmosphere, solid training for real world internships or career (trading room floor and Bloomberg Cert), a life near Boston and a career on the northeast (NYC or Boston) then Bentley all the way.
Please let us know if you have made your choice and why, we have only a day left.