Kelley MBA Online Chat Transcript—October 19, 2011
1. Brad Rosenwinkel--Associate Director of Admissions: Hello and welcome to the Kelley MBA Online Chat! We will begin shortly. In the meantime, feel free to submit your questions and we will answer them once we begin. Your questions will appear in the chat once they have been answered. We look forward to the session!
* Brad Rosenwinkel, Associate Director of Admissions: Submit your questions as you would like. We are ready to begin!
2. Brad Rosenwinkel - Associate Director of Admissions: We're glad you could join us today. Our entire admissions team is here: Jim Holmen, Director of Admissions, Tim Smith, Senior Associate Director of Admissions, Regina Lee Associate Director of Admissions, and myself, Brad Rosenwinkel, Associate Director of Admissions.
* Brad Rosenwinkel - Associate Director of Admissions: We're also joined by a group of our second year students. Feel free to ask any admissions related questions or questions for our students.
3. Aditi: Hi, I wanted to make sure the essays do not have a solid word count requirement? Any recommendation as to the number of pages?
* Jim Holmen - Director of Admissions: As outlined in the application instructions, please limit each essay to no more than two pages. We do not have a specific word count limit or preferred font size. Use your best judgment and be creative and concise!
4. Soraya: I had my undergraduate degree from Thailand. Apart from transcript, are courses description needed in admission process?
* Jim Holmen - Director of Admissions: Hi Soraya. We do not need course descriptions--we only need your academic records/transcripts. You can view our complete application instructions here: http://kelley.iu.edu/MBA/admissions/applicationProcess.cfm. The application
instructions outline exactly what must be submitted. We look forward to receiving your completed application.
5. Chris: Okay, here's my first question: To maximize scholarship opportunities, how important is it to apply by the Nov. 1 deadline?
* Timothy Smith - Senior Associate Director of Admissions: Hello Chris: Your application for admission to the Kelley School of Business MBA Program is also your merit-based financial aid application. We offer fellowships, scholarships, and graduate assistantships to incoming students. These awards are based on academic merit, leadership abilities, professional work experience, and career interests. Again, these awards are not based on financial need but based solely on merit. All admitted students are automatically considered for merit-based aid upon admission to the Kelley MBA Program. Over half of each incoming class receives merit-aid and awards are made until funding is exhausted. Apply for admission by the Priority Deadline (January 5th) for best possible consideration for merit-aid.
6. Kumar: I had a query on the curriculum. I know the KIP participation is voluntary, but does the GLOBASE also work in the same fashion? If not, what does it take to participate in the social entrepreneurship program GLOBASE? It would definitely help to have an additional
international coursework and team curriculum
* Christine Robinson- Class of 2012: Participation in both KIPs and GLOBASE is voluntary. GLOBASE programs are more competitive and require a more in depth application process, including interviewing with the leadership team. Both programs involve a seven week course leading up to the 1-2 week trip in country. GLOBASE involves working on a consulting project, while KIPS is more about learning about how businesses operate in the given country and visiting companies and seeing tourist sites while in country. Both programs count towards the Global Experience requirement in achieving a Certificate in Global Business Achievement. 7. Brent: Good morning/Good afternoon everyone! Thank you for taking your time to hold this online chat! For students with non-business background and not much of a quantitative focus in undergrad, what is the best way to strengthen one's app? Would an outside service like mbamath.com be seen the same as taking additional classes?
* Amanda Rauschkolb - Class of 2012: Brent - thank you for your question. If you’re worried about your quantitative skills then any work you do to focus on that is helpful. The GMAT will also allow the admissions team to evaluate you quantitatively as well. Additionally, Kelley provides opportunities to come to campus prior to the first week of orientation for what we call Jumpstart where you can get an introduction to finance, accounting and business analytics. 8. Soraya: I have learned about Kelley's Academies through your website. But would you please further clarify -- how does academy truly benefit us?
* Gerardo Ubaghs - Class of 2012: Hi, Soraya. The Academies are a great way to complement the theoretical knowledge you acquire during classes and the efforts to facilitate job placement by the office of Career Services. They offer a practical approach to your chosen career path, provide introductions to alumni, mock interviewing, specific job interview preparation for your chosen career path and a collaborative environment to learn from your peers. They are graded, mandatory, follow an application and selection process, and are led by the Academy Directors, who are specialists within their field.
9. Debasis: I have seen in website it is preferred to have balanced score in GMAT score. Is there any cutoff score for each section? How much should somebody score in verbal if he has scored 50 in Quant?
* Jim Holmen - Director of Admissions: Debasis, we do not have a required minimum score for each section of the GMAT. We do, however, like to see solid scores for both the verbal and quantitative sections since verbal and quantitative skills are both necessary for a successful MBA student.
