IU Kelley vs. Penn State

I recently got into both of these schools and was wondering which would best position me for a career in Capital Markets/S&T. Both have their own specialized programs. Penn State has the NLF and LLC, while Kelley has the IBW and IMW. I have heard that getting into the IBW at Kelley has gotten much harder, and even people with 3.9 GPAs are getting rejected. Also, Kelley is notorious for its weed-out classes, which are in the first year. Based on what I have seen, it seems like it is a tad bit easier to keep a higher GPA at Penn State versus Kelley. Penn State would be about 15k cheaper per year as well. However, I feel that Kelley has a better name compared to Penn State. Which is the better school? In some places, I have read that they are both the same, while in others, I have read that Kelley is better. When I search for the positions I want on linkedin, I see more people from well-known northeastern non-targets (Rochester, Fordham, Rutgers, Penn State, Maryland) than Kelley, so this makes me even more unsure. 

8 Comments
 

IBW at IU is more geared towards students wanting to pursue a career in Investment Banking. That being said, they also have the 'Capital Markets Workshop' which I think people who couldn't get into IBW go into/people who want to work in Capital Markets. Don't really know much about Penn State but I do know that the Nittany Lion Fund is very competitive and also places well into IB. Not sure if this is entirely helpful for your inquiry about Capital Markets/S&T but thought I'd just chime in. Hope this helps!

 

I have no idea who MS'd you, but I agree with you. I have read about both clubs, and it says that you often have to take club execs out to dinner and do things for them to get on their good side. I agree, it will be hard.

 

That would be insane. Crazy how little power it takes to get to some people’s heads. Not taking a fucking sophomore to dinner to wine and dine them to get into a stupid club. Enjoy your stupid 6 dollar latte at Starbucks and let me into the damn club.

 

this is OP, coming back to this thread after signing my 2025 offer a couple months ago. I ended up going to one of the schools above and ended up getting into its respective wall street feeder program. im coming back to say that it was hard, but it was worth it too.

 

The capital markets workshop at IU is for the students that didn’t get into the IBW - and it is focused on placing students into places like Truist, TD, etc., since that won’t cause overlap with the IBW recruiting (which targets BB, EB, top MM). IU has an investment management workshop that places into some great S&T/ER roles in both NY and Chicago. Admission is competitive, but not as political as the IBW (a major component of IBW admission is how much current members like you). I would honestly go to Penn State if it’s a $60k tuition difference, unless you feel like you really like IU as a school. You will get good opportunities from either school if you play your cards right.

 

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