Business Management Online

Hey Kelley Direct!!

I hope this blog finds you well. My name is Emery Jordan, and I am a first year student in the Master of Business Administration/Masters of Strategy Management program. I, actually, also work at Indiana University in the department of Residential Programs and Services as a Residence Manager.  In this role, I directly and/or indirectly supervisor close to 40 people, a budget of $4 million, and creating a positive healthy living environment for the residents of my area.

I actually already have Master’s degree in Higher Education Administration, along with a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science. I decided to go back to get my MBA at Kelley for a few reasons. First, I had always dreamed of getting an MBA – but my career path dictated a different initial Master’s degree. Since I worked at one of the best MBA granting institution in the country – I figured it was a no brainer to try to get on from here.

Second, the online KD program is really convenient for my lifestyle. I am also married with two wonderful children – Jalen (2 years old) and Gabriella (11 months old). So, having the flexibility to do work at my own pace during a week was extremely important. Moreover, my job is very time demanding at different times of the year for long stretches – so the added flexibility was a necessity.

Finally, I really believe that getting an MBA would help me in any career that I was interested in. Working in higher education now, it gives me a great foundation for understanding how to apply business principles in this field. While the natural ties between the business world and higher education are hidden, we are work with millions of dollars, plan for the long term future of an organization, and/or deal with supervision of several people and groups of people, among other things – all business issues. Moreover, I really loved the options that it gave me for working outside of the field of higher education. I am really starting to understand myself and my interests much better through the lens of this experience.

Outside of MBA stuff, I am an avid reader and athlete. I especially love weightlifting and basketball – they do a good job of helping me work off some of the desserts that I love to eat. As for reading, I love business management texts – and I’m sure that I talk about them a lot in the blog, I’m always reading something.

Well, this is my first ever blog and it was fun. I look forward to sharing my experience with you all out there in internet land…

Catch you later, KD.

Nothing can really prepare you for the first bill you get when finally start your MBA program.  It is a time of thoughtful reflection for sure as you work through the loan paperwork or dip into hard earned savings.  However, as I was recently paying that first bill of mine, I realized that my experience in Kelley Direct was already starting to pay off. 

After a very long, but engaging week at my first in-residence (C511 Organizational Development and Change), I returned to work to find a number of projects and assignments in a state of disarray, including a very large project where I am the technical adviser and a key stakeholder.  Initially dismayed at missing a week and seeing such an important project fall even further behind, I met with some other members of the steering committee to see what needed to be done to get things back on track.  As we began to discuss the issues, it was quite an exciting feeling to realize that the tactics and strategies I had just learned about from Prof. Sheri Fella were very applicable to my current dilemma.  And, instead of continuing down what would very likely have been a path of failure, I was able to apply the techniques Prof. Fella had shared with us to the change process this project was trying to manage.  Long story short, instead of weeks, even months, of fruitless work, mounting frustrations, and loss of interest, I was able to diagnose and recommend actions that have immediately put the project back on track, renewed interest and energized the project team, saving us a significant amount of time and money.

Why was I able to have this impact?  At Kelley Direct, you learn from the best faculty of any business university online.  Not only do they really know the academic side of business, but they have amazing real world experience.  Sure, I could have chosen another part time MBA college at a fraction of the cost and likely have covered the same theories and subject matter.  But world-class faculty make a difference, and that is where Kelley Direct has really distinguished themselves from other online MBA colleges.  Prof. Fella was not only one of the most engaging instructors I have ever had, she was excellent at making sure we all understood how to take the material she was presenting and turn it into something concrete and actionable.  Being able to immediately act on what you are learning is definitely key to making it pay, and is why I am glad I chose Kelley Direct.  Plus, paying that first bill was a lot easier knowing that I had already used what I had learned to save my organization time and money, earning some much valued career credits along the way.

The Kelley Direct Online MBA program (unlike many other Distance MBA Programs) requires applicants to take the GMAT (Graduate Management Admissions Test).  It is a critical portion of your application for a couple of reasons.

The first is that it is one of the few portions of your application that you can control.  You cannot change your undergraduate transcripts (unless you have deep pockets, know the registrar and have no morals - if this is you, please apply elsewhere; the Kelley School doesn't need you).  You can't change your work history or your accomplishments.  Your GMAT score is something you can control. 

The second is that it your score is important.  I lost count of how many times the faculty mentioned our cohort's GMAT average (it climbed 10 points from the previous year).  Your score is not everything, but it is something.  The GMAT is an objective measure about how you perform against your peers.  Don't get me wrong, I have yet to be asked in any of my MBA classes a standard GMAT work rate question.  But, it shows that you have the motivation to learn (re-learn?) skills and apply them in a time-constrained environment.  Further, it demonstrates to the admissions staff that you have the ability to operate autonomously (which is what an Online Masters in Business requires).

