Indiana University Bloomington Pre-Business - Worth it for Kelley?

Just got off the waitlist for IU Bloomington but due to my grades in HS - I, alongside many others, are in the Pre-Business Finance program.

If I’m correct, you just need to maintain B’s, which shouldn’t be too hard if I “lock in”.

I’m out-of-state so I can’t get in-state tuition until 2 years living in Indiana. It’s a bit pricey if I’m not going into Kelley.

I struggle mainly with math and econ but I could push through by grinding it out.

I intend to pursue IB, Chicago or NY offices preferably.

9 Comments
 

I was in the "pre-business" path at Kelley.  Would recommend avoiding the frats until you're in Kelley - just rush 1st semester sophomore year as Kelley rarely every makes an exception for anything below a B.  The only case I know of is... me.  I got a B- in that Econ class (was truly a bitch) but I got into Kelley honors.  Since I got below a B, I didn't get into Kelley, and since I wasn't in Kelley, I couldn't be in Kelley honors (shit show, I know).  Basically burned down the school to let me into Kelley.

I am an avid fan of Kelley and huge supporter of Kelley students, but Kelley will never get a dime from me - only the IBW and IMW.

But, if your plan is IB, the IBW is not truly necessary anymore (though very helpful) - everyone must take the pre-IBW class (idk what it's called now - they keep changing the numbering) that teaches you all the technicals you'll need to know (my year they had Josh Pearl - one of the authors of the IB book / bible - come and speak, which was way cool).  There is also like 5 workshops that you can try for now - IBW, Capital Markets, IB Seminar, PE, and maybe another.

All in all, IU / Kelley is fantastic, but don't make a college decision based on wanting to go into IB - IU and pretty much every other school has so much to offer beyond investment banking.  What these schools and programs and really good at is churning out IB analyst robots and make you think the only way to be successful is to be a banker.

 
Most Helpful

I was in a similar place as you and ended up choosing IU. This was a very tough choice that was essentially a big bet on myself. At IU, despite poor HS grades, I locked in and got all A/A- grades my freshman year. Sophomore year, I decided to pursue high finance and got an offer I was happy with.

With this in mind, I would encourage you to consider why your high school grades were so poor that you not only didn’t get into Kelley, but also didn’t get into IU. Because you bet that the kids at Wharton, UVA, Michigan, etc that you’ll be competing with for internships got into Kelley with their eyes closed.

If the explanation is simple, like weed, ADHD or mental health, you’re probably fine - just make sure there is a significant, tangible change that will take place between HS and college.

However, if you reflect wrong, you’ll end up dropping crazy money on a non-Kelley degree. And it doesn’t matter how smart or knowledgeable you think you are, if you get more than 1 B- they won’t let you in. I’m not trying to be cruel or mean, just trying to get you in the right frame of mind.

 

Absolutely, in HS I did average/well in most classes besides math and sciences courses which I didn’t progress in well.

I do have ADHD, but I’m starting medication this summer before college so I can lock in. I’m dedicated to this, it’s my last resort and I refuse to blow it.

My main concerns are passing econ/math courses as I didn’t have the opportunity to take AP Macro/Micro nor did I get to Precalc in HS.

I’ll shoot you a DM too, seems like you could help!

 

How is the pre business courses? Are they hard to get more than a B? Since I see that people have to take some arts and science classes besides the core IU pre-business courses.

 

All the courses are more manageable than most high schools and your grade is a function of the effort you put in. 3 other tips: IU published very granular grade distributions, many students take math courses at Ivy Tech Community College, and most academic advisors are useless (take a few hours to do the planning work yourself).

 

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