IU Kelley VS. U of Minnesota Carlson

Hey everyone. I am an eighteen year older senior in high school and have gotten into both Kelley and Carlson direct admit. It's my understanding that Kelley has a better reputation in terms of IB, but I'd like to hear your thoughts. I also got a scholarship and admittance into the Hutton honors program at IU, if that makes any difference. And I'm wondering if Minnesota's Minneapolis location is at all advantageous.

6 Comments
 
Best Response

Both are great programs for the cost, but ultimately I believe it depends where you want to be geographically post-grad and where you feel more comfortable.

IU places well in NYC given their "IB workshop" and that they have some OCR (someone please correct me if I am wrong). Overall it is a strong undergrad program ranked 10th for undergrad program by U.S. News (Carlson is #15 for reference).

Carlson doesn't have a large amount of alumni in NYC, but does have NYC I-Banking "Treks" that give undergrads the opportunity to meet and network at all of the BBs. Carlson also has a fairly strong alumni network in the Bay area, and of course it is well-positioned if you want to work in MM in the Midwest.

Not to say a strong candidate who networks well from either school can't end up in any geography. Just wanted to layout generalized feelings on both schools with IU being the relatively easier road to NYC. Most importantly, it is up to you to pick the best atmosphere. IU is more college town, while UMN is more college neighborhood within a bigger city. Happy to provide more details on both.

 

Kelley is the better choice.

Carlson is strong, but more so in the local market. If you don't mind working in MM IB in Minneapolis post-grad, then the Minneapolis location is ideal (HW, HL, Piper, Lazard all recruit from Carlson).

If you prefer a wider range of options including NYC and Chicago, IU is the right choice.

I'm an IU grad that spent some time in Minneapolis. Minneapolis is a great, underrated city. However, for undergrad, the college town atmosphere is better than the Tier 2 city atmosphere. IU career services are also better than Carlson and I witnessed that first-hand as we recruited from each and worked with each.

Just my take.

 

Kelley hands down - especially if you'd like to end up in Chi or NYC.

Dirty secret: Hutton rarely gives below a "B" grade for students taking honors classes to boost their overall "Honors GPA" metrics.

Keep in mind freshman year GPA is of paramount importance at Kelley if you'd like to enter the IB workshops as a sophomore.

Kelley gives you more direct access to NYC/Chi shops and you'll graduate with a padded GPA and honors diploma to boot. Bloomington is the quintessential college town and the social scene is outstanding.

Unless you're targeting Minneapolis, it's a no-brainer.

 

Molestiae quisquam laudantium soluta soluta natus. Ipsum voluptatem asperiores non eum molestiae cumque. Enim aliquam vitae qui aspernatur cum possimus et. Facilis accusamus rerum neque deleniti. Dolore aut quaerat id magnam esse hic.

Sed consectetur delectus eum iusto. Rem voluptatem iure beatae aliquam. Rerum nemo eius praesentium quis nam sapiente sed velit. Eum odio dolorem vitae ex soluta est aut blanditiis.

Molestias culpa corrupti nobis est at. Praesentium optio id aspernatur repellat facere veniam molestiae. In voluptas voluptatum iste. Velit aut vitae eum sequi molestias voluptas. Voluptate eum corporis hic neque corporis perspiciatis qui a.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (75) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (68) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
numi's picture
numi
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”