10. Chris: So applying by Nov. 1 instead of Jan. 5 doesn't give you an advantage for merit-based scholarships? My gut tells me it's better to apply earlier.
* Timothy Smith - Senior Associate Director of Admissions: Hi Chris: Your gut does have a point. :-) Yes--you do, basically, put yourself at an advantage by applying during the 1st round. There
is a only a slight advantage by doing so. Those applying after the 2nd-round are at a
disadvantage. That being said, do know that we want you to submit your application when you feel it is at its strongest.
11. Senthil: Please let me know the process that Ad com adheres to after we submit the application
* Jim Holmen - Director of Admissions: Senthil, once we receive your complete application, it will be reviewed by our admissions committee. We do not use any formulas, and we do not assign weights to the various criteria. We take a complete look at each applicant. If there are any deficiencies, we will look for strengths that may balance any limitations. You can learn more about the process and timeline here:
http://kelley.iu.edu/MBA/admissions/applicationProcess.cfm.
12. Kumar: Is there any bandwidth for late submission of recommendations after the 1st November deadlines? Or do I need to follow up with my recommenders to wrap up the same by 1st Nov?
* Regina Lee - Associate Director of Admissions: Kumar, the admissions decision cannot be made on an incomplete application. Since recommendations are considered as part of a complete application, you do need to have your recommender meet the deadline.
13. Brent: To the students here, could you explain how the Me Inc. process works and how helpful it’s been?
* Mike Frey - Class of 2012: Hi Brent, thanks for joining the chat. Me, Inc. is an awesome program that is unique to Kelley. It is part of the two week orientation and it focuses on the personal and career development aspects of your MBA. The classroom is where you learn all the core skills but employers are looking for more. This program is designed to help to
determine your "personal brand" so you are ready for the career search process. It gives you a framework (Discover, Network, Interview, Perform) on how to approach your internship and full-time offers. I have found it very helpful.
14. Soraya: Are we required to join in summer internship? What will I miss if I cannot have one? * Juan David Bolivar - Class of 2012: Soraya, good day. The summer internship is not required but it is highly recommended. As long as you have a circumstance that justifies not having an internship over the summer then you should be fine. I would suggest discussing this with Graduate Career Services soon after you join the program to communicate your situation and set the expectations accordingly.
15. Ti-Patrice: I am interested in the cross-over opportunities between SPEA and Kelley. Can a SPEA MPA student pursue a Certificate in Global Business Achievement? Also, does Kelley offer any coursework in international communication/marketing?
* Timothy Smith - Senior Associate Director of Admissions: Hello Ti-Patrice: It is my
understanding that the Certificate in Global Business Achievement is only available to full-time Kelley MBA students. Kelley does offer a Global Marketing Management course and with the
current student body being made up of 1/3 international students, you would have ample opportunity to learn of international marketing themes/strategies via your peers.
16. Soraya: In Kelley, what approach do you emphasize in teaching? (Group assignment, individual thesis, class discussion, etc.)
* Amanda Rauschkolb - Class of 2012: Different classes will use different approaches. During the Core, which you will take in your first semester at Kelley, there are 8 different courses. Our Strategy course is completely class discussion, the finance and accounting classes tend to be more lecture and group projects and other classes will be exam based. There is also a large component to each class that is group assignments where you are graded as a team. Outside of the Core, this is also true though most classes do have some form of a group project.
17. Debasis: For a career in consulting with expertise in marketing domain should major in marketing and consulting academy right combination?
* Juan David Bolivar - Class of 2012: Debasis, the consulting academy is very strong in
developing your talent and knowledge of the consulting industry. If you intend on going into consulting then it would be a strong choice for your academy. Regarding the major, it really depends on what type of consulting you wish to be involved in post MBA.
18. Brent: Are there any exchange programs with Japan for the upcoming year? Would KIPS be a good alternative?
* Jim Holmen - Director of Admissions: Brent, we do not currently have any exchange partners in Japan, but we do have exchange relationships with top Business Schools in other parts of Asia including Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong, and Singapore. We have had KIPs (Kelley International Perspectives, http://kelley.iu.edu/mba/academics/kips.cfm) trips to Japan in the past. You could always volunteer to be a KIPs leader and help plan a KIPs class and trip to Japan! 19. Debasis: After the application is submitted the evaluation of application is done
immediately after the receipt of completed material or the evaluation of the applications starts after the deadline for that round?
* Jim Holmen - Director of Admissions: The review process typically begins after each deadline. It takes us some time to process all of the applications received and match recommendations with each file, etc. before they are ready for the admissions committee.
20. Senthil: Jim, I wanted to know how many people form Ad com will read my application, how will an application be moved to next stage, i.e., Interview etc...
