Jim Holmen, Director of Admissions and Financial Aid– Kelley School of Business

1) What’s the single most exciting development, change, or event happening at your MBA program this coming year?

We recently reimaged the traditional, full-time, two-year MBA to meet the needs of tomorrow’s prospective students while continuing to grow an alumni network of world-renowned business leaders. The Kelley Full-Time +Flex MBA Program is a traditional two-year MBA program that provides students with new opportunities and choices about how they want to complete their degree. All students will spend their first year on campus at Indiana University Bloomington. Students will continue to experience all the hallmarks of our traditional in-residence Kelley MBA, including Me, Inc., integrated core courses, Academies, global experiences, and professional development support. Students can decide at any time during their first year if they want to continue studying in-person on the Bloomington campus for their second year or finish their degree online from anywhere else in the world.

2) What 2-3 qualities, skill sets, experiences do your program value most in applicants?

At Kelley we say that our students have the talent to succeed, the humility to grow and the tenacity to persevere. As a result, through the admissions process we look for a record of academic achievement that demonstrates a capability to withstand the rigors of the classroom; a willingness to accept coaching and feedback and use it to grow and develop; and the internal strength to keep going, even in the face of struggles and setbacks. Like all programs we look for students with strong leadership, teamwork, and communication skills, but at Kelley we recognize that those skills can be gained across a wide variety of industries, as well as through volunteer and service work.

3) How does your team approach the essay portion of the application specifically? 

Application essays help us understand why a candidate is seeking an MBA in general—and a Kelley MBA in particular. More importantly, an applicant’s essays provide us with a glimpse of who they are and what’s important to them.  We want to see how an applicant’s experiences, interests, values and career plans align with what the Kelley MBA program offers. 

4) Do you have any application tips (for essays & recommendations) for MBA applicants? Are there common mistakes that applicants should try to avoid?

My biggest piece of advice is to avoid overthinking the essay questions. There aren’t any “right” answers—we’re simply trying to learn more about the applicant. Since the applicant is responding to the Admissions Committee via their essays, the essay questions sometime seem bigger (and perhaps more challenging) than they are. If the same questions had been asked informally by a friend or family member, they may have been easy to answer. With that in mind, an applicant may benefit from writing their first draft as if responding to the questions simply asked by a friend or family member. The applicant can save the file, open it a few days later and then clean-up/edit the response for the Admissions Committee. Approaching the essay questions in this way will likely result in a more authentic response than overthinking the questions and trying to create responses that one thinks a Business School Admissions Committee would want to hear. 

With respect to recommendations, it is important to ask a prospective recommender if they have the time and would be willing to write a positive letter of recommendation. The recommendation is the only outside perspective we have about an applicant’s professional experience, so we encourage applicants to have a conversation with their recommender and share with them their reasons for pursuing an MBA. It will also be helpful to provide your recommender with a copy of your resume and remind them of your experiences and accomplishments. With that information, the recommender can provide relevant examples to support their recommendation.

5) How important is standardized testing for an MBA application to Kelley, and is there a preference for GMAT, GRE, EA for your full-time program?

The full-time MBA curriculum is academically rigorous. We typically require the GMAT or GRE to help assess one’s quantitative and analytic potential. We value both exams—we do not have a preference between the GMAT or GRE (we do not accept the Executive Assessment). Candidates may apply for a waiver of the GMAT/GRE requirement and submit other evidence of their academic potential. In evaluating waiver requests, we look for strong academic achievement in prior undergraduate and graduate degree programs, with particular attention to successful completion of quantitative and analytic coursework.

6) What resources are available at your MBA program to assist with internship and full-time job opportunities?

Kelley has an excellent Graduate Career Services team made up of certified executive coaches who support our students through each phase of their internship and full-time search. We offer an innovative personal branding program, Me, Inc., that teaches students how to market themselves by highlighting their unique strengths, experiences, and goals. These resources are key differentiators for our students, especially those looking to switch careers, and are complemented by the Kelley School’s impressive alumni network (over 133,000 living Kelley School of Business alums worldwide) that supports current students and graduates as they advance their careers.

7) What is the one aspect of your program that you wish applicants knew more about?

I wish applicants knew more about our MBA Academies and the advantages they offer our students. Academies are part of our experiential learning approach and are designed to provide full-time MBA students with hands-on, immersive opportunities to develop their leadership and business skills in specific areas. Each academy focuses on a distinct business discipline and provides students with real-world experience, networking opportunities, and expertise that aligns with their career goals. We offer the following Career Foundation Academies: Business Marketing, Business Operations and Innovation, Capital Markets, Consulting, Consumer Marketing, and Strategic Finance.

8) Fun Fact about Kelley— such as where is a favorite hangout for your MBA students?

Kelley MBA students work hard, have fun, and support the local community during their two years in Bloomington. As an example, each year the Kelley Women in Business Club hosts an annual Faculty-Student Charity Auction. Faculty, staff and student bid on unique experiences and items offered by members of the Kelley Community. This year’s lively auction at The Bluebird nightclub raised over $16,000 for The Boys & Girls Club of Bloomington.