I wanted to post this because during my four years at Kelley the game of getting into Kelley Honors has changed dramatically and I think it makes the advice of some students just a little bit older than you a bit irrelevant.
When I entered Kelley in 2011, the average GPA of my DA class was 1299. I was told to get a 3.7+ GPA, a leadership position, and write a good essay, and chances are i’ll get accepted to Kelley Honors. I padded my GPA with easy classes, got involved, and got into Kelley Honors. Though I never saw actual statistics, the general consensus was that most students who met the 3.7 requirement and had good involvement would be accepted to Kelley Honors. It wasn’t considered to be that difficult.
After working with freshman the last three years, I can say the Kelley Honors process has become incredibly more competitive than the one I went through. I attribute it to the following reasons.
Kelley students are getting smarter every year. My class (Fall 2011) had an average SAT score of 1299. Fall 2014 had 1375. Dean Kesner has said that she thinks Fall 2015 will be very close to 1400. This brings in more quality students to compete with.
The new ACE program takes up 75 spots in Kelley Honors. Traditionally there have been 120 Kelley Honors students, and all (except 10 Kelley scholars) had to be admitted after freshman year. Now, 75 students come in as freshman with guaranteed admission to Kelley Honors.
The interview process. When I applied you could hide behind a resume and essay, but now you have to demonstrate your softer skills in order to be admitted.
This year Kelley Honors interviewed over 320 students for the leftover spots after the ACE Program. If they don’t expand the program then that’s 320 students applying for 45 or so spots.
My advice to someone coming in who wants to get into Kelley Honors would be to really think about what classes you’re taking. I didn’t take M119 or M118 freshman year for the sake of my GPA. I did take A201, X201, and some other challenging classes that I was more confident I could get As in. I imagine the non-ACE students who get into Kelley Honors will be very close to 4.0.
Just as important, make a plan for getting involved the first week of freshman year. Kelley Honors students are involved in many different things so there’s no one ‘best’ thing to be involved in, but you have to be doing something outside of the classroom.
I have to say the ACE program really grinds on many Kelley kids (myself included) for the reason you mention.
A friend of mine is an ACE kid who is certainly smart, but went to a tiny Indiana HS with few APs, was valedictorian, and had a great, but not stellar ACT score (same as me). Since IU cares more about HS GPAs than they do about test scores, he got into ACE. His Freshman year GPA and involvement would not even come close to getting him considered for Kelley Honors now, but there he is, sitting in a spot arguably more deserved by someone else. I have to say that the ACE kids I have been in class with so far have not impressed me all that much, so I fail to see why they get the free pass.
I think it’s completely unfair to base an admission to a top 10% Business Honors program on someone’s High School performance. I have no doubt many if not most ACE kids would probably stand a good chance of getting into Kelley Honors anyway, but knowing how competitive and tough my high school was compared to my friend’s, it does tend to grind on me that IU somehow feels he is more deserving.
If I don’t get Kelley Honors, I will be even more pissed as the I-Core experience I have heard about is clearly better.
IMO ACE is 100% about recruiting kids to Kelley. Nobody is going to decide not come to Kelley because ACE exists and it makes Kelley more appealing to the students that get offered it.
Kind of disappointing to hear that ACE is a guarantee to Kelley honors. Kelley has always struck me as highly merit driven for spots in its special workshops/honors, etc and based on work done almost entirely at IUB. Makes me think that, since Kelley is so popular nationally and it draws increasingly higher achieving students now, that Kelley has created a back door for Indiana students to get into Kelly honors rather than seeing the Indiana numbers drop drastically and causing “political” problems with people in Indiana. I know a some of the Kelley scholars from my son’s entering freshman class (2008) were not necessarily great students, with some of them even transferring out of IUB.
We were told at the info sessions this year that they were going to accept about half of the applicants. Does anyone know if this has changed? Is the 45 people an accurate estimation?
Does taking classes like A201 impact the application? I also got an A+ in A100 and E201. Does this matter or do they look at GPA only (mine is above a 3.8)? I’m also involved in student government and other clubs. I’m anxiously waiting for a decision on my application! Thanks.
I don’t know how many students the will accept. I was going off prior class sizes. In my class, the acceptance email said accepted 130 out of 230 applicants. We had 143 students enrolled in honors I-Core though so i’m not sure where the extra 13 students came from (I suppose 10 would be Kelley Scholars?).
For a liberal estimate though lets say they take 150, which is the most they could really have and still do Honors I-Core as it currently exists. 75 of those spots will go to ACE students, leaving 75 more spots for the rest of the applicants. This year 360 students went through the interview process. They may make this years class slightly bigger, but I’d say there’s practically no chance they take 180 of those additional applicants. Of course not all of those 360 will end up making the 3.7.
Are the ACE students automatically slotted into Honors or do they at least need to achieve a 3.7 GPA freshman year to ensure their spot? If so, a few more spots open up because some ACE students might not make the GPA.
