If someone has the requirements to qualify for the Kelley School of Business, then would IU be considered a safety school?
I, for example, have met the requirements with a 3.85 W GPA and an ACT score of 30. Can I consider it a safety school?
Do you know for certain that you have all costs covered by family funds or assured grants? If not, then how can it be a safety?
You’re OOS for IU. What have your parents said about paying the high costs for IU?
My parents would be fine paying the costs for IU, so finances are not an issue.
Even tho you have the req’ts for Kelley, I’m not sure that you can call it a safety. Do you know if they accept every student with your stats?
@mom2collegekids Every student that meets the requirements for direct admissions will be offered that. They do not have a limit or cap on who they accept.
@mom2collegekids Every student that meets the requirements for direct admissions will be offered that. They do not have a limit or cap on who they accept.
Congratulations! Yes, you qualify for automatic direct admission to Kelley so for you, IU might be a safety school.
However, it is important to remember that there are two types of safety schools: academic and financial. Sometimes they are the same institution, but not always! A true safety is both an academic and financial safety. IU is an academic safety because you qualify for automatic admission. IU might be a financial safety too since you indicate your parents say they are fine paying for Kelley. But exactly what did your parents say and how confident are you in their representations?
@mom2collegekids asked the questions she did, and I hesitate to call Kelley a financial safety at this point, because every year in April there are dozens of panicky threads here on CC where kids say, “mom and dad said they would pay for college X, but now they say they can’t afford it!” At that point it’s too late to get scholarships at other schools or too late to even apply somewhere else.
I hate to say “trust, but verify”, but speaking as a parent whose youngest is now a junior in college, I do believe parents owe their kids an honest conversation about finances when HS seniors are applying to college, especially if the source of wealth/payment is not readily apparent. It’s not that parents intentionally lie, but many well meaning parents hate to say “no” when an objective review indicates they should.
The conversation doesn’t have to be the “Full Monty”, but when parents say “don’t worry about finances” it can mean anything from: “We have enough money in our bank/brokerage accounts to pay for 4 years of expenses at College X, it’s our gift to you” to “We have enough money for the first semester saved and I’m sure Dad can do without those expensive prescriptions, Mom can always hock her engagement ring, four years of Raman noodles is no big deal and who cares about education costs for your siblings? Oh, and by the way, if we need to borrow money, we will expect you to repay us once you have a job!”, to anything in between. You need to find out what your parents are really saying.
OP, if you and your parents have had such a conversation and it is clear they have $150k+ readily available, then yes IU is also a financial safety. Hopefully, that is the case with you. Unfortunately, there are some parents who still seem to believe the “Tuition Fairy” will come to their rescue and make well intentioned promises they can not possibly keep.
I’d apply by the Nov. 1 priority date if you can – then you are guaranteed to hear back by mid-January at the latest.
@happy1 Yeah that’s the plan so far. I’m doing that for a lot of my other schools too.
@ChicagoBear Thanks! It’s a relief to know that I have a college that I can turn to and would be happy attending. I completely understand and I agree that costs are a big factor in college decisions. I have had to rule out some very expensive private schools because my parents would prefer not to pay the costs, as they did not think they were worth the price tag. However, my parents have the money to pay for IU considering it is a state public school and will cost around $47,000 per year. However, you bring up a great point for my other schools because many of them seem to be on the border, so I will be sure to have a direct discussion on costs and tuition.
CTkid, I realize this is not exactly what you are asking, but it would be very important to me if I were in your shoes or your parents. Consider this an brief introduction to something you would eventually learn in your first corporate finance class at either Kelley or UConn S of B. The difference in cost over a four year period between IU OOS and UConn in state is at least $80k over a four year period. If you go to UConn, take the difference and invest it, earn a modest 8% return, then when you are about 62 and ready to retire you will have over two million dollars. Have you considered this? Maybe this isn’t a factor for you. I know it would be at my house.
Would your parents invest the money for you if you stayed in state? I would make a deal like this with my son. In fact we have talked this concept repeatedly.
