Kelley Online MBA Thoughts
I was recently admitted into the Kelley online MBA program and just finished the in person experience for the program. It was roughly 5 days long I will give my thoughts for those who may consider applying. I’ll provide my thoughts in answers to questions based on the broader questions or topics many people ask
Is their #1 online ranking justified?
Absolutely.
Kelley MBA has completely mastered the online MBA program by utilizing the on campus portion.
You meet and develop real and long lasting relationships with the full time faculty ( who are also your professors) and your classmates who work in many different industries. They intentionally put you in a pressure cooker where you almost have to rely on strangers so much so they become your friends after 6 days.
Does the Online MBA dilute the MBA/ experience?
maybe other online programs, I cannot speak to them, however at Kelley , it absolutely does not. You don’t get exactly what the full time program gets (understandable of course ) however you get a uniquely crafted experience with the added benefit of keeping your job :) . What you realize quickly is that online programs may not offer you mba internships or recruiting opportunities but Kelley realizes that the network itself is the opportunity. So they give you every opportunity to make meaningful connections.
They offer career coaches for life, your own unique job portal for the online people only as well ambassadors who have connections to industries you would like to pursue. One example is I met my classmate during this experience and we both tried to work at each others jobs & applied for them. Needless to say once we got home we relentlessly advocated for one another with success!
Is this program worth it in comparison to T7 T15 full time programs?
People on Reddit will come on here and tell you something is not worth it while giving you advice like wait and go to a top 5 b school anything outside of that is a waste of time.
Please people of Reddit. Do not listen to them. Something having worth is specific to you as a person.
If you want an excellent B school, a very large network ( which is a metric of success) , at a decent price , then the Kelley online program is absolutely worth it.
For the people who say you need more experience, do not let them deter you, they are forgetting that you are going to school with people who can and literally will advocate for you aggressively in any space in which “ years of experience “ hardly matters as long as you can do the work.
Access does not determine outcomes, but access will get you in the door.
Examine what is worth it to you, and make that decision, do not let a stranger on this app define what things are valuable or worthy of consideration, you define that.
Biases & things to note
I am what you consider an opportunist / strategic networker.
For the 5 days of the on campus experience, I was extremely tactical in all the conversations I had to squeeze out as much value as possible, intentionally. I cannot guarantee that everyone will have the same experience as me. I developed really good relationships with the full time faculty, I’ve made long lasting friendships, formed meet up groups in cities around me and was able to have two interviews directly after the event because of the conversations I had with people. This was my experience & it may not be universal.
I made the experience worth it however my experience was something I created , it won’t be handed to you , as everyone should know.
I don’t believe this program is better or worse then any program , however I do know that their metrics of success are legitimate, people do report high remarks of satisfactions , raises , successful career pivots legitimately. I know that if you were to choose Kelley direct online MBA, you won’t regret the decision. It is different, the only way to take advantage is to embrace the difference!