Sorry, I came here to get perspectives on Indiana, Purdue, Illinois and Iowa for business/economics for my kid, but in passing mentioned Florida State as another option and then a debate ensued. I’ll keep try to get back on track- does anyone have strong opinions about Iowa (Tippe) or Purdue (Daniels)? I don’t hear as much about either, but they both seem solid. I’ve been reading about the commitments Purdue is making to try and elevate their business school and it sounds impressive. Thoughts?
I think a business student, looking to do 95% of jobs, is fine everywhere - including Iowa. It’s more environment.
Purdue historically and @momofboiler1 can correct me, was known for the “production/operations”.
And even with all their majors, their website leads off with this below - so it may be good to study the majors more. Yes, they have finance, marketing and accounting but they also have tech/industrial driven majors. Is that right for you kid?
They’ve gotten recent attention from Poets and Quants and US News too - not that it matters but it’s nice to validate. Link below.
In short, I think that for 95% of kids, all those schools you noted are equally as great!! And they can do great things from them!! That will be on them - moreso than the school.
Good luck.
Data-Driven. STEM-Infused. Business-Focused.
Take your next giant leap at Purdue University’s Daniels School of Business. We are developing future leaders ready to manage, or found, great companies and transform society. By integrating business with technology, engineering, and science and offering transformative, hands-on learning, our top faculty and programs will prepare you to harness the power of data and analytical thinking. Master technological excellence and communication skills to turn discoveries into world-changing solutions.
Daniels School makes giant leap in undergraduate rankings - Purdue Business
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I don’t have any first hand info. S24 did not look at Iowa because of their language requirement. I don’t remember what it was and how it related to his high school language other than he would have to take more there. He was Latin in high school, so it is not like it is something he will be using in business. And I think he didn’t look at Purdue because they required the writing section of the SAT. Silly reason, but he already had plenty of schools on his list by that point.
I would agree that Purdue has made some very exciting announcements with the new Dean and the expansion. I think that will be a program to watch! And because of the powerhouse engineering programs, I think it will be particularly good for those wanting a bit of engineering with their business or a bit of business with their engineering (like the Hoeft program at UIUC).
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DS24 and I toured OSU and Purdue last Spring… academic,athletic and alumni reputations aside, the biggest delta between the two was the surroundings outside the campus…
Purdue is an hour or so from Indy…and twice that from Chicago… in addition to having easier airport access, we both thought Columbus was a more inviting place to live and explore than West Lafayette.
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Yes, I appreciate this. However one of the few strong preferences my son has articulated in his college search is that he strongly prefers a smaller college town over a city feel. So Bloomington and West Lafayette are more his vibe and Madison and Columbus not as much.
This definitely is a personal preference and I realize many kids prefer to be in or near a bigger city and that there are advantages for internships and post grad jobs being in or near a big city. Thanks for the thoughts!
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Only if you’re looking for a during the school year role…summer, not so much a big deal.
IU and Purdue are both really really nice - IMHO - but in different ways.
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This is something I really like about Ohio State - requirement to live in dorm Freshman and Sophomore year from what I understand.
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I understand that to be true for OSU. I have heard of some schools like Purdue and Umiami of running out of housing, etc. OSU has the dorms built and they are ready to make it a good on campus life.
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I like the idea of 2 years required on campus. Michigan State is the same, I believe.
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I have not heard of Purdue running out of housing. If so, for what year? Ideally I’d like to see enough on campus housing for Freshman and Sophomore year so that kids don’t run into the pressure cooker of lease signing when they first move to campus, as mentioned earlier in the thread.
I’ve skimmed this thread and just wanted to add something to consider when comparing business undergrad experiences…extracurriculars.
First of all my knowledge base is Gies/UIUC and not current (my kids’ time attended pre-Covid; 2013-2019). Upon graduation my kids went the consulting route. (One is Big 3 management consulting; the other is doing financial consulting.) They are very intelligent kids who applied themselves academically and could’ve probably done well at any of the Big 10 undergrad business programs.
That said when our family was in the decision phase of college admissions we hadn’t focused much on extracurricular offerings. We had looked at AP credits, class offerings, job placement and study abroad. We didn’t delve into a big part of their Gies experience that probably turned out to be the best part…extracurriculars.
My kids participated in and gained so many useful personal as well as professional skills. It provided them opportunities to work with students outside of Gies since many offerings allow for interdisciplinary projects.
A lot of the student organizations (RSOs) have an online presence that you can check out. I’ll share a couple of links.
