I am curious if anyone has any opinions on choosing between IU and A&M for an undergrad business degree. Exact major is not yet decided.

IU is ranked higher. IU will probably cost more. These are things I know.

Thanks.

College decision came down to these 2 + the school down the road. IU has one of the most beautiful campuses in the country but is culturally much different than Mays / A&M generally. Lots of factors to consider, but I have been able to accomplish all my goals and more at Mays. Lots of programs that cater to students with various career goals.

Are there any specifics you want to hear compared?

I have degrees from both IU & A&M, have taken graduate business classes at both universities. If I was a parent making this same undergraduate business school decision, I would choose A&M, if your son/daughter qualifies for in-state tuition there.

Thank you both. If you have time, can you list some of the reasons you would pick TAMU? Thanks again.

Frankly, my choice was affected by COVID - IU did not go back to campus whereas A&M was as open as anywhere in the country. One of the few universities left where there is some degree of ideological balance and encouragement of free discourse.

Nuts and bolts, depending on career aspirations both schools will allow you to get where you want to be. If you want to stay in Texas long term, A&M is the no brainer - large network here, established reputation. You would have no trouble landing a corporate job or working in accounting or even consulting / finance in the state. IU certainly has more Midwest pull, so if you want to begin a career there or northeast that's the better option. Kelley also has the now famous "IB Workshop" that starts from freshman year and places top students into Wall Street jobs. This program is more established and reputable than A&Ms "Aggies on Wall Street", but (speaking from close experience) a strong student at A&M can accomplish anything they want to with a bit of grit.

Again, IU is one of the prettiest campuses in the country and probably has a stronger national reputation, but if money is an object and IU isn't offering significant scholarship then A&M provides a lot of value. I also think Mays is on an upward trajectory despite sticking to their accounting roots with their most recent Dean selection.

DannyDuberstein said:

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My main question would be where they think they want to live after college. For someone who wants to live in Texas, the campus recruiting by Texas companies, Aggie network, etc. adds a great deal of value to staying in state

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You beat me to the punch with that response. A&M has more networking power & brand value down here while IU has the advantage in the midwest, I had a similar thought process years ago when applying to MBA programs. I was enamored at the time with Northwestern and Washington University in St. Louis, but I wanted to live in Texas after graduation. Ended up going to Rice instead. Far more practical considering my life circumstances and the Rice degree carried all the brand value and networking power I needed here in Texas.

Likely driven by timing. A&Ms rolling admission results in Mays often filling up before Halloween. I know a salutatorian who didn't get into Mays because of a submission that was "late"

IU is a good school, you may have more pull in NYC if you want to go that route. I've personally not been overly impressed with graduates which try to compare themselves to Michigan or Northwestern of the like.

If kid has a lot of potential, A&M Business Honors or UT Bus. Honors/Plan II will get a I banking job in Houston if that is the desire. UT Plan II probably opens up more consulting.

I, too, have taken courses in both places. Bloomington will be a major culture shock. As well, the winters will be colder, but not as much snow as you might think. I'm not sure if this is still true, but housing was relatively more expensive in Bloomington than it was in College Station, and the off-campus options all tended to be 12 month leases (not sure if College Station runs that way now). It does all ultimately boil down to where the young one wants to spend the formative years of their career.

So, my child has gotten into IU, A&M and SMU. She is waiting on Univ of Wash and Boston U.

We visited IU recently. The campus is nice and Kelley seems ok. She did not like Bloomington at all for some reason. I have to say I didn't find Kelley overly impressive given their Top 10 undergrad business ranking. Everything they highlighted like starting salary, internships, etc seems similar to most other places. Nothing stood out to me to make me pay out of state tuition.

I liked SMU based on our visit there. Based on their published stats, I think they have a collection of pretty smart kids at Cox. No idea how well they do in their career but I assume decent. Just too expensive even with scholarships imo.

Ag9701 said:

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So, my child has gotten into IU, A&M and SMU. She is waiting on Univ of Wash and Boston U.

We visited IU recently. The campus is nice and Kelley seems ok. She did not like Bloomington at all for some reason. I have to say I didn't find Kelley overly impressive given their Top 10 undergrad business ranking. Everything they highlighted like starting salary, internships, etc seems similar to most other places. Nothing stood out to me to make me pay out of state tuition.

I liked SMU based on our visit there. Based on their published stats, I think they have a collection of pretty smart kids at Cox. No idea how well they do in their career but I assume decent. Just too expensive even with scholarships imo.

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So happy for your student and that you are taking the opportunity to visit all of these schools. I often encourage families to visit MULTIPLE schools and let the student get a strong feeling of what they want/like, and desire from a college experience. In my opinion, it's much like car or house shopping. You don't really know what is out there and available until you experience it. In many ways, it is student's first real adult decision, and we as the parent should be teaching how to make well-thought out, and logical choices.

Also, I love that area of Boston U and Questrom is a fantastic school for Business. Good luck to your student!