These are my two choices at the moment. Both schools offered me the same amount of scholarship money, so in the end, IU ends up being cheaper. However, when I visited I liked USC more. One of my parents is heavily pushing IU and the other USC so I’m not sure what to do. Any thoughts?
I am also extremely interested to hear others opinions on this! Following.
@AQuinnA Looks like a lot of people seem interested! I also posted in a USC thread to see if anyone there would have any insight.
Are you a resident of Indiana ? What is the annual cost difference ?
No wrong choice, just two right options & one big life changing decision !
What do you want people to say here? Kelley has a better reputation and is much cheaper.
If you want to be in LA and are considering that as a place you might want to live, then go there. Nobody here really knows your family’s financial situation or if you will be taking on any personal student loans here. Your decision is personal and nobody will provide you with a magical answer here.
Not an Indiana Resident. The cost difference ends up being around 30,000 per year housing included, although cost is not an issue for my family.
@ljberkow Hearing that advice was honestly very helpful! I just want to get some perspective from people other than my parents. They both are very passionate about their favorites, which is great, but I’m looking for a broader less biased perspective.
FWIW, US News ranks both undergraduate business programs at #11 (also tied with Notre Dame).
@Tor1727 I have no attachment to either school. I have looked at Kelley and liked what I saw. It has close to seven thousand students, but they seem to have superior faculty advisement and placement. It’s not LA though.
@Tor1727, reposting my reply on the USC Class of 2022 thread where you posed the same question. Congratulations on two great choices. I am familiar with both schools and business programs. Here are some possible considerations when comparing Marshall Business School at USC with Kelley Business School at Indiana Bloomington:
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While Indiana University is ranked significantly lower than USC on USNWR (90 vs 21), a variety of undergrad rankings put IU Kelley Business school in the top 10 to 15 whereas USC Marshall typically is higher up and often does not get the respect deserved. Rankings are very subjective so I don’t put much faith in them, but Kelley is often ranked in the top 10.
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In USC’s favor, if you decide you do not care for business, USC is strong in many other fields if you want to change majors, as compared with Indiana which is generally weaker in many areas as compared to USC. On that same note, the majority of students at Marshall may be higher in stats than the majority at Undergrad Kelley Business. However there will be many bright students who were early admits in the Honors program at Kelley.
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Location is in USC’s favor in terms of vibrant city and close to possible internships. Downtown is a short metro ride or Uber from USC. IU Bloomington is in the middle of the countryside/farmland. I believe Indianapolis is over an hour away the IU campus. The location may also be a factor in terms of jobs after graduation. Although Kelley has a strong national reputation, the odds are higher that you may be recruited first by companies in the Midwest including Chicago. However, if you are a top student, you may have opportunities on the East Coast and other areas as well.
4)Yes, cost is a huge difference. Are you instate or out of state Indiana? Instate would be very cost effective but even out of state with highest honors would cost somewhere between $32,000 and $35,000 for tuition, room and board, transportation… Without honors, OOS IU is about $48,000 versus $75,000 at USC or roughly $47k with Presidential or NMF half tuition. Also, just about everything in CA is more $$ than Indiana, from car insurance if you decide to have a car to dining, housing, and entertainment. The extra funds saved by going to Indiana Kelley could go a long way towards grad school or other endeavors.
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Both universities have great school spirit, if that is important. Indiana basketball is trying to build back up but the football team is generally middle of the pack to lower in Big Ten football, whereas USC is usually at the top of the Pac 12 and a possible contender for more.
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USC may have a stronger reputation for International Business, particularly in Asia. Both Kelley and Marshall do not always get the recognition deserved. Die hard USC fans will say the Trojan Family Alumni network is strong nationally but my impression is that Marshall is recognized more in Southern California and the West Coast, whereas many companies recruit at Kelley for the Midwest, Chicago…Strongest students will likely have more opportunities outside of those areas in both schools.
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I have heard that many companies like to recruit from Kelley because of the hard work ethic perception of the Midwest students (sometimes preferred over Michigan or some Ivies), whereas you may sometimes get some negative stereotypes of USC business students, although the “spoiled children” one may be waning as compared with twenty or thirty years ago.
8)Class size should be smaller at USC than Kelley and likely more flexibility to pick up a minor versus the big state school at Indiana.
Can’t say you “should” choose one over the other. There are many factors to consider, from cost to location, where you want to live and work after you graduate, what type of focus in business you might be interested in… In any case, there is a start to some potential differences. Good luck!
When it comes down to it, it might be a good idea to consider factors like campus size, weather, internship opportunities, how easy it will be to visit home, stuff like that!
I’m a Freshman at Kelley and really love the challenge so far. Initially didn’t want to attend a large state school but have found a lot of really driven and unpretentious kids here. As someone who enjoys hiking/the outdoors generally, Bloomington has grown on me a lot as well. I have a buddy at USC for film and he really likes it there, too- so you have good things coming either way. lmk if you have any questions about IU/Kelley!