Notice most of these extracurriculars have an application and interview process. I think some incoming students underestimate this part of the university experience. If your kid wants more than just the degree, weigh the opportunities with the probability of accessing them. For instance that’s why I think the size of Kelley is not necessarily a positive…just my opinion.
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Purdue campus does have is A LOT of space for growth … there are traditional dorms in the quad / main campus area and newer “apartment” style condo dorms at the edge of the classrooms and admin buildings… they shouldn’t be real estate constrained when deciding to add more beds.
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Do you have any ideas about how to inquire about such things? When I have asked about competitive clubs, I get vague answers. But maybe there is a better question to ask …
From raw numbers from photos on the websites … it looks like 10% of Kelley finance majors are in the 3 most competitive finance workshops (and when we were looking at Illinois, it seems like 10% of Gies finance majors are in the Golder Academies). In fact, every school we looked at seemed to have a special student-managed fund or other apportunity that seemed to have about 10%. I would love to know what the other 90% do!
Did you feel like at Illinois there were competitive clubs for everyone (if that’s a thing)? Or were your kids in the top 10%? I’m guessing your child that went to MBB is high achiever.
From looking at the websites, Kelley has a lot more organizations and also a lot more kids. Does that translate to more opportunity or less? And how do we figure that out?
I would love ideas for what to ask at Direct Admit days!
5 years ago it was but @momofboiler1 said it was fixed. My son chose Bama in part over Purdue because he got his own room vs. having to be housed far off campus which was apparently happening at the time. He wanted nothing to do with even chancing it.
But sounds like it might be fixed.
Purdue has been very popular.
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It’s excellent
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It’s reasonably priced - with no increase it many years
It’s easy to see why it become so popular.
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I’m not sure how you get actual numbers aside from asking at the Q&A sessions, though I assume you’d only be provided a rough estimate. You might try getting the name of someone you can contact later. Sorry but it’s been so long since I was in your position that I’m afraid I’m not much help.
As for your other questions. Yes, there seemed to be enough extracurriculars for students in Gies, but tbh I’m not sure how you know if there are students who get shut out of all their competitive RSOs. Plus as I mentioned students can get involved in other RSOs based on their interests…outside of business. Some choose a Greek house or a club sport or something else that gives them skills they can tout in an interview.
My vague recollection was the incoming Gies freshman class was in the 300s…maybe high 300s(?). Kelley at the time was over 1K. Yes my kids were top 10% and actually the non-MBB kid is just as strong if not stronger stat-wise.
I’m not sure what to say about Kelley. I have no direct experience. Perhaps Kelley has stats on number of students in business frats, consulting organizations, finance workshops, etc. I know my kids had experience through their business frat with the recruiting process and had knowledge of how many applied and their acceptance rate, but I don’t think they’d make that public knowledge. The organizations typically announce the new class each semester, but don’t divulge how many or who were rejected. Sometimes they make and offer and the applicant chooses a different one. (Yes, kids apply to more than one and hope for the best.) It’s an example where incoming students better be able to manage meeting deadlines and have time management skills. I remember when my DD got to campus, classes were relatively easy. Trying to network and become involved in organizations took A LOT of work. DS was better prepared because he learned a little from his sister.
Excellent questions. Perhaps your son or daughter can talk with some of the business organizations which are bound to be present on admitted student day. They’ll be trying to recruit kids. Sign up to show interest. However I would just suggest he or she does the information gathering, not you the parent. The student should show interest and confidence. Remember your kid is also interviewing the organization…is it worth their time and effort…if that makes sense.
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If you are looking for color on investment and Corporate banking opportunities coming from the various big 10 B school programs please let me know. I have a fair bit of history in that space and will only comment based on first hand experience.
Yes I’m interested
Any specific schools or areas of IB? Each school tends to have a unique reputation and or regional bias so I don’t think it appropriate to generalize.
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Our S24 was accepted to b-schools at Gies, Kelley and Wisconsin. He wants to study Finance. We are from IL. Taking the COA out of the equation, what are your thoughts on each school as it relates to how they prepare their students to enter the field, specifically what is unique to each of these three schools in terms of developing the ‘soft skills’ of looking for internships, joining business clubs, networking on and off campus. Appreciate your insights!
Based on my older son’s experience and talking with hiring managers, Kelley does an excellent job of preparing student for the work force. All are required to take a business presentations class Freshman year and 2 semesters of a class focused on Excel are required. Also required is a business writing class that includes things as basic how to write effective emails - soft skills that many kids are lacking. There is also early focus on resume writing and interviewing skills. Can’t say enough good things at how well prepared these kids are.
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