Should I Go to IU Kelley. How well know is it? I want to foster a career in NYC in my late 20s early 30s
I’m 27 years old, currently living in Indiana, and I've built a successful entrepreneurial career, with investments and product development in the past few years. While I’ve never had much of a formal education, my experiences have sparked an interest in venture capital and private equity. To pursue this path, I’m thinking of going back to school to study finance—not only to strengthen my business acumen but also to position myself as someone who can be trusted to invest in future ventures.
That being said, I’m at a crossroads and need some advice. I’m currently attending community college and have a 4.0 GPA. I’ll graduate with my undergrad degree at 29, and I'm torn between continuing my education at Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business or pursuing a school in New York City. I know I want to live in NYC, and I'm eager to immerse myself in the entrepreneurial and investment scene there.
Here are my key questions:
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How well-known is the Kelley School of Business in NYC? I’ve heard it’s a top school, but I’m not sure how much its name resonates outside of the Midwest (Yes, I get in-state Kelley tuition). How does it stack up compared to schools like Baruch or other public CUNY programs in NYC?
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Is it worth it to try to transfer to NYU or Columbia? I’ve considered trying to transfer to NYU Stern (possibly starting in Economics and then transferring to Stern later) or applying to Columbia. Given my age, I’m wondering if I should just focus on getting my degree and experience or if attending a brand-name school is important to future investors (and possible employers)
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At 29, is the school’s prestige still as important? I know that starting undergrad at nearly 30 is somewhat unconventional, and I’m wondering how much the name of the school will matter in terms of networking, gaining investor trust, and building credibility in the VC/PE space.
Ultimately, I want to set myself up for success—both in terms of education and long-term career goals. I'd appreciate any advice on what’s most important for a 27-year-old who’s just getting back into school and already has entrepreneurial experience.
Thanks in advance for your thoughts!
Just research man. There’s so much stuff out there about IU Kelley. Just go there and join their IB and PE workshop. You’ll be ok, you seem competent.
IU alumni here. The opportunities like the IBW and PEW are limited to undergraduates. Grad students have the IBA which historically places very well into Chicago
Would also caveat that the IBA is only for 5-year MBAs coming directly from undergrad.
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Thanks for responding as an alum. Hopefully you can squash this beef for me. Is IUI Kelley (Indiana University Indianapolis, previously called IUPUI) any less of a school or lesser ranked than Bloomington Kelley? A lot of people online like to say they are different, but the university and Kelley website claim for it to be the exact same school but just a satellite campus. Is there any talk about this on the street about it being less valuable than the other?
Thank you in advance!
Yea there is a huge difference. I personally know maybe ~100 or so bankers across NYC and Chi from IU. All are IU Bloomington. Idk any from IUI, or any of the other satellite campuses. I remember when recruiting (and even to this day when applying to buy side firms) that many applications make you specify which campus you go to (e.g., IU Bloomington, IUI, IU Kokomo, etc.).
I don't know if you could consider one "lesser" than the other, I think it just has to do with resource allocation. Take the undergraduate programs as an example. IU Bloomington and the Kelley school at IU Bloomington have the highest concentration of what is likely to be the "best" students (not true for everyone but I think the logic holds that the best want to go to the flagship campus for any public school, look at UNC Chapel Hill versus other satellites, or UCLA versus other UC schools...). There can only be 1 IBW program because the professors need to centralize resources so kids on the Bloomington campus just have a better shot.
The resources you would get at Bloom are without a doubt better than the other campuses. However as I said earlier, the MBA is really tough coming out of Bloom to get to NYC. Not impossible, but definitely tougher than at other schools (even Midwestern schools like UChicago, Northwestern, etc).
I would apply to the NYC programs you mentioned and take them over IU MBA without hesitation. IU undergraduate programs place very well, but I do not believe the MBA has the same pipeline. For example, as someone who works in NYC, I know many analysts coming out of the IBW (undergraduate only IB workshop) program. I do not know many associates coming out of the IBA (graduate only IB academy) program. Many of the associates I see come out of the M7 programs. So yes, the school is well known because of street presence, but I think this is more so for undergraduate students (although I am sure you could place out of the IBA to NYC). Re prestige, I don't think your age matters. There are so many applicants that the "prestige" is just a mechanism people use to filter out applications. Firm's also want to hire associates from school's the partners or MDs received their MBA from because it is a tried and true pipeline.
EDIT: Looks like the IBA got folded into the Capital Markets Academy. This probably confirms that the MBA --> NYC IB placement was not strong enough to keep the IBA but I cannot say for certain.
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