IU Kelley vs Northeastern

I only have 8 days to decide and I have no clue what school to choose. Please help!!!
I want to go to a school that will get me a job in banking and ik prestige matters for this field but I also want a good fit. Cost is not a factor.

Indiana pros:
Nice campus
School spirit
Basketball is huge there
IB workshop
I will have almost 30 credits from AP
Far from home (don’t have to visit often)

Indiana cons:
Not diverse
IU is not a prestigious school (78% accepted)
Middle of nowhere
Greek life is ride or die (considering biz frat)
Party school

Northeastern pros:
Boston
More prestigious
Less partying
Near other schools (hangout with old friends)
Better if I want to get a mba right away bc I have 1.5 yrs of experience
High pay co-op for biz
Can co-op in LA
Easier to snowboard (IU also has ski club so…)

Northeastern cons:
If I go I would choose 5yrs
No school sport unless hockey and I care more about basketball
people are in and out of the school
Comp for top co-op in finance like Goldman or Morgan Stanley is heavy
Social life doesn’t seem that great (I want to party but not too much)
If I want to transfer they would accept my NUin credits
Close to home (would have to visit more often)

Thank you. Also dont look at the size of the list bc its not important. Please give feedback I’m so lost!!!

Essentially in my eyes it comes down to this. If you can get yourself into the ib workshop you are in a way better position than if you go to northeastern. If you don’t get into the workshop, the prestige, location, and co-op program of Northeastern will probably provide strong job opportunities. If you feel you’re a strong enough applicant and are willing to put in the work, go to IU and kill it. Getting into the IB workshop will provide you with a way stronger door into IB than Northeastern. If I were you, I’d go to Kelley and plan on killing it.

@iubaccounting @TomSrOfBoston @PengsPhils @nanotechnology

What is the cost difference between the schools? Or is that irrelevant?

@TomSrOfBoston it’s irrelevant

@kiddie

Both are very good schools and academically they are equivalent overall. My son’s friend went to IU business school about 20 years ago. He was a basketball freak. He said most of his business classes were taught by doctoral students, not regular faculty although that may have changed by now. At first he loved Bloomington but by senior year he was itching to get back to a big city. He enjoyed IU but he was not a cheerleader for the school. (They didn’t get to the Final Four while he as there) :frowning: He also said that freshman gen ed classes were huge and there were a lot of distracting freshmen, most of whom “disappeared” by sophomore year.

It would come down to what environment you are looking for: Big city or small and somewhat remote college town.

@areid411 I think a lot has been said on these so far, so I’ll keep it a bit shorter and focus on what hasn’t been said. You’ve gotten good info on all of your posts/threads as far as I know, which is why I don’t believe I’ve posted on any before.

Northeastern’s basketball is actually the #2 sport here and does have a minimal following - so if you just want games to go to and not be 1 of 10 in a crowd, Northeastern will offer that. Obviously nowhere near the same level of spirit as IU, but it’s not all vs nothing.

Forget about IU prestige - it only matters in the context of the field, and IU has a good name there.

I’ve posted this a lot elsewhere on social life in Northeastern + co-op, but here’s a copy/paste from my most recent post on it:

I would note that an IB job in LA will be a bit tougher to get. Most people out here are Engineering/CS or media related. Co-op locations are available just like any other job market, which is industry dependent. Obviously, for business/IB, getting a co-op in NYC is a lot easier.


In the end, I think it really comes down to a few factors:

  • Social difference
  • Location difference
  • Co-op vs traditional
  • Importance of IB

If you decide on those and one takes the cake, I think you go with it and never look back. As said above, if you’re going all in on IB, then Kelley is your biggest return. But if you’re looking as a whole, I think Northeastern has a lot to offer with co-op and Boston and other factors discussed here and elsewhere.

If it hasn’t been said before, neither of these will really be a “bad” choice, so no matter what you pick, have confidence in it.

I go to IU, so I can speak for the school! Kelley is a highly recognized business school. It is competitive in job placement and has an amazing alumni program. My friend is graduating this year with a degree in Kelley and he has had paid summer internships in Chicago & now he has a job with them; starting pay: $80k.

Basketball is huge here, yes. The atmosphere is really great and spirited. It’s obvious that the students here are huge fans of IU sports and other organizations! Hoosiers have passion. Sports are a huge part of campus - the Little 500 race was just this weekend, for example. Football, basketball, etc. are all well-attended. But there are plenty of others things to do as well. The music school always has performances & organizations on campus are always putting on events. You will never be bored! The campus is also beautiful. It’s pretty big, too, so there are plenty of spots to discover. I love the fall here as the leaves are changing - it gets even more beautiful!

AP credits are a lifesaver. I came in with over 30 credits, which made me have sophomore status. However, you should understand that not all your credits will come over - each school is different, and I know Kelley is more selective. I can’t speak for IB, but my friends with IB credits seem to also be ahead of the pack in credits.

