I would strongly consider IU over Tulane for business. I know less about Tulane business, but I would question if Tulane is more prestigious than Kelley since has a strong national reputation.
The biggest thing is you would save at least $80k over the four years. I would think long and hard about paying the difference.
Housing off campus is very reasonable in Bloomington (and many students move off campus starting sophomore year).
IU has the advantage of being large school that offers everything you want at a college, but also once you are part of Kelley (or Jacobs) it has the feel of a smaller school.
Do you have a preference for town/city? Bloomington is an ideal UG city in my opinion- it is sufficiently large to have a town with good restaurants and stores (and all the standard stores needed for living close by), but it is also very manageable. And, with Jacobs, it draws top performers in the arts from around the country.
Good luck.
HAVE YOU PICKED A SCHOOL YET? I just saw your post and my son was admitted to the same schools: IU Kelly, Tulane and Michigan LSA which we have since taken off the list. My Husband went to Tulane and loved it but my son doesn’t want to go there. We are coming down to the wire. He feels like the Fraternity life isn’t good and that he won’t find any cool boys to hangout with. ugh
^I really hope he won’t make his choice based on his perception, as a high schooler, of “cool boys to hang out with”.
Use net costs and general “fit”. His ability to party a lot could actually be used as a huge negative. Finally, look into the coronavirus response: how have they handled things this Spring? How did they treat OOS/international students? What quality to the online courses? What communication to newly admitted students? Have they made contingency plans for the Fall? What about the college’s finances - if a public university, how stable is the state and how likely are they to make cuts into the Higher Ed budget? If a private university, what’s their endowment per student? For both: have they published anything about a hiring freeze, adjunct position cuts?
Also, I disagree with poster #20 that Kelley has a “small school” feel; in fact it’s a very large business school (you can compare numbers with other public business schools if you wish). It’s a bit alleviated for Honors students but it’s still very large.
@Maxmomjill: where would the difference come from? savings? income? loans? How secure is your job?
When looking at her choices, look at the response to the coronavirus and the financial stability of the university (eg., is Tulane or Indiana more likely to encounter financial problems that the students will bear the brunt of?)
@MaxMomJill:
Not yet. We are very torn. There is so much to love about Tulane but given the high cost during this crisis (potential for extended online classes, economy worsening, increase tuitions/fees after the crisis abates, school budgets, etc…) we are desperately trying to make a decision probably a few days before May 1st.
Here is what we are thinking:
Tulane #1 choice - High costs, USNWR overall #40, smaller school, more personalized, change easily change majors, service-oriented opportunities/students, etc…
UF #2 choice - Medium cost (OOS), USNWR overall #34, Large school, lots of online classes Fr/So years, No direct admit, in bus school but need to maintain progress/GPA
UF is close to Kelley for marketing (USNWR #10 versus #6) and overall costs for us
UIUC (Illinois) #3 choice - Lowest cost, in-state, USNWR overall #48, Marketing #14, Large school, Direct admit
IMHO - There are “cool” kids (i.e., kids with similar interests/desires - some more academically focused, some more balance, some more “fun”) at any of those schools.
I will update once we have a decision.
D is going to Tulane.
In the end, we decided to try it for a year. If D thrives then Tulane is worth the extra cost. If not, there are plenty of great schools closer to home that will offer opportunities.
With this decision, we will never wonder, “What if D went to her dream school and was challenged and inspired to reach her potential both inside and outside of the classroom?”
Thanks to all for your thoughtful insights.
Roll Wave!