Big 10 for Business

Just under that…

I am biased as an alum, but the quad at UIUC is gorgeous and the business school has been investing a lot in its new buildings which are really nice. A new building is underway currently.

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Congrats to your son overall - that is a very difficult trifecta for admission.

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Thank you, we are proud of him, even his younger brother is impressed.

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I think all three are fine - and I think people overstate the ranking overall.

All three place very well- and one can only get one job.

IU shows an $82.5K mean for finance and $78K median - but of course finance is wide ranging - I’m guessing these figures do include a bias to investment as they are much higher than other options.

UW doesn’t break out by major but shows 95% with a $68,480 salary. I’m guessing but don’t know that they’re not as strong finance.

From two years ago Gies shows 99% placement with $78K average salary for finance.

I guess with finance - it’s about what are they doing since it’s just a wide field. I’m guessing all three can give you specific data.

Probably lots choose from these three.

Have fun!! Probably no wrong answer.

Outcomes – KelleyConnect | Kelley School of Business (iu.edu)

giesoutcomes23.pdf (illinois.edu)

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Admittedly, haven’t been in 5 years so if they’re improving it, that’s good.

My son and I (25 years apart) had the same thought.

Others on here have agreed and others have disagreed :slight_smile:

But whoever said OP hit a great trifecta, I agree, and I think all three will produce winners career wise.

But of course, where their strengths lie overall, may be different.

But many schools are putting out investing or IB pros, including, I’m sure, these three!!!

Those salary expectations are fun to look at, but don’t get too swayed by them. In most cases, the salaries are elevated by destination city. Some kids land similar jobs in NYC and others in Indy where there will be huge discrepancies between the 2.

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I agree - that’s why it’s best to reach out - they should list jobs, locations and some even show salaries by location.

But a finance guy working for for Miller Beer or Harley Davidson or at Allstate in insurance isn’t going to make the same as one working at a bank, especially investments.

Most jobs pay similarly by location and industry - no matter where you go.

In fact, my engineering kid makes the same as those from Michigan and W Michigan - and all schools in between and pedigree wise those two aren’t even on the same planet.

But it still behooves to get a deep placement report so you can see who ends up in which types of roles and where they landed.

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Congrats to your son! I am a biased mom of 2 Gies grads. My DD graduated in 2017 with a double major of Finance and Supply Chain Management. DS graduated in 2019 with a double major in Finance and Accounting with a minor in Hoeft Technology Management.

Something you might like to consider in your decision making process is size. When we compared Gies to Kelley the size of the incoming freshman class concerned us. We weren’t intimidated by competition, but realized the size discrepancy could affect the quality of their college experience. I recommend attending admitted student days at both schools. Comparing the focus of the programs and meeting other attendees helped us make the decision.

Another thing to consider as an instate resident is the employment pipeline to Chicago. It’s incredibly strong. Both of my kids secured employment (consulting) in downtown Chicago.

Having so many Gies grads in Chicago had a lot of happy consequences. It was great for getting roommates for an apartment. The network with older Gies grads helped with apartment hunting, furniture, etc. There were a bunch of people to socialize with and that was especially appreciated during Covid.

Also Gies/UIUC does a very good job providing opportunities for their students, if they take the initiative. DD and DS came in with so many AP credits that they got early exposure to upper level classes and had flexibility with their schedules. What they learned in their business frat was probably equally important to their class work. There were many opportunities to organize and lead events. Time management skills were honed in order to keep stellar GPAs. The friends they made there are still friends they make time to see.

Another priority for them was study abroad. Both spent a semester in Europe, second semester of sophomore year. I saw tremendous personal growth that semester. I cannot say enough good things about the study abroad program. It wasn’t expensive even though they traveled almost every weekend to explore new places. It was quite a collaborative endeavor. Friends in different cities would meet up and if they went to a city where other Gies kids were studying they’d share where to go, where to eat, etc.

If study abroad is something your DS wants to do, he should research how it is done now. When my DD was in Italy she made friends with some Kelley kids and even though they were at the same university, my DD said Kelley kids described a much more difficult path concerning the study abroad program. Maybe they’ve made substantial changes. I don’t know.

Lastly, I personally love the Illinois campus. New buildings and improvements are especially noticeable in the business and engineering facilities. Which reminds me…the reputation of the Engineering College draws a lot of businesses to campus. A nice plus to consider.

Good luck to your son with the decision! It’s a fun time.

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Thank you for sharing your perspective. The b-school size, as well as the size of the incoming freshman class, is one of the factors that will be taken into consideration. I work for one of the big bad multinational banks and we hire from all three schools. It seems like every school nowadays advertises their excellent study abroad program…

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I actually hope with the new buildings that they will start enrolling higher numbers into Gies - so many top notch in state students are getting rejected which is disappointing.

Have you heard anything about UIUC expanding in the future? I read (I think on poets & quants) that Purdue is planning a big expansion. Which is good news because Purdue’s admit rate used to be over 70% for business, but dropped to 19% last year!

P&Q just published business school admit rates from last year (not for everyone, but for the 90 schools participating). UW Madison was only 16%! And UTK went from 73% admit rate for Fall of ‘22 to 39% admit rate for Fall of ‘23. Yikes!

I wonder where they get the data. Some of those rates don’t seem realistic on a YOY basis.

I know the school’s are providing - but something is off kilter.

Purdue’s own data digest said the acceptance rate for the business school was 61% last cycle.

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I have no sources but I would be surprised if they increase Gies numbers by a lot. I could see something like CS where they offer a minor with an LAS major.

Congrats on Kelley – it’s top-notch, and IU is a good school all-around in case he changes his mind.

While there (if he attends…), maybe he can convince the football and basketball teams to wear the same shade of crimson. lol

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Hello there! I am new in CC and looking for advice to compare Kelley and Wisconsin Business School

Here are my son’s stats
S24
International binational
Strong essays
ECs related to business and marketing + volunteering, ballet and violin (12 years each)
Speaks Fluently 4 languages
Marketing
3.98 UW
Test optional

UNC (EA) Denied
UW-Madison (EA) Admitted
Indiana University (EA) Admitted but waiting for Kelley petition

Could you please give us your advice between Kelley and Wisconsin BS? Do you know if one of the two is a better fit for an international student?
We registered for Red Days at IU and Admit Days at Wisconsin

Whichever one they prefer after visiting. But - if you truly want business - then UW unless admitted to Kelley.

Size. Environment. Both are different.

Good luck

He got direct admission to Wisconsin BS and it’s true that he needs to get Kelley’s review petition accepted, otherwise we don’t see the point to get into a pre-business program

What is the end goal major wise and job wise if known?