* Jim Holmen - Director of Admissions: Senthil, the number of people who review an
application varies. Because we take a unique look at each applicant and application, the process of moving an application through the process may vary slightly for each applicant.
21. Kumar: Bloomington is a college town with almost half the population being the university students. How is the real life experience of being in the unique environment?
* Adam Marriott - Class of 2012: Hi Kumar, thanks for the question. Bloomington is a classic college town full of students and is a very active place. There is a wide variety of restaurants,
bars, and entertainment venues. Other activities range from golf, hiking, winery tours, etc. I am married with three children and it has been a very comfortable place for a family of my size. Indianapolis is not far away (45 minutes) and you'll find Bloomington to be a very cultured place with many concerts touring through campus.
22. Aditi: Have any of the students attended Kelley's open house weekends - such as Women's Weekend or Diversity Weekend? Would you be able to briefly talk about your experience? * Amanda Rauschkolb - Class of 2012: Aditi - I attended Kelley's Women's Weekend in 2010 prior to joining Kelley. These weekends are a great way to get an introduction to the Kelley program, its culture as well as Bloomington. Additionally, it's a great way to get to know current students as well as some future classmates - and have a fun weekend!
23. Kumar: Approximately what class percentage do people from operations/SCM background constitute?
* Jim Holmen - Director of Admissions: Kumar, I don't have that statistic at hand--we have students from such a wide range of functions and industries. I do know that just short of 10% of the Class of 2011 pursued post-MBA careers in Supply Chain/Operations/Production.
24. Brent: What was the internship rate for last year? How many internships were internationally based?
* Timothy Smith - Senior Associate Director of Admissions: Hello Brent: We were most fortunate to have 100% of the Kelley MBA Class of 2012 participate in a summer internship experience. It is my understanding that less than 5% of the total internships were based internationally.
25. Brent: What are the most common application errors?
* Jim Holmen - Director of Admissions: Brent, that's a great question. The biggest mistake that some applicants make is failing to read the application instructions
(http://kelley.iu.edu/MBA/admissions/applicationProcess.cfm), and then neglecting to submit required information, or submitting information in the wrong format. The application process is designed to help us get to know you, and to assess your fit and potential to be successful in our program. Answering essay questions honestly, for example, will get an applicant much further than responding to essay questions with answers one thinks an admissions committee would want to hear.
26. Soraya: This question will be for you current students! :) So far, what are you most proud of in being a part of Kelley? How much do you think Kelley satisfy your expectation?
* Gerardo Ubaghs - Class of 2012: The best differentiator about Kelley is its truly collaborative culture. The size of the program, the true integration through the Academies and the faculty's efforts to get to know everybody and everybody's career expectations on an individual basis is truly unique. In terms of satisfying the expectation: They managed to successfully help me transition from a career in Musical Performance to a career in Investment Banking. It wouldn't have been possible if it wasn't for the unique culture the school provides.
27. Chris: On the mandatory essay ("short- and long-term goals"), how specific should I be? Is it enough to say a few career paths I'm considering, or should I pick my first choice at this point and focus on that?
* Regina Lee - Associate Director of Admissions: Chris, the essays are your opportunity to really "sell" your story. If you are unclear on a specific career path, you might share your top choices and then elaborate on what about them appeals to you and how they relate to your past experience and your larger personal and professional goals. We do not expect that everyone will have a crystal clear idea of where they are going when they enter the program. Many of our students use their time at Kelley to help solidify their career objectives.
28. Brent: To the students, can you describe a typical day during your first year vs. second year?
* Mike Frey - Class of 2012: Great question! The first semester of your first year you will be in the Core and be assigned a core team. This is typically a team of 4-5 students with diverse backgrounds that will complete all team assignments together. You will either be assigned to the morning or afternoon sections (or cohorts) so you will be in class from ~8-12 or 12-4 M-Th. I was in the morning so it was class until 12, break for lunch, and then team meetings as
necessary in the afternoon. Evenings are typically used for reading or completing individual assignments. After the Core, you get to choose electives based on your major(s) requirements. You generally take 4 different classes so you typically have 4 different teams. I would say you have a little more time 2nd year but a lot more team meetings.
29. Soraya: Given the strong curriculum Kelley has, how much opportunity/time availability for students to do extra-curricular activities, or part-time job? Would you please give me some comment on students' study-life balance?
* Juan David Bolivar - Class of 2012: Soraya, regarding the work life balance. The first semester is very time consuming because of how the Core is structured. Depending on how you prioritize and manage your time you will be able to participate in social activities but few people have a part-time job. Once you start the second semester your study-life balance improves and you start having more flexibility regarding class schedules that will allow you to participate in extra-curricular activities or even a part-time job.
