Northwestern ECON vs IU Kelley vs Vanderbilt ECON
With decisions out, I've arrived at the three options above; NU, IU-Kelley, and Vandy. I am currently a student at IU, but decided to apply for a transfer spot at these schools in the case of a "you never know" outcome. Fortunately, I was accepted into both schools, and am now looking for advice for this upcoming semester. Currently, I attend IU for an amazingly low price, and would actually graduate with a surplus of money because of scholarships and parental support. However, if I chose to pursue NU or VU, I would most likely graduate with around 50k in student loans.
I know the reputation of Northwestern for Consulting, which I am still considering as a career choice, however, I am also interested in the comparison of these three schools in regards to Investment Banking. I understand Kelley is one of the pathways into IB, however, I am frankly tired of being the underdog, and want to be in a position where my placement chances are strong.
Additionally, is it wrong to think 50k in student loans is manageable as a result of the two career paths I'm considering; Banking and Consulting? I would absolutely love to go to Northwestern, it has always been my dream school, and so I am also scared of the regret I might face if I choose to decline NU on account of finances.
Please let me know your thoughts below, I would greatly appreciate any help at all! Information on comparable placement, experience, loans, etc., would be amazing.
If you go through this forum and look at what a lot of people regret about their undergrad choice, I feel like you'd find a fair amount of anecdotal evidence that supports the decision to decide and pick a target school and debt vs a non target with no debt. I feel like I've read a handful of comments along the lines of "I got into insert ivy league school but decided to accept a full ride to insert state school and I wish I would have taken on the debt. It was harder to break in, network is everything, blah blah"
As unfortunate as it may be, the prestige of a school counts for a lot as well as the network you develop at that school. NU has a great brand, especially in the midwest and they place people all over the business world in high up places. IU isn't a bad school, but it's limited to the banking program. If you're looking for a bang for you buck way into banking, IU is pretty decent. If you're thinking longer term and want to set yourself up a career that could span different industries(or even entirely outside of business) NU would be a better choice.
If you're up for the challenge of a transfer and starting over in a new place, I think 50k to go to NU makes sense. What does that break down into? 20k a year or so? You could pay most of that off in your first few years if you go into banking. It sounds to me like you should go with NU if that's where your heart is.