HoosierDaddy14 wrote:
Hey Mike,
Kelley wasn't really center on my radar until I visited the school during Kelley Experience Weekend in April. The first thing that stuck out to me was the quality of the answers in the case discussion. The answers from the students during the discussion were relevant without being cookie-cutter, constructive without be scathing. This, coupled with the quality of the faculty, definitely boosted my impression of the school. Admittedly, during undergrad my parents paid for my education and I only cared about getting the grade rather than actually absorbing the material. But a funny thing happens when you pay for your own education - you want to soak in all the learning that you can, and I thought Kelley would make the material most relevant to me as a professional. (FYI, it has - I have learned more in 4 months than I did in 4 years as a finance major). The small class size also plays a major factor in this - something I didn't really consider.
Also, the alumni base is apparently the largest in the nation (I think it is augmented by our online program, but nonetheless, this was encouraging). Moreover, the alumni base is extremely friendly. I was looking at some West Coast schools (UC Irvine, USC), and was worried that Kelley wouldn't give me access to those regions. But because of the size and alacrity of our alumni base, you can basically network anywhere in the country with ease. The amount of contacts I have made on the West Coast thus far has almost been more than I can handle.
Finally, in choosing between other schools, I had to look at the ROI. Kelley provided me with a pretty generous scholarship, which sweetened the deal quite a bit. Apparently, Kelley managed its budget very well during the economic downturn (no wonder - our dean recently stepped down to become president of the IU Foundation), and has been able to offer nice scholarships while other schools simply couldn't. When you take into account the scholarship, and weigh what you are paying for tuition versus what you will earn after graduation, the ROI rivals the ivy-league schools.
There's a myriad of other unexpected benefits about Kelley that I didn't fully realize until coming here (beautiful campus, basketball mania, quirky/vibrant downtown), and I am positive I found the best value, fit, and education quality possible. I hope this helps! Best of luck with your search, and feel free to PM with any and every other question you may have.
Awesome -- excellent response! Your points hit on a lot of areas that are important to me: learning/academic environment, the west coast, ROI and campus life. I am going to the Chicago event next week so I hope to learn more there. I will be in touch; thanks again HD.
- Mike