I am between all of these schools. As someone from the North these are all options which interest me. I initially planned to go South but IU and PSU have grown on me. I have been admitted to all of them besides FSU which comes out the 17th of this month. I am a direct admit to IU Kelley school of business and am stuck between which school to choose. Any input on Alumni network and which will bring me the best opportunities? I plan to major in Finance.
So - if you want to go by pedigree or rank or perceived networking - then it’s IU hands down.
But define finance - I banking or corporate finance or personal finance - finance can mean a large range of things. If it’s just a regular corporate finance person, it won’t matter.
But all are solid school - Terry School, Smeal, and FSU is up and coming. TCU has a solid rep.
Where did you like best on your visit? TCU is smaller and in the Metroplex - well West of it but Ft. Worth - PSU is huge and in the middle of nowhere. TCU and FSU will be 'warmer". UGA is strong in Atlanta.
But based on your last sentence, most “experts” would say IU. But I think - if you like one place more than another - that matters. You will be there 4 years day after day after day.
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First Congratulations
They are all excellent schools. IU has the top rated business school out of the admits and UGA Top rated School. Penn State the largest Alumni Network.
First are all of them affordable?
Next you talked about moving south is that the top consideration still?
Based on Academics alone
Staying up North or Midwest in the cold my choices between IU and PSU would be IU
If you wanted to get out of the cold UGA First then FSU then TCU (but pretty interchangeable depending on which is the best fit)
However there is more to deciding where to go.
Which is the best fit for YOU?
They are all excellent choices and offer different experiences on top of the academics.
First, Climate again, you mentioned going South. How big of a factor is that for you? You will be living there the next 4 years.
Location Rural or City?
Greek life?
Is sports important to you?
You have 4 large State schools and one mid size private. Does the size of the school matter to you ?
Answering these questions will help you narrow down your choice.
Last year S21 had 2 of your schools in his final list, PSU and FSU. He choose FSU it was a better Fit for him.
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Have you visited any of these schools? Try to whittle it down to 2 or 3 and visit on an accepted students weekend. There’s not a bad choice here. Did you get into any honors programs? Scholarships? That could sway the answer. Do you want to stay closer to home? Having support close by is a good thing.
PSU Smeal isn’t direct admission and finance requires a 3.5 GPA for admission after sophomore year. Huge alumni network. I’m a Pitt grad but really like Happy Valley.
S21 picked FSU over PSU and a few others but not for business. He said FSU is “Penn State with palm trees”. Nice campus with happy kids. He’s enjoying his time. If you get the tuition waiver and/or Honors it would be hard to beat. UGA is similar. Basically Penn State in Georgia. Pretty campus.
Kelley is the highest ranked on your list but I wouldn’t base your decision entirely on rankings. Huge business school but you have direct admit so that’s very nice. Probably 8k undergrads. Is that appealing?
TCU is the interesting choice. Smaller school. Typically you get better support and advising. Texas is booming for business.
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I am interested in investment banking/private equity but that could change. I have visited IU and UGA so far but it was during Covid so I didn’t get the full feel but I truly loved both. I am planning to visit the rest and love the idea of moving to the south since business seems to be moving there. Even if I go to IU Kelley I still may have the best options in the south because of how nationally known it is.
They are all affordable but I have not gotten the financial aid packages back yet. They will probably all be similar in price with FSU being the cheapest. I think I want to move south but that could change as I do like the north as well. Of course, the warm weather and no covid restrictions would be nice for college. I like the party and plan to rush and am typically more of a city person but the college town atmosphere would be awesome. I am also huge on sports and all of these schools have the Ra Ra factor. I have never been on campus when everyone is there, so I think I want the big school but the smaller TCU may be nice as well. I really have to visit them on a normal day when people are out and about on campus. Thank you very much for the help!
I would like to explore a different region of the country but am not against the idea of a drive away from home like PSU. I have not gotten financial aid packages or scholarships yet. I also love the idea of FSU and going to the south the most but am interest in private equity and it seems that IU would set me up best.
Just a heads up, IU is nowhere near lax with their COVID restrictions. I know some people that attend (who happen to be unvaxxed…might not be as bad if you are vaxxed and if you are/aren’t that’s none of my business) but they have to get tested weekly, get exemptions to even be unvaxxed, etc.
If you want some place that is not very strict with COVID I would suggest the University of Alabama along with Hillsdale College. Bama has that ra ra factor but not nearly as good business as Kelley. I have been accepted to both Bama and IU Kelley, but am leaning towards Bama personally because I like that part of the country. But Kelley is hard to turn down, even though I don’t like the cold and dislike their COVID restrictions.
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Again, no wrong choice here but based on what you’ve posted UGA sounds like a good fit. They have a very good risk management program which isn’t exactly finance but it has financial components and is very employable. I think FSU has a pretty good risk management program as well. Good luck.
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Thank you!