I have to disagree with your statement of IU not being diverse. IU is very culturally diverse. I have friends who are expats living in Saudi Arabia and Japan, students who came here from Vietnam, England, Spain, France, China, etc. The town of Bloomington has a nationally-recognized international food scene. Fourth street has restaurants specializing in foods from Afghanistan, India, Italy, Czech Republic, Croatia, Thailand, etc. I lived near a big city for high school, and Bloomington still amazes me as just how diverse the school really is. The school is diverse in others ways too, such as events and organizations. There is something for everyone here!

Furthermore, yes, Bloomington may seem like it’s in the middle of nowhere. But the town of Bloomington is much bigger than expected with amazing restaurants and shops. Plus, you’re only an hour away from Indy, less than 2 hours away from Louisville, and about 4-5 hours from Chicago. You’ll have access to major cities right at your fingertips. There are many forest reserves around the area, too.

Greek life is quite dominant at IU. However, not everyone does it. That’s a misconception. In fact, only 30-something% of students join Greek life. I am not in Greek life, and most of my friends are not either. I have a few who are, but they enjoy that lifestyle. It’s not for everyone, that’s for sure! I have never felt pressured or less than or disappointed in my school decision because of the heavy Greek presence, so don’t base your decision off that! I’ve never been annoyed by its presence either. I have been perfectly successful in finding friends and things to do without joining Greek life, as have all my friends.

Partying at IU, though, is really popular. But, again, if you don’t want to, you don’t have to. There are things to do every night on campus, and going into town is really fun, too! No matter what school you go to, though, partying will be present lol! I live in the Southeast neighborhood and haven’t been awoken by parties or bothered in any way. If you lived in the Northwest neighborhood, though, that might happen. It’s really up to you if you decide to surround yourself in that environment. :slight_smile:

IU is a prestigious school - it’s considered a “public Ivy.” Yes, the acceptance rate is high, but it’s also a state flagship. What you do during your years here will determine your future, not the prestige level of a school! That being said, Kelley is a very prestigious schools and have recruiters from all over the world interested in Hoosiers. Target, Deloitte, and Cook Medical are just a few big-name companies that have a huge presence at Kelley. As I mentioned, immediate job placement is high & the connections made within Kelley are everlasting. You may also want to look at the 3/2 Bachelor’s/MBA program in Kelley. You get a Bachelor’s & MBA in 5 years! It’s pretty popular in Kelley & in other schools on campus.

I would definitely take a serious look at Indiana University. I’ve really enjoyed my time here & I’m looking forward to the next years! There are so many opportunities and I’m grateful for all the help I’ve received.

That being said, both schools are great schools and you can’t go wrong! Obviously I’m biased towards IU, but I hope I was able to help. If you need more answers, I would definitely message an advisor in Kelley or Career Services. They may be able to give you more insight. :slight_smile: Best of luck in deciding!

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@seanman1224 does a great job of pointing out all the positives of IU, but I think it’s important to contextualize back that many schools have similar of what was listed, and a lot of it is through a very rose colored lens. Right now the key is the comparison, highlighting the differences, and then figuring out what you prefer.

IU isn’t a full monolith or anything, but it’s still about 75% white, versus Northeastern is closer to 50%. When it comes to food, I would challenge that Bloomington is nationally recognized or even regionally recognized for it. I tried to find anything online and couldn’t find even an article on it that wasn’t local. That’s not to say it isn’t decent, but “nationally recognized” is pretty overhyped to me. Louisville and Chicago are both very well known for food, but as said, are hours of driving away. It’s something you have to make a day trip of, not a dinner option you can hit after classes. Nearly every major city will have those cuisines as well. Boston is that big city availability when it comes to that, and the food is catered to college students pricing due to the high college student population in Boston.

Cities being hours of driving away means you may make trips there once a semester, versus living in Boston is a daily advantage. IU has good options locally, but I don’t think it’s a fair comparison to say that it has good access to cities, if that is what you are looking for. Hardly “right at your fingertips”. Go look at the logistics of getting to Chicago - you have to drive for as much as 10 hours, which likely means you need to get a hotel or Airbnb, rent a car if no one has one, deal with parking, and all of the costs and logistics of that. If you go to one of the closer cities you can make a day trip out of it, but is still something that means you’re going as a tourist, not a local, and you lose the advantages of being in a city. At IU, your day to day is Bloomington and the campus, which have some good positives highlighted, but is not the same experience comparatively.

When it comes to social aspects, yes, you can find your people at most schools, but when you’re choosing between two options, the one that is more in line with yourself will make that easier and more natural versus working against a grain. Name a school and I could sell it to someone as a place where they could be happy, but the better fit can really make a difference. Which one is the better fit obviously depends on you.

As far as careers and salary etc., Deloitte is also a co-op employer at Northeastern, as well as many other big name companies, just like at IU. Northeastern’s co-op program and #2 ranked career services (Princeton Review) makes a big difference, more than alumni networks in my opinion, though IU’s is very strong (I especially like Vonnegut’s writing on Hoosiers in Cats Cradle personally). When it comes to strength here, regionality is big too. IU’s name is a lot stronger in the midwest. If you plan to work there, that can be an advantage, but it sounds like cities like NYC would be more likely targets based on your interests.

As said, you can do well at both. Specific programs and fit factors are what I would focus on when comparing.

Thanks everyone I have chosen Indiana