Are these preferred because they’re locations closer to the northeast? Or…? Knowing what it is that is initially attractive about these schools can help us to hone in on your son’s preferences more.
Just the other day there was a thread about the new requirements to be accepted into Kelley (if not a direct admit, which your son would not be). Students will need to earn a B+ in every business prereq class to be accepted to Kelley: IU Kelley Standard Admit Updated Requirements for 2025-26. I forgot about that when I shared, but Kelley’s a great business school and communications/journalism at IU is strong.
You have my respect for visiting in July…twice! If your family loved New Orleans at that time of year, then I suspect your family would love it at any time of year as July (and August) are low tourism seasons for a reason! Loyola New Orleans is a great school, but I’m not sure it’s the right vibe based on how you described what your son is looking for…it was just an example of a school that I’m familiar with to illustrate my point about racial interactions in the south.