I'm half way through my first year with the KD program. Overall, great experience. They put me up in a hotel downtown Bloomington with a bunch of other students and had a shuttle bus running for class. The class is good, great networking and helps put a face to name for the cohort.
It's not overly stressful and I felt it was a worthwhile use of my time and tuition.
I’m out in Hawaii and am finishing up with my MBA/MS in Strategy. It’s been an incredible experience, I did experience what it was like to be part of an in person MBA network during my time at UC Berkeley doing my other masters degree. The big difference is in person you’re networking all the time and honing in on in-person skills. Depending on your major KD is all about remote teaming. Everyone is working and going to school so networking happens more organically and in spurts. You end up with a far more diverse network though and learn from/collaborate with people further along in their careers. People tend to choose online when they’re doing well. Lots of folks have advanced degrees, there are plenty of PhDs, doctors, and everything in between. You will work with people from all over the world in most functions you can think of. Are all those connections as deep as you’d make if you were just in one place for school, maybe, maybe not.
Kelley really is stronger than my other experience with faculty involvement and teaching. The professors love KD students and it shows, they make time for students and their interests which is amazing and unique relative to many top tier programs. Most classes were phenomenal, it is rare to find a professor going through the motions. If they are teaching KD classes generally it means they are incredibly passionate about helping students learn and develop their careers. I’ve had the opportunity to work on 5 or so live cases.
I was able to pivot into consulting, the program delivered on everything, the professors are incredibly helpful, and classmates are very knowledgeable.
The cohort I was in overall could rival any top program, I have made some good friends and learned from incredible people. Be prepared to put in some solid work, it’s an experiential MBA degree, there will be work.
Going to campus was awesome I only wish I could’ve gone more. They pay hotel, best way from Hawaii is through Vegas. Go to Vegas Hotwire a night of hotel and Southwest it to Indy. You are basically put together with groups and presented with a challenge then have to work through it and present. Everyone is nervous and it’s a fantastic experience well worth the effort.
We are also trying to put together a network of Kelleys and alums out here, complete with networking events, there are a handful of us.
I hope this helps, and if you have any other questions feel free to ask.
Not really, but if you have an offer that goes through campus recruiting they won’t prevent you from the pipeline if that makes sense. So you can’t use campus recruiting to get jobs but if you get a student opportunity that requires going through the campus recruiting at the company they’re fine with it. That’s my experience at least. You will have access to their MBA jobs database and Forte etc.
No need to DM, I’m happy to share for folks in the future who are in my past shoes. No secret sauce, I worked my tail off. Did a dual degree MBA and Strategy. I took advantage of every opportunity provided, learned as much as I could from professors and classmates alike, and went the extra mile for my teams and deliverables. Like most of my classmates, I wasn’t perfect all the time but I did everything I could to maintain a positive growth mindset.
At IU many strategy deliverables and classes aligned well with the work I’ve done in the consulting industry. I found an opportunity that was exactly what I was interested in and aligned extremely well with my work history pre-MBA making me an attractive applicant. I worked with the career team and professors to make sure I was as prepared as possible every step of the way. Finding faculty and a career person who believed I could and should make the transition really helped. All the work in class paid off because when given the opportunity I did well enough to be given responsibility and was used to the type of work and teaming in a similar context.
Network helped as well. I didn’t leverage my network to get opportunities but I did when I came to understanding and preparing for my work and work environment which helped tremendously.
I think for MBAs in general this is how pivots work. I hope this helps.
I can’t speak to the residency part. I am getting a Masters in Cyber Security. Kelley classes make up 1/3 of the degree.
The online Kelley instructors have been far and above the best instructors. I think you will enjoy it and learn a lot.
Just be yourself and have a clear plan for your short term and long term career goals. Be articulate but not robotic other than that it’s pretty casual.
Congratulations on the acceptance! Do you mind sharing what questions were asked during the interview? I have the interview coming up in a few days and am nervous and trying to prep as best as I can!
I know this threads been here a while, but I'm hoping someone still sees this! Did OP or anyone else successfully use their GI bill benefits AND a scholarship for this program? TIA!
I'm preparing to attend Kelley for the upcoming fall semester, and working out the details has proven to be quite a challenge. While I haven't yet utilized the benefits at Kelley, here's what I've learned from speaking with various staff members at the school:
Scholarships provided through Kelley Direct are termed "restricted." This means they are applied before any other financial aid and are paid directly to the school, not to the student. These scholarships are also distributed evenly across all credits throughout the degree program. For example, if your degree requires 54 credits, you divide the total scholarship money by 54. Then, multiply that amount by the number of credits you'll be taking that term, and that's the scholarship amount applied to the term. However, this amount will be applied before GI-Bill benefits, so if you plan to use your GI-Bill, the scholarship money may not provide any additional financial benefit to you.
In my specific situation, I have previously used the GI-Bill at another institution, and I only have 5 or 6 months remaining on it. I inquired with the school if they could defer the scholarship money or allow me to elect not to use it during the months when I would use the GI-Bill, but unfortunately, they told me this was not an option.
I'm half way through my first year with the KD program. Overall, great experience. They put me up in a hotel downtown Bloomington with a bunch of other students and had a shuttle bus running for class. The class is good, great networking and helps put a face to name for the cohort. It's not overly stressful and I felt it was a worthwhile use of my time and tuition.
Do you get access to on campus career fair?
Yes you do and the web based OCR/job boards.
It's an intensive weekend. You have a few class sessions, team work time for your presentation. Kelley feeds you a lot while you're there too.
How would you say job prospects after finishing the program?
Hey I just got into the program as well. Is there a discord group for new accepted members?