So what do you do?  Buy a book.  Get on Amazon.com and buy ONE study guide (I used the official GMAT book, but I think any would do).  Start going through the practice problems.  Identify ones you are struggling with (work problems, for example).  If your book doesn't do a good job of explaining how to solve them, search for additional resources online.  There are (literally) hundreds of free sites with additional practice problems, tricks on how to solve different types of problems, and strategies for the exam itself.  Once you are confident, take one of the two practice tests that the GMAC (the folks that run the GMAT) provides when you sign up for the test.  This will give you a good judge of how you are progressing.

Then, keep practicing.  I say that because I was reviewing practice questions the morning of the exam and one that I reviewed was almost identical to a problem on the actual test.

So, study up.  Remember that no one cares that you will can figure out the amount of water in a cylinder that is 4 feet high, has a diameter of 2 feet and is 60 percent full.  What they do care about is that you are motivated enough to a) prove that you are smart enough to learn it b) demonstrate that you can learn it on your own and c) prove that you have learned it in the form of a standardized test.  It is these characteristics that separate Kelley Direct students from those enrolled at other online distance MBA programs.

Whenever I speak with prospective students I get the question, "What are you looking for in a successful application?"  I always appreciate this question as it allows me to have a dialog with the prospective student about what the Kelley School of Business expects from it's students and just as important, what they should expect from the Kelley School of Business.  Selecting an online MBA/MS program is a two way street and we understand it is just as important for you to evaluate us as it is for us to evaluate you.  With that being said, here is insight into the Admissions Review Committee's expectations from our future online MBA/MS students:

We review the transcripts from your degree programs.  We look at the courses you took and how you performed in your upper level courses.  You are not disadvantaged if you haven't taken any business courses in your previous degrees.  We look at overall quality and improvement in performance.  We do encourage our students who have not had an accounting or statistics course within the last 5 years with a B or higher to take our accounting and statistics Primers.  These two foundation courses will help you achieve success in your courses.

We review your years of work experience, types of positions you have held and look for upward mobility within your resume.  If you haven't been promoted, you can strengthen your application by taking on additional responsibilities within your current position. With this, we read your letters of reference to add value to experiences and help us understand what value you will add to our incoming cohort.

We review your complete GMAT score.  We look at quantitative and verbal scores as well as when you took the GMAT and how often.  Our average GMAT is usually around 630.  Although the GMAT is not the only aspect of the application we evaluate, it is an important component.  Please study and prepare before you take the GMAT.  We find too many students go into the test without preparation and are disappointed with their scores.  This is the part of your application you have the most control over, please take it seriously.  It is not unusual for us to see a strong application but a weak GMAT.  Often times, we may ask an applicant to retake the GMAT for further consideration.


Finally, we review the application itself, including your personal statement.  This is where you get to sell yourself to the committee.  We want you to tell us what we don't know about you from reading the rest of your application.  Why do you want your MBA/MS degree and how will earning it online assist you in reaching your goals? This is also an opportunity to demonstrate your writing skills, so please proof read before submitting.

Again, you are not alone during this process. Our staff are here to assist you through the application process.  We believe the Kelley School of Business offers the best distance MBA and MS programs and want you to be prepared to enter into this new stage in your life.  Earning your MBA/MS online will require time management, commitment to studying, and putting your best foot forward.  Your application should be no different. 

If you have any other questions about any of our online MBA/MS requirements, please feel free to contact us at kdirect@indiana.edu

Welcome my first Kelley Direct blog post. I thought it would be best to talk about our world-renowned degree and a little bit about our history.

Kelley Direct's distance MBA programs began in 1999 as an innovative way to provide the opportunity to earn a Kelley graduate degree for high-caliber working professionals no matter where they work or live.
As one of the top online MBA programs, Kelley Direct offers the highest quality AACSB accredited online MBA available today. In fact, Kelley Direct is the only top 20 business school that offers an online MBA, online degree in finance, and online degree in global supply chain management.

I will talk about our faculty in more depth in a future post but one of the things that makes the Kelley School of Business so highly ranked in our top flight and award winning faculty. Kelley Direct courses are taught by Kelley faculty; the same faculty that teach in the Full-Time and Evening MBA programs.

We consider ourselves to be leaders in business education online, and over 800 students have already earned a Kelley degree through Kelley Direct. Check out this video if you want to learn more.