30. Shubham: How much weight does the Admission committee gives to AWA score of GMAT? * Jim Holmen - Director of Admissions: Shubham, we don't assign weights to any of the criteria--we take a holistic look at each applicant. That being said, the GMAT Analytical Writing
Assessment score does not play a significant role in our evaluation of an applicant. In my years at Kelley, I can't think of a single case where an AWA score was the deciding factor in the admission or denial of an applicant.
31. Kumar: I guess the small class of 210 is further split into 3 smaller classes of 70 odd participants? How does the core curriculum involve these smaller groups together in the first semester?
* Christine Robinson- Class of 2012: You are correct; each incoming class of around 200 is split into three cohorts of roughly 70 odd students. This is great because it gives students the
opportunity to get to know the individuals within their cohort pretty well. To your point however, it is also important for you to get to know the other students in your class who are not in your cohort. There are multiple opportunities to do so, such as through social activities coordinated through the MBAA or through your Academies as you will likely have
representatives across all cohorts within your Academy.
32. Chris: How often do the summer internships turn into post-MBA full-time positions? * Timothy Smith - Senior Associate Director of Admissions: Hello Chris: I believe that, over the past few years, over half of the student body does come back with a full-time offer or are given an offer within the first few months of returning from their summer internship experience. 33. Brent: On average how many students are there in your elective classes? How does the environment differ from the Core?
* Jim Holmen - Director of Admissions: Hi Brent, our "current student chatters" all just left for class, but the average class size for electives is in the mid to upper 30s. Of course there are some specialized courses that are much smaller and a few required courses for marketing or finance majors that will be larger. For all of our classes, they tend to be collaborative and interactive. Many courses have students work in teams--just as in the core.
34. Brad Rosenwinkel - Associate Director of Admissions: We are nearing the end of our chat session and our current students had to leave for class and exams but feel free to submit any last questions you may have at this time.
* Brad Rosenwinkel - Associate Director of Admissions: You may also want to follow our admissions blog at http://kelleymbaadmissions.blogspot.com for additional tips and insight! 35. Kumar: What are the Kelley Academies?
* Regina Lee - Associate Director of Admissions: Kumar, the academies are structured, career-focused groups that prepare students to be successful in building their professional networks and preparing for life after Kelley. I think one of our students explained it very well earlier. Gerardo said, "The Academies are a great way to compliment the theoretical knowledge you acquire during classes and the efforts to facilitate job placement by the office of Career Services. They offer a practical approach to your chosen career path, provide introductions to alumni, mock interviewing, specific job interview preparation for your chosen career path and a collaborative environment to learn from your peers. They are graded, mandatory, follow an application and selection process, and are led by the Academy Directors, who are specialists within their field."
36. Brent: What sort of volunteer activities do Kelley students have access too?
* Timothy Smith - Senior Associate Director of Admissions: Hello Brent—many; both here and in the local community. I'll put you in touch with a current student regarding your question. What is your email address? Thanks!
* Brad Rosenwinkel - Associate Director of Admissions: Interview invitations can come at any point after an application is submitted. There is not a specific timeline for these invitations. We try to space them out a bit in order to allow us time to schedule all of them. Not all candidates will be invited to interview and interviews are not required, but we do try to reach out to most applicants.
38. Chris: thank you all for your time! It's been a big help!
* Brad Rosenwinkel - Associate Director of Admissions: We're glad you could join us today Chris!
39. Senthil: Please let me know the deadlines for tuition deposit and transcript submissions * Timothy Smith - Senior Associate Director of Admissions: Hello Senthil: We ask that admitted students from the first three-rounds submit their deposit by May 1st. You may apply with an unofficial transcript yet will need to submit the 'official' transcript if offered admission. 40. Soraya: Thank you very much for your time! It's very appreciated, since the only one way I can learn about you has been only through websites. :)
* Brad Rosenwinkel - Associate Director of Admissions: Thank you for joining us today Soraya! Please let us know if you have any further questions.
41. Senthil: Please let me know how many people from Ad Com read the application; what is the next stage after completion of reading...etc...
* Jim Holmen - Director of Admissions: It could be anywhere from two to half a dozen! We treat each application individually, and the path the application travels differs for each. There is more art than science in the admissions process, which makes it difficult to outline a process that is the same for each applicant.
42. Brad Rosenwinkel - Associate Director of Admissions: We have reached the end of our session for today. Please visit our website to learn more about the program and admissions process. You can also submit additional questions to [email protected] and follow our admissions blog at http://kelleymbaadmissions.blogspot.com.
* Brad Rosenwinkel - Associate Director of Admissions: You can also find a list of current student contacts on our website if you would like to connect with them. The transcript of this session will be posted to our website in the coming days. Have a great week everyone and thank you for joining us today!
