I would be a direct admit to their Kelley School of Business and it is considered a top semi-target due to their high placement to most bulge bracket and investment banking gigs. The only thing that is concerning me is the placement at IU without placing in the IBW (Investment Banking workshop) and if it’s better than just going to UF for Finance. I aspire to eventually break into PE or HF from either Investment Banking or Equity research and
I was wondering if IU Kelley School of Business is still worth it OOS over UF for finance if one does not get into the IBW?
Always look to maximize in-state opportunities. While the placement at Kelley is pretty amazing, going into to debt makes it much less so.
I am a Kelley Bloomington grad and got hired right out of school and my son goes to Kelley Indianapolis and has great contacts already. It’s really a remarkable program because people want Kelley grads.
But recruiters want kids that are ready to work, contribute and assimilate ASAP. Just maximize your current situation and save the money. Stay in front of recruiters and get good grades. you will be fine.
Thank you for commenting, I am fortunate enough to have a college fund and would be able to attend IU Kelley debt free. I acknowledge recruiters want kid that are ready to work and I completely believe I fit this criteria. I am not entering the Finance world for the compensation.
Although compensation is a factor, I have a strong passion and maybe even an obsession when it comes to valuing and investing in securities and this is what truly drives me in what I want to do.
On another topic, how was the atmosphere when you attended IU?
If you can attend Kelley debt-free as a direct admit, then I’d go for it.
IU and UF are large public universities. UF is (subjectively) more football-crazy, not that IU lacks “spirit”. 
UF overall has better academics, but Kelley is better for your major and its IBW sounds like a perfect fit for you.
Borrow a “Fiske Guide”, an “Insider’s Guide to the Colleges”, and a “Princeton review’s best colleges”: read what each has to say about IU and UF. As you read, write all the pros and cons for UF from your point of view (ie., it may or may not be presented thus in the guidebooks; not that guidebooks don’t bring up the same things, so you’d have different points of view, but if they all bring up something, you can be sure it’s a key characteristics and you should pay attention). Then, do the same for IU - pros, cons, things brought up by all three guides.
Which university “fits” you the best? Which university’s downsides would you be okay with?
Thanks for your reply, the only major con of IU is distance for me, UF does not place nearly as well as the Kelley School of Business (IBW), I’m wanting to know how well it does outside the Investment banking workshop.