Mark4124
I am awaiting a decision from Wisconsin but I am certain that I will be accepted there if I want it. I am already admitted to Kelley Indiana with 20k graduate assistanship. I am sort of leaning towards Kelley given its strong reputation and my sense that it is a very strong overall MBA program. I want to investment management and I am currently working on CFA L2, which I expect to pass in June and will be well on my way to charter by end of first year. Wisconsin has unusual strength in IM with their ASAP program and some very good recruiting. But outside of this neiche when I ask around to some older friends who are big in the business world they all seem to know and love and are encouraging me to go to Kelley. What do you think?
Mark4124,
Wisconsin is stronger than Kelley in IM, but Indiana has the stronger reputation overall. When you look at Indiana's top ten recruiters you see lots of consumer goods firms like P&G, J&J, and GE, with one bank (Citigroup) and one MC (Deloitte). Median base salary: $84,000. You see the same emphasis among Wisconsin's top recruiters (with a few IM-type firms mixed in), and a median base salary of $85,000. So, aside from the rankings, they are not markedly different programs -- except that Wisconsin is widely known for the strength of its IM program, whereas Indiana (though U.S. News ranks it 17th in Finance) is not. So it comes down to how certain you are that IM is your post-MBA career and what Indiana could perhaps tell you to assure you that their IM resources are strong too. Another factor is whether Wisconsin offers you money the way Indiana is. If they do, then I would probably give the nod to Wisconsin if your IM goals are firm. But it's a very close call.
Good luck,