Kelley vs Gies vs KF

Question

Hi all,

I have been admitted to Kelley, Gies, and KF. The cost situation is quite substantial as Kelley is half of KF, and Gies (UIUC) is a third of Kelley.My

Given that all three of these are out of the top ten, I am curious rankings really matter at all? Is top 25 more important than top 50 by a substantial amount (KF and Kelley vs Gies UIUC)? And beyond that, is a 10-25 segmentation significant enough to justify 2x in tuition between Kelley and KF?

My background is in operational excellence and project management offices executing on acquisition integrations.

I want to get on the front end of those M&A discussions and would also appreciate the opportunity to own a full business unit.

I am currently based in the midwest and would only really consider moving west to CO, UT, AZ, or down to TX. I have little desire in moving east.

Thoughts?

bb · Answer

Congratulations on your admits!

I think Kelley vs. KF at half price, is a nobrainer. As to UIUC - a bit more interesting. There are different aspects to this - career services help you expect to get, employers you target, existing student debt, and career path afterwards. The advantage of UIUC is that it is in a city vs. middle of nowhere for Kelley or KF. If you can network on your own and leverage connections in Chicago, UIUC can be a very cost-effective way to get an MBA on paper. At the same time, it is a short timer win and a longer term loss. Will you be proud of being a part of the UIUC? Will you join the reunions and be active in the Alum space or will you be just getting a transaction of receiving an MBA? It really depends on each individual and their goals as well as other opportunities.

Congrats and good luck!

Mo2men · Answer

Congrats

I consider the choice between Kelley and KF. I visited both schools and have friends till this season. I share same expertise in operational excellence in manufacturing and service (lean..supply chain..etc). As you are citizen, I can't see any problem for hiring compared to any international. However, which school could provide you opportunity in M&A??? It needs you to contact the career service directly and do not waste time with current student as most of them in internships and hence no reply you get. I know exactly that Career Director is approachable and helpful. I contacted him and he is keen to reply. However, I know the same for KF. What is the second plan for you if your plan for M&A does not come true?

billionaire · Answer

Hi coolranch First congratulations on admission to three good schools. I was wondering, why did you applied to mostly East Coast/Midwest schools, since you want to relocate West after graduation ? There are some really good schools at CO, UT, AZ, or TX. University of North Carolina: Kenan-Flagler is ranked on 37. place in Financial Times Global MBA rankings for 2018. Weighted salary for Kenan-Flagler MBA graduates is (US$)139,456 and they can expect 116% salary percentage increase comparing to what the had before MBA. https://rankings.ft.com/businessschoolra ... nking-2018 Indiana University: Kelley is ranked 57. in FT rankings. Weighted salary for Kelley graduates is (US$)127,942 and you can expect 114% salary increase. https://rankings.ft.com/businessschoolra ... nking-2018 It is no wonder that Gies College of Business - University of Illinois is not ranked in top 100 by FT. As per US News for 2019, University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill (Kenan-Flagler) is 19. in the nation, Indiana University (Kelley) is ranked on 27. place, University of Illinois—Urbana-Champaign is 48. https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-sc ... ngs/page+2 In Bloomberg rankings, North Carolina (Kenan-Flagler) is placed on 24. place, Indiana (Kelley) is 27. Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is 45. https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2017 ... s-schools/ Forbes doesn't have different opinion, than stated above so far, UNC (Kenan-Flagler) is 16. on list of Best Business Schools for 2017. , Indiana (Kelley) is 25. on list and again there is no Gies College of Business - University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in top 70 ! https://www.forbes.com/business-schools/list/#tab:rank UNC (Kenan-Flagler) has $66.2K 5 year gain, years to payback ratio of 3.9, salary after graduation in 2016. was $157K. Indiana (Kelley) has $56.6K 5 year gain, years to payback ratio of 3.8, salary after graduation in 2016. was $145K. To the best of my understanding, Gies College of Business - University of Illinois has indeed two campuses, one of them in Chicago, but that one is intended for EMBA only, right ? It think my friend bb might confuse that, or Gies College of Business - University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). If that is the case, then Gies College of Business - University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign does not have any location advantage toward Kenan-Flagler or Kelley. Moreover, Kenan-Flagler has excellent location position in Research Triangle (Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill) recognized internationally as a center for cutting-edge research and development. It is home to leading computer, pharmaceutical and technology companies, where some of the major employers are: IBM Corporation. Cisco Systems, Inc. GlaxoSmithKline. Fidelity Investments. RTI International. Credit Suisse. Lenovo. NetApp, Inc You can find more on : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Research_ ... _employers Bottom line, you should definitely go to Kenan-Flagler (if you can afford) if not, Kelly is your second best choice. Keeping in mind that you said that Kelly is 2x cheaper for you than Kenan-Flagler, (I assume you got some scholarship, since Kenan-Flagler tuition used to be $121K vs. Kelley's $93K) then Kelly might be your best buy, since they are not that much apart in rankings or earnings after graduation. All this research and info provided should help you, to make wise decision about your future !

coolranch · Answer

Thank you all for your comments.

I am not PLANNING on moving out West, but that would be the direction we would choose if we do decide to move from the Midwest. I didn't choose any programs out west because they don't have the same remote options that KF, Kelley, and UIUC provide.I travel 2 weeks per month for work as it is, so a program that allows for significant online access is the most important factor for me.

As for the KF vs Kelley dilemma- I have made up my mind to go for Kelley. I cannot justify the increased cost of KF over Kelley. KF does have a more recognized program and does report greater earnings, but that could also be due to folks gaining employment in higher cost locations than the midwest (DC, NYC, Boston, Phila).

The research provided is certainly comprehensive and I appreciate it - it really confirmed most of my perceptions. At this point in my career flexibility is the most important factor - and I already am relatively senior in my company (director of strategy) so I don't think overspending for a slightly better name is going to provide the same return that it would for someone who is perhaps thinking of changing careers. I am more focused on growing within my existing org.

if the M&A doesn't work out, then I'll like pursue P&L ownership for a business unit either in my existing org or elsewhere.

Also - Yes, the UIUC Gies school does have a presence in Chicago but it is exclusively for the EMBA program and is not to be compared to UIC. These are vastly different programs and schools and I agree UIUC doesn't have much of a location advantage unless I were to pursue the EMBA program - which today is not an option given my travel for work.

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