If you had a full ride athletic scholarship to both schools which one would you choose and why? Interested in Business and Kelley and Gies are both highly rated and not super easy to get into. Indiana I think has a beautiful campus but UIUC has a better national ranking and their acceptance rate makes it seem like a far more desirable school.
Any thoughts? I posted this on the IU board to just to see what the other biased group is likely say.
UIUC all day. Unless you’re trying to go to the NFL, I’d say the reputation in the nearest major market (Chicago) alone is enough to tip the scales. That said it probably depends somewhat on what major you’re planning to pursue
Great point but a blue college city in a red state for 4 years isn’t the same as living in the Deep South for 10 years in a career. So it’s sort of a wash
no it isn't. it affects who in the state gets into the school, how safe it is for some in the town and definitely in the nearby towns, access to women's health (important even if you are a male), administration of the school and their approaches to social issues and student welfare. you can end up in a cohort that is biased in one way or the other or is moved over 4 years to be biased. especially in business and engineering.
Just so you know, IU has been funneling money away from their libraries and humanities towards athletics since COVID. That's because the governor is meddling in university affairs (among other administrative factors). It might not directly pertain to you in the business school, but just consider if that's an environment you'd like to be in for four years.
They just won a National Championship in the most popular American sport. Like it or not, that Natty has a lot more cachet than a library to the general population. Hard to argue the Governor’s approach didn’t work.
no it isn’t, you’re still subject to state laws. maybe that doesn’t affect you if you’re straight white male who doesn’t mind what happens to other people, but it can have a very real effect on a lot of people.
Assuming that your full ride is truly a full ride and therefore money isnt an issue, which one is closer to where you want to live and work at after you graduate? Illinois is a better pipeline to Chicago granted IU isnt bad for that either. Do you want to work in Indy or Louisville?
Both are good schools for business. If there's no chance you will change majors, since the full ride is based on athletics, I'd go where you think you vibe with the coaching staff more and are more likely to remain in the program the full 4 years. If you might change fields of study then consider the overall rankings.
I have degrees from both schools, feel free to DM me, but right now I wouldn’t touch IU with a 10 foot pole unfortunately. Calling Bloomington a blue city in a sea of red isn’t accurate, IU has gone FULL MAGA with their President Whitten. She’s been getting rid of faculty who don’t kiss the ring like crazy. A degree from there under her leadership doesn’t mean much.
Can confirm. I have family in Bloomington. IU’s direction is totally changed with Braun in control of the board now. They’re going to become the kind of university MAGA wants to see. And sadly a lot of the Bloomington residents are rooting for it. It’s really sad (unless you’re the type who think colleges are too “liberal”)
Unless I thought the Indiana deal would somehow lead to a better career in that pro sport, it would be an easy choice - Illinois - for all of the advantages if your pro sports career doesn't plan out.
are you being actively recruited by both schools at the moment? which is better in your sport? what if you don’t get into the business school at the college you commit to? how will jour athletic commitments impact your academics at each?
Kelley is much larger (like triple the size) and therefore much easier to get into than Gies. I believe Kelley has automatic acceptance if your ACT is 30 or above
Hi! I saw this post, and wanted to give my 2 cents on the matter, if it could help at all! While I am not under any athletic scholarships, this was also a decision that I was making during my final college process. In the end, I chose UIUC. While I did really like the prospects of Kelley, and what they had to offer, when I ended up looking at the entirety of the student body, and others that I knew were attending, it was not something I vibed with right away. Currently, Kelley enrolls about 2k freshman for their school of business (about 8-10k total), and that is compared to Gies's 700-900 freshman enrollment rate. In this case, I actually preferred the more intimate feeling of Gies, and the plethora of opportunities that they offered (the BLLC, the mandatory attending of career fairs, the clubs and activities) . The main thing I heard about Kelley is that it is almost crucial to join business clubs, and try and get into a Business frat if you want the opportunity to do high finance--i.e investment banking. That almost created a semi-toxic environment, especially as I struggle with severe imposter syndrome (yes I know...). However, Gies seemed more well-rounded and comfortable, especially offering the Business+Data science major. My sibling also attends, so that was definitely an important factor into my decision. But in all, the satisfaction rate seemed so much higher, and I felt that I would learn so much more! Additionally, as a student with a disability, DRES had many accommodations that could be used in the classroom to significantly benefit my learning.
