Opinion Sought- IU-Kelly / Pitt Business undergrad

[Anonymous]

Our child has got admitted to IU-Kelly-direct and also has Pitt - Business. Pitt offered her full ride and Kelly- nothing yet. Torn about the pros and cons of opportunities in job market post graduating - Kelly seems to be in top 10 for undergrad business and heard their campus recruitment is great; if we take a purely financial view point, are we doing wrong with going to Pitt. I am not very sure how reliable are these rankings. While the focus in undergrad will be finance and probably work for a year or two, there is grad school (MBA) /professional (Law) year or two after graduation in the plans. Can knowledgeable people please advise. Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Where would she be happiest?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our child has got admitted to IU-Kelly-direct and also has Pitt - Business. Pitt offered her full ride and Kelly- nothing yet.

I view this as comparable to comparing Carnegie Mellon and Notre Dame (in Pittsburgh and Indiana). They are very different schools, in very different locations, both highly regarded.

I went to Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh, walking distance from Pitt. Pitt is in the very urban Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh. Indiana has a more traditional college campus. See the film "Breaking Away". I would prefer to send my daughters to a cloistered rural midwest campus or convent, but some would prefer a city. For example, my graduate roommate in Pittsburgh got an important summer internship at Mellon Bank that become a stepping stone to Goldman Sachs. Pittsburgh is also a 4-hour drive from D.C., which makes it possible to visit for East Coast job interviews.

This is a close call. Both Indiana and Purdue have excellent reputations in Indiana. But for the East Coast, I doubt Indiana will have better placement than Maryland, Virginia, or many other schools. Historically, the Indiana graduate business school was ranked better than Pitt. For undergrad, the overall ranking is more important. I'm surprised to find that Indiana and Pitt have comparable rankings. US News says Pitt admits 67%, and Indiana admits 85%. While these are very good universities, they do not provide an exclusive pedigree.

If money were unimportant, I would let your child visit and decide. But Indiana outof state tuition is $39K. Yikes, that is $156K over four years. Undergrad business is pretty standard, not like a specialized art or athletic program. I would take the free ride.

[Anonymous]

Two great choices (although "Kelley," not "Kelly"). Kelley is better regarded than Pitt, but Pitt is solid--the gap isn't so big as to define the right answer here. How much does the $$ matter to you? Would she be more happy in a "starter city" or a college town?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Two great choices (although "Kelley," not "Kelly"). Kelley is better regarded than Pitt, but Pitt is solid--the gap isn't so big as to define the right answer here. How much does the $$ matter to you? Would she be more happy in a "starter city" or a college town?

Kelley is still going to be a lot cheaper than a private. Look at it that way: you are saving lots of money and your kid is going to a great business school. Kelley should be a no-brainer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Two great choices (although "Kelley," not "Kelly"). Kelley is better regarded than Pitt, but Pitt is solid--the gap isn't so big as to define the right answer here. How much does the $$ matter to you? Would she be more happy in a "starter city" or a college town?

Kelley is still going to be a lot cheaper than a private. Look at it that way: you are saving lots of money and your kid is going to a great business school. Kelley should be a no-brainer.

Hard to get cheaper than free (OP said Pitt is giving full ride)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Two great choices (although "Kelley," not "Kelly"). Kelley is better regarded than Pitt, but Pitt is solid--the gap isn't so big as to define the right answer here. How much does the $$ matter to you? Would she be more happy in a "starter city" or a college town?

Kelley is still going to be a lot cheaper than a private. Look at it that way: you are saving lots of money and your kid is going to a great business school. Kelley should be a no-brainer.

Pitt is public. And it's already offered a full ride. Reading is fundamental.

[Anonymous]

Indiana-Kelley's undergrad finance major is better, but your finances will be better at Pitt.

[Anonymous]

OP: Has your daughter been offered a full-ride (tuition, fees, books, room & board) or a full tuition & fees scholarship ?

Does the scholarship include any other perks ?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP: Has your daughter been offered a full-ride (tuition, fees, books, room & board) or a full tuition & fees scholarship ?

Does the scholarship include any other perks ?

Also, Indiana-Kelley awards lots of scholarships.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Two great choices (although "Kelley," not "Kelly"). Kelley is better regarded than Pitt, but Pitt is solid--the gap isn't so big as to define the right answer here. How much does the $$ matter to you? Would she be more happy in a "starter city" or a college town?

Kelley is still going to be a lot cheaper than a private. Look at it that way: you are saving lots of money and your kid is going to a great business school. Kelley should be a no-brainer.

Pitt is public. And it's already offered a full ride. Reading is fundamental.

Reading is fundamental: Kelley is a lot cheaper than a private. You all have a frame of reference problem. Comprehension isn’t the best, either…

[Anonymous]

OP. I've read success stories of people negotiating merit aid playing one school against another. Maybe call Kelley and tell them you have a full ride at a comparable school that you are considering and ask what they can do to change your mind?

[Anonymous]

Congratulations to your child for the full-ride offer from Pitt. Two of my relatives studied/currently studying undergraduate business at Kelley. Both were direct admits and have had multiple summer internship offers after junior year through campus recruitment. Both majored in Finance. More job offers may be in Midwest (Chicago), although students can get jobs on the East and west coasts also. If your child is interested in Investment banking/management, then it is very important to be a member of those clubs, IB fraternity. In fact, whether consulting or IB/IM, club membership and activities are very important at any business school, even at Wharton undergraduate business school. While I don’t know about Pitt, another relative went to CMU. So I know about life of a student outside of studies while living in Bloomington and Pittsburgh. Bloomington is a college town and life revolves around campus activities and students supporting local businesses. Whereas, Pittsburgh is a city with professional sports, concerts, museums. Public transport is free for students. The area around CMU and Pittsburgh is safe and vibrant with restaurants and museums. I strongly suggest you and your child visit both campuses and get an idea of life beyond studies. Speak with campus recruitment employees and probe the results of recruitment in the industries and locations of interest to your child. Make an informed choice. I would imagine there will be more business students at Kelley than at Pitt. Your child will be a standout student at either school. Best wishes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Indiana-Kelley's undergrad finance major is better, but your finances will be better at Pitt.

Truth!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How is this even a ?

Pitt for god's sake no one should be sending a kid to Indiana for any univ right now.

Ugh

Pitt is better anyway even before all the crap coming from Repukes.

It isn’t, when it comes to Business school, period.