Tulane vs Wisconsin vs Indiana

I just wanted to get some opinions on my top 3, Tulane, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Indiana University-Bloomington.
Some info about me–
From Northern VA (suburban DC)
Admitted to Kelley at IU,
Business is definitely a focus but not a guarantee (I’d like to take other classes too)
Love the sports/school spirit at UW, Indiana comes in second in that regard but definitely good too
Love New Orleans, and I do love the idea of being in a suburban/urban setting esp. NOLA
I do like the smaller school aspect of Tulane, UW and IU are both huge
$, because of scholarships etc, is very similar at all 3
Male, I do like to go out and party, maybe rush, but definitely work hard as well
Dislike the weather at UW very much so, Indiana I could live with, NOLA’s the best
Maybe MBA, probably law school in the future, hoping to end up either on the West Coast or NY
Have visited all 3 and really liked them all!
Any advice/comments are appreciated, thanks!

I am a freshman at IU right now. Tulane was my first choice but I couldn’t go because of money. I am from New York City so it was a big deal for me to come from such a big city to Bloomington Indiana. My advice on IU is this: IU can be the best school in the world or the worst thing in the world (it is a huge school). Greek life is huge, games are huge, and business is huge. If you think those things are what you want IU is going to be an amazing place for you. I have a lot of good friends at Tulane and Wisco and they all love it. You really can’t go wrong. All I know is if you’re already in Kelly, just based on my friend group, IU students are getting way better internships and job offers.

Any thoughts @fallenchemist‌ ?

As far as business schools, Wisconsin is by far the best of the three. But there’s more to college selection than that. Winter in Wisconsin is a bear, so if that’s something you don’t want to experience it may not be the place for you. As far as size, IU and UW are much, much larger than Tulane, however, once you get into your major classes, the larger universities can become quite small. NOLA would definitely provide the most interesting city experience. There is way more going on in Madison than in Bloomington. If it were my child, and their number one choice of major were business, then I would overwhelmingly suggest Wisconsin. I’ve endured 16 Wisconsin winters, the key is layering! Good luck with your decision.

@Mark1965 - Just curious why you say Wisconsin is the best of them all. I’m truly curious, not being argumentative. My dd is also looking at business schools. She got direct admit to Kelley and is waiting to hear from Wisconsin. I am not a believer in rankings but from all my research, Kelley is ranked higher both in Bloomberg ( 8 vs. 33) and USNWR and has a better placement rate. That being said, if I had my choice, I would pick Tulane for her any day.( It’s not my choice, it’s hers) My older daughter goes to Tulane and it has been the best experience ever, I cannot say enough good things about it! She has had so much guidance, great teachers and made wonderful friends. She is now double majoring in business and art history!

Yes, I have to agree that I found that statement to be odd, personally. All three are certainly excellent, and Tulane is particularly strong in the areas of finance, entrepreneurship, energy management issues, and accounting. I am sure there are others, but those are the ones that seem to stand out to me. I know Wisconsin has a strong reputation in marketing, but otherwise I know little about their program and nothing about Kelly, other than they have great reputations.

I cannot speak to Tulane’s business school, but both Wisconsin and Kelley have excellent reputations. Wisconsin has one of the best real estate programs in the country, and excels in some other areas as well; the business side of technology (including patents, trademarks, licensing, and certainly marketing) likely gains a big boost from Wisconsin’s research parks and leadership in producing so many patents – it ranked fifth in the country last year. Wisconsin also typically ranks in the top five in the country (both public and private) for Fortune 500 CEOs.

I would characterize Wisconsin as having the most well-rounded depth in their departments and research programs overall. Tulane also boasts strong academics, but the smaller size and focus is rather different. Indiana comes in behind the other two; it is really specific departments (music, for example) that stand out. I mention this because, in my opinion, the overall academic distinction – or lack of such – does impact one’s experience, both in school and thereafter.

http://kelley.iu.edu/About/Rankings/rankings.html

I just came across this as I was doing research for my dd ( I still vote for Tulane for the overall school experience but I hope you find this helpful.) @adondecollege

I think in terms of the school caliber tulane and wisco definitely beat out indiana, esp if you love and can afford all of them!
Tulane and wisco were in my top 3 also
I picked Tulane because of the nola culture, i liked the size better, funky student body, and not super into ra ra sports