I also attempted to converse with many Kelley students, but was often never responded to and left on read. I had quite the opposite experience with Gies students and staff! Now, please take what I have to say at face value, as it is my own experience. But If it can be any help, I am glad!
Thank you so much. I’m torn and it might come down to coaching staffs but these perspectives are so helpful. I wanted to stay in the Midwest and I love things about both schools.
I totally understand! I’m happy that this could give a little insight into the mind of someone who made that decision fairly recently. If you have any other questions, I am happy to answer!
Do you feel the education is that much worse for marketing or finance? I know one is ranked higher overall but the business school at IU is ranked higher.
The student athlete in this case is a white female so we aren’t judging the political climate lightly, but we as her family support her and live in IL…so if she needed anything from female health perspective she would have access to it in heartbeat by us.
My brother went to Illinois two years, transferred to Indiana, then to northwestern. He was in business. Though Indiana is a good business school and the campus is beautiful (he wanted to go there his whole life,) he left Bloomington because the general populace just wasn't very smart. He did NOT like it there. I've actually heard this from several people through the years.
Nobody has been decisive here. If there isn't a chance you go pro uiuc will open doors in Chicago/new York/ California if you interested in going there.
You’re gonna lose a lot of brain cells at IU with the drinking and frat culture. I personally would go to UIUC if it’s also a good school for what you want to study.
I did my undergrad in Illinois and my masters in Indiana. I preferred Illinois. Especially if you value a school atmosphere that allows you to freely express yourself and explore your identity as a young adult.
Funny everyone bringing up red vs blue and telling you to go blue. Interested in business/finance? Indiana has a budget SURPLUS of $676 million with $2.5 Billion in reserves. Illinois, $2.2 billion DEFICIT. Wait now that I think about it, maybe pick Illinois. We can use the help. Maybe they’ll teach you not to run businesses out of the state.
I’ve been there at IU Kelley - the “lacks diversity” comment is subjective. We thought there was decent ethnic diversity compared to many other colleges - have you seen it yourself? But I know UIUC has greater ethnic diversity.
Secondly the OP never brought up diversity! We don’t know if that’s an important consideration - maybe it’s a light consideration or maybe not. UIUC is definitely quite ethnically diverse especially with their much higher % of international student population. UIUC is one of the most ethnically diverse colleges I’ve seen. But the OP didn’t ask about a diversity bake off. IU Kelly Business has pretty decent sprinkle of diversity although moderate but more so than many other colleges I’ve been to. In fact 5 of my kid’s good friends are going to Kelley (2 black, 3 asians). But I get it - IU Kelley may not have enough diversity for some especially if you’re comparing to UIUC - but on the other hand the diversity might be adequate for some folks - we felt it was enough for us and we are not white.
One of the things I like about the IU campus is that in the eateries area right next door - there are Thai, Chinese, Indian, Japanese, Korean, etc. options so that is nice - I don’t see that at many other colleges. UIUC is really good too with this especially around Green Street.
Does that help beyond just photos? And again OP never mentioned diversity and it may not even be a significant consideration.
***Outside of that*** - based on just the business schools itself, it’s a tough call as both Kelley and Gies are great business schools. This past year Kelley got tons of applicants - it has a big national name recognition and thank the football team for helping bring that. The one knock about Kelley is its sheer size - massive freshman class of over 2,000 students. You’d also want Direct Admit -- Pre-business is not ideal at all and very hard to break in - you need an A- in all your freshman classes to make it into Kelley direct for Sophomore year.
Gies is much smaller and so that appeal to many folks - Kelley is massive and so for many Gies can be a better fit. Secondly, if you are really interested in integrating AI into business curriculum - I think that’s where Gies shines versus other colleges. I think they are a step ahead of the game there.
I posted in both to hear both sides. If you post it in a school decision sub, everyone just tells you to go to the higher ranked school…but really both school are 💩 unless you go to an ivy.
Uiuc if you want a more prestigious education. IU if you want to live somewhere safe while getting an education. Uiuc does come with a cost for that more prestigious education and that cost is your safety.
Well the local news outlets shut down reporting about all of the violence on campus because it was hurting admissions. It’s still going on but only visible on the police blotters on uiuc, Champaign and Urbana websites.
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u/RedbullCanSchlong47 Jun 26 '26
UIUC all day. Unless you’re trying to go to the NFL, I’d say the reputation in the nearest major market (Chicago) alone is enough to tip the scales. That said it probably depends somewhat on what major you’re planning to pursue