I originally ED to Lehigh and was deferred then waitlisted, and just recently was accepted off the waitlist. I was admitted directly into Kelley business school back in December in which I am currently enrolled. All areas the same for costs I am looking for input to sway my decision between the two on where to attend for class of 2026. I am looking to double major in Finance and Marketing wherever I attend.
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Two excellent schools - go to the one you prefer.
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I think that is what it will come down too. Do you have any specific input between the two though?
Kelley is well respected. Bloomington is a great college town. Lehigh has a few programs in their Business School that you won’t find at Kelley. Unless you’re specifically interested in one of them, I’d stay put at Indiana. If it’s simply straight finance and marketing, Kelley will be great unless you’re in love with Lehigh.
I’d consider them to be academic peers – if you do well at either college you should have many opportunities. I’d choose the college with the environment (ex. size, location, vibe etc.) and program you prefer.
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I just think the contrast between both is so vast. It’s a finance and marketing degree - in 95% of cases, it won’t matter where you go.
Do you want a smaller private school or a big time campus, big time sports, etc. The B school alone at IU is bigger than Lehigh as a whole.
Which school works best for you?
which school do you feel will offer me better jobs and internships throughout the 4 years, and I’m looking to work out of Boston.
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Neither. You will likely have to find internships in Boston on your own. But I would worry less about Boston and more internships. When you seek full time you can focus solely on Boston.
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As @tsbna44 said, it really doesn’t matter from a jobs perspective which one you choose. They’re both very good in the field you’re interested in. You are to be commended for successfully gaining admission to both.
College is an opportunity. Your success will not be determined by which college you choose but by you. It’s what you do with the opportunity before you that will matter.
So, the question is, which college offers you the best opportunity to thrive. Which one offers experiences that will more likely bring out the best in you?
The most obvious difference between the 2 schools is size - 30,000 vs 5,000. You’ll see your share of large lecture halls at IU, but will rarely see classes of that size at Lehigh if at all. Kelley alone has almost 7000 students, which is well more than the entire enrollment at Lehigh. Kelly has more than 100,000 alumni, which is a big network. Does that matter to you?
There are tradeoffs. Raunch Business School at Lehigh is growing, so the university is investing in it. By the time you get there, they are scheduled to open a brand new building for Rauch with state of the facilities. It’s nice to know that the business school is a priority for them.
You will have more interaction with professors at Lehigh although once you get to your major in junior and senior year, there might not be any difference at all. Lehigh has a student:teacher ratio of 10:1 vs 16.5:1 at IU. Do you do better with more opportunities for teacher contact or does it not matter?
Fraternities & sororities are a big part of the social scene at Lehigh. Are you a joiner? About 1/4 of the students at IU are members of fraternities and sororities. That’s a significant number, but the university is big enough that you can take it or leave it and find your social scene elsewhere if that’s not your thing.
Which one is closer to home? Are you looking forward to getting away to some place different, meeting different kinds of people, and having an adventure? Or would you prefer to more easily be able to get home to see family and old friends if you want or need to?
IU may be more oriented toward connections in finance in Chicago although it would be well known in NY too. Lehigh would be more oriented toward NYC. You’re interested in Boston. You’d probably be surprised that Big Ten schools are well represented in the finance community in NY and Boston. So, I don’t know that Lehigh would offer a big advantage there.
Your choice.
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thank you for taking the time to respond!
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Those are all amazing points and all ones that I have thought of before, you are completely right in that it is what I do at the school rather than the school because of how similar in Business they are. the networking is definitely a plus at Iu, but the class sizes at Lehigh would benefit me greatly. I am just slightly worried that I would become a little bored at Lehigh without the college town and BIG1o atmosphere.
I completely understand that. Bloomington is a great college town with lots to do. Bethlehem, not so much. However, if the small classes are better for you, that’s important. I’ll just remind you of two things. First, you’re not at school all year round. You’re back home about 20 weeks of the year. So if social life is boring, you do have other times of the year for fun. Second, a lot of college life is just hanging out with your new friends. Getting to know people, all night hanging out and talking. You don’t necessarily need entertainment all the time. And Lehigh does have football and basketball games. It’s just that the crowds are smaller.
If you feel you would greatly benefit from the smaller class sizes then that may be your answer. I don’t know anyone who attended Lehigh and felt bored.
As I said earlier these are two great options. Two reasonable people could make two different choices and both be very happy.