I am one of those 360 applicants and now I am actually kind of worried about not getting into the program if there are only 75 spots for us non ACE students. I am a SA, so during my first semester I focused on getting into Kelley and didn’t involve myself in too many activities (treasurer for my floor at my dorm, and a job at the library’s accounting department where I work about 18 hours a week, which leaves no time for me to join any other clubs). Then I got into Kelley successfully after fall semester (I took all the required classes during my fall semester and brought in credits from AP exams). And last semester I joined BAP and became a peer tutor for K201 and A100 (and all my other previous commitments) and ended the year with a 3.884. So I guess I am not really worried about my academics because it is a least on par.
I think I did decently well for my essays and my interview. Now my only concern is my leadership experience, since my only leadership experience was when I was in the army and I didn’t have time to get a leadership position at different clubs.
I understand that there is nothing more I can do at this moment, but I am still curious about my chances with the program with such a large applicant pool (I bet there are tons of 4.0s…). Thanks in advance.
I don’t think anyone can tell you what your chances are, but that doesn’t sound like bad involvement for a freshman. BAP, K201 & A100 peer tutor, and floor government is pretty good for a freshman, especially since you were also working.
I know it seems really important now, but know that a lot of students are very successful in Kelley even without being in the Honors program.
Thanks for the great information! I got into the ACE program, and it definitely sealed the deal on my decision. I might have gone somewhere else if I didn’t get into ACE. Having said that, does anyone know how the block of K204 and C106 works? Are both of these classes in first semester? I have orientation in about 3 weeks, and I am trying to plan a complete schedule.
Don’t be obsessed with Kelley Honors. While it does offer the advantage of higher grades in honors I-core and the connection with a mentor, I am not sure if it is that critical in the overall scheme of things. If you are really good, explore a few useful courses such as G345, G303, K353, or F228 as early as possible and do well in A311 during the 3rd semester. You will have a clear view on how to prepare for your career path including a double major in Kelley. And, your workshop interviewer(s) will be impressed.
If you are lucky to get into the Kelley honors program, pick your mentor wisely as he/she may help you to connect with other upperclassmen.
“It is our pleasure to inform you that you have been accepted into the Kelley School of Business Honors Program. We congratulate you on this notable achievement. Moreover, we received over 360 exemplary applications this year, but were only able to accept about forty percent of them.”
What I don’t know is if IU is including the 75 ACE kids into the 360 number, or if that’s 360 on top of the 75 ACE kids. In any case, there’s no doubt that Kelley Honors is still limited to about 140 kids per year.
The ACE kids I know did not have to fill out the application or go to the group interviews… they reportedly already did something similar for the ACE program.
I got into Kelley Honors too! I got my e-mail about an hour after IUBOOS’s post.
I was freaking out during that hour as both of my friends have already gotten their e-mails and I thought that maybe the Honors office forgot about me.
But anyways, I am absolutely thrilled to be accepted into the program (especially since there were so many applicants) and look forward to Honors I-Core in the future.
Succeeding in Kelley as a Freshman just requires focus. IU is a great place to get lost in distractions if you’re not careful. Do get involved though, as that’s the biggest benefit of going to such a big school IMHO.
Since I note that you are in the ACE program, I do have one bit of friendly advice - don’t get cocky.
A friend of mine in the ACE program last year got a nasty surprise when they discovered college was not quite as easy as their high school experience. They were the typical ACE kid - valedictorian, leader, good test scores, etc. The problem was that they came from a small Indiana HS and weren’t as prepared for the type-A college experience that is Kelley. In the end they did great because they were bright, motivated, and asked for help while working their tail off, but it was an eye-opener for them getting a B first semester after sailing through high school with straight A’s.
Given that you’re on this board looking for advice, you’ll be fine.
@IUBOOS Thanks for the advice. I think adjusting to college will definitely take some getting used to. Even in AP classes, it was pretty easy to give minimal effort and still do well. I am ready to work in college though, so hopefully it will all work out
Thanks! and if you still want to hear my advice, here it goes.
I think setting your priorities straight is the most important thing in college. I am not saying you should study your butt off all the time, but do understand what matters the most and avoid temptations and distractions (there is a lot). And I agree with IUBOOS, do not get cocky just because you are a DA and are in the ACE program. I saw a lot of people on my floor (who were DAs) plummeted in grades simply because they underestimated college classes and partied way too much (again, don’t get me wrong. Go to parties and have fun, but know when to stop)
I am an international student and a SA, so it took me longer and more effort to achieve where I am now. So don’t throw away what you already have!
@chwu60 Thanks. I’m not much of a partier, but I am definitely looking forward to going to football and basketball games, playing club and intramural sports, and spending time with friends. I could definitely see myself and others getting overconfident, so I will try to work hard and avoid that.