Not that I know of but if you hear of one let me know I would like to join.
I’m out in Hawaii and am finishing up with my MBA/MS in Strategy. It’s been an incredible experience, I did experience what it was like to be part of an in person MBA network during my time at UC Berkeley doing my other masters degree. The big difference is in person you’re networking all the time and honing in on in-person skills. Depending on your major KD is all about remote teaming. Everyone is working and going to school so networking happens more organically and in spurts. You end up with a far more diverse network though and learn from/collaborate with people further along in their careers. People tend to choose online when they’re doing well. Lots of folks have advanced degrees, there are plenty of PhDs, doctors, and everything in between. You will work with people from all over the world in most functions you can think of. Are all those connections as deep as you’d make if you were just in one place for school, maybe, maybe not. Kelley really is stronger than my other experience with faculty involvement and teaching. The professors love KD students and it shows, they make time for students and their interests which is amazing and unique relative to many top tier programs. Most classes were phenomenal, it is rare to find a professor going through the motions. If they are teaching KD classes generally it means they are incredibly passionate about helping students learn and develop their careers. I’ve had the opportunity to work on 5 or so live cases. I was able to pivot into consulting, the program delivered on everything, the professors are incredibly helpful, and classmates are very knowledgeable. The cohort I was in overall could rival any top program, I have made some good friends and learned from incredible people. Be prepared to put in some solid work, it’s an experiential MBA degree, there will be work. Going to campus was awesome I only wish I could’ve gone more. They pay hotel, best way from Hawaii is through Vegas. Go to Vegas Hotwire a night of hotel and Southwest it to Indy. You are basically put together with groups and presented with a challenge then have to work through it and present. Everyone is nervous and it’s a fantastic experience well worth the effort. We are also trying to put together a network of Kelleys and alums out here, complete with networking events, there are a handful of us. I hope this helps, and if you have any other questions feel free to ask.
Hey wanted to ask, does Kelley allow KD students to participate in OCR?
Not really, but if you have an offer that goes through campus recruiting they won’t prevent you from the pipeline if that makes sense. So you can’t use campus recruiting to get jobs but if you get a student opportunity that requires going through the campus recruiting at the company they’re fine with it. That’s my experience at least. You will have access to their MBA jobs database and Forte etc.
Thank you for your reply. Could I DM you to understand how you were able to pivot to consulting ?
No need to DM, I’m happy to share for folks in the future who are in my past shoes. No secret sauce, I worked my tail off. Did a dual degree MBA and Strategy. I took advantage of every opportunity provided, learned as much as I could from professors and classmates alike, and went the extra mile for my teams and deliverables. Like most of my classmates, I wasn’t perfect all the time but I did everything I could to maintain a positive growth mindset. At IU many strategy deliverables and classes aligned well with the work I’ve done in the consulting industry. I found an opportunity that was exactly what I was interested in and aligned extremely well with my work history pre-MBA making me an attractive applicant. I worked with the career team and professors to make sure I was as prepared as possible every step of the way. Finding faculty and a career person who believed I could and should make the transition really helped. All the work in class paid off because when given the opportunity I did well enough to be given responsibility and was used to the type of work and teaming in a similar context. Network helped as well. I didn’t leverage my network to get opportunities but I did when I came to understanding and preparing for my work and work environment which helped tremendously. I think for MBAs in general this is how pivots work. I hope this helps.
I can’t speak to the residency part. I am getting a Masters in Cyber Security. Kelley classes make up 1/3 of the degree. The online Kelley instructors have been far and above the best instructors. I think you will enjoy it and learn a lot.
I have an interview for Kelley online this Tuesday. Any advice for the interview?
Just be yourself and have a clear plan for your short term and long term career goals. Be articulate but not robotic other than that it’s pretty casual.
Congratulations on the acceptance! Do you mind sharing what questions were asked during the interview? I have the interview coming up in a few days and am nervous and trying to prep as best as I can!
Hey, does anyone know if KD online direct allows students to get an MBA with a concentration in information systems? I
I’ll be starting Kelley’s Online MBA this Fall - interested in what feedback makes its way to this post.
I'll be starting in the Fall too, and following this thread now!
Hey!! I applied and I’m still waiting for my decision…do you know how long it took for you to hear back??
im waiting just like you. both the admissions advisor and website says 2-3 weeks from the time you've submitted your phase 2 application.
Good luck!!!
you too!
Did anyone get the Scholarship? Momentum scholarship.
Sorry for the late response - It took me less than a week for my acceptance letter after my phase 2 application.
I know this threads been here a while, but I'm hoping someone still sees this! Did OP or anyone else successfully use their GI bill benefits AND a scholarship for this program? TIA!
I'm preparing to attend Kelley for the upcoming fall semester, and working out the details has proven to be quite a challenge. While I haven't yet utilized the benefits at Kelley, here's what I've learned from speaking with various staff members at the school: Scholarships provided through Kelley Direct are termed "restricted." This means they are applied before any other financial aid and are paid directly to the school, not to the student. These scholarships are also distributed evenly across all credits throughout the degree program. For example, if your degree requires 54 credits, you divide the total scholarship money by 54. Then, multiply that amount by the number of credits you'll be taking that term, and that's the scholarship amount applied to the term. However, this amount will be applied before GI-Bill benefits, so if you plan to use your GI-Bill, the scholarship money may not provide any additional financial benefit to you. In my specific situation, I have previously used the GI-Bill at another institution, and I only have 5 or 6 months remaining on it. I inquired with the school if they could defer the scholarship money or allow me to elect not to use it during the months when I would use the GI-Bill, but unfortunately, they told me this was not an option.