IU is a great school, and Kelley is a great business school. Not trying to talk you out of it if it is worth it to you and your family. Not trying to say there aren’t qualitative differences between the two schools that could be very important to you. Just thought I would share to make sure you know what the real cost is to a decision you need to make.
I could never see this when I was your age from the perspective I see it now. When I saw your post, this is what flashes through my mind. One of my older partners is a UConn grad. He was formerly the Director of Tax for a Fortune 500 company. He leads the International Tax practice at my firm. In the office next to me is a Senior Manager who is a graduate of IU Kelley. She is quite a bit younger than him, and is actually doing very well, but unless things really turn around, it is hard for me to see her ever getting to the level he is at. That has nothing to do with where they went to school. It has more to do with their personal goals, ambition, ability, personality, etc. Which is actually exactly my point. When making your decision in light of the investment you are making, realize that those same factors will often also affect your own career trajectory more than where you go to school.
If none of this connects for you at all, please feel free to disregard. If I were you, I probably wouldn’t listen to some old guy like me either.
@LOUKYDAD I do understand what you are saying. It’s not the college that makes someone successful. I like to think that doing better in one school is better than going to a more academically advanced school and doing worse. I agree with you. A person’s own skills, attitude, and ambition are among other important factors that help him/her reach a dream job. My dad tells me at his company many people from colleges I’ve never heard of are better at their job than those from Harvard. This is why I’m not ruling out UCONN. The costs would probably be around half that of IU. But, to your point, it would not be my money to invest and I highly doubt that they would do something like that. Fortunately, I do not have to consider costs as the most important factor of my college decisions. Therefore, I am trying to consider preference, academics, and cost all together.
If you understand all this at your age, you are way ahead of the game. You are going to do well no matter where you end up. I wish you the best in your studies and all your future endeavors.
Have you visited the place? Kelly is a great program but its in a very small and isolated southern-like town.
It’s a real culture shock for someone from out east. IU s a huge party school as well so you need to have discipline.
researchperson, Bloomington is not isolated (Indianapolis is less than an hour’s drive). I also do not know what you mean when you say “southern-like town”. Bloomington is considered a very nice college town, and IU has a gorgeous campus.
I do agree that it is a large university with a very active social element, so students must be disciplined to make the most of their experience at a university such as IU.
CTkid47, I think if you apply to IU early enough (no later than mid October, it can be considered a safety-ish. But be sure to apply to the UConn as well (I assume you are a resident of CT) just to be on the safe side.
@LOUKYDAD Thank you so much for the advice! I really appreciate it! I will certainly consider everything you said as I get closer to deciding between schools.
@researchperson Yes, I visited the school not too long ago. I understand that it is large university and with that there needs to be responsibility and prioritizing. However, from what I have seen, I agree with Alexandre’s description of IU.
@Alexandre I was planning on applying early, definitely by November 1. The quicker you apply the quicker you receive the admissions decision. Yes, I think I will be applying to UCONN as well, as I mentioned in previous posts.
@researchperson I have never heard that description of a Midwestern, Big 10 town. You win a prize.
Academically, I believe IU is a safety for you.
I know several kids who got in with lower stats than yours - and IU loves them some OOS money, that’s no secret.
I think you’re fine as far as being admitted, in general, to the university.
And - what others have advised already about the cost. Yes, that. Confirm with your parents that they, and you, can afford the cost. Count on IU raising the tuition a bit every year, as well.
Btw, Bloomington is NOTHING like the rest of Indiana. NOTHING. Ok, one thing - B’ton, like the rest of Indiana, is nuts about basketball. And it gets humid and hot into fall… Otherwise… Bloomington is it’s own little bubble and you will likely not ever experience real southern Indiana culture…
And there are all kinds of things to do/places to eat/people to see in Bloomington. It’s a little cultural oasis.
I grew up not far from B’ton, and attended IU. Moving to Bloomington truly felt like I left the state. There are lots of Indiana kids, but also lots of Chicago-area kids, kids from surrounding states, and a few East Coast kids. Many internationals too.
Fwiw, Indiana folks are usually really nice and down-to-earth.
You’re also not far from Indianapolis, which is a different culture than southern Indiana.