The truth about Kelley School of Business

Colleges and Universities A-Z Indiana University - Bloomington
1

As a brief background of myself I am currently a sophomore at IU Bloomington attending Kelley as a Direct Admit from high school.
Based on my findings, standard admission into Kelley is extremely hard and can feel almost impossible for some people who are aiming for it, MOST DO NOT GET ADMITTED DUE TO THE ADMISSION PROCESS AND CLASSES BEING SO DIFFICULT.
To put it in perspective, even as a direct admit, the classes were so hard, that had I been aiming for standard admission, I would NOT be admitted into Kelley because my grades and GPA were too low to meet requirements, even though I was a direct admit

What I have witnessed concerning the admission process for those who have not gained direct admission and wish to gain entry as a standard admit have confounded me and contradicted EVERYTHING that I thought standard admission would be like based on my observations of and conversations with people who wish to gain standard admission.
Initially, my expectations were that standard admission, on paper, was a simple process of simply achieving above a B- in every class and a 3.5 GPA and then gaining entry, however, those who were able to achieve such requisites in high school will find IU COMPLETELY DIFFERENT The classes at IU that are perquisites to standard admission are not like ANYTHING I have encountered in high school, even AP or more advanced classes, there are numerous classes that one must take that are extremely rigorous.
Even for me as a direct admit, as my GPA in high school was above a 4.0, my GPA at IU for first year ended at around a 3.4, and considering the density of the curriculum and difficulty of the courses, I considered myself fortunate to get even that GPA. Considering GPA alone, this would not be enough and would eliminate one’s chances of standard admission into Kelley. In fact, I actually ended up with B- and cut it very close to B- in several classes. Classes such as Finite Math are NEAR IMPOSSIBLE for some people and I know some who have failed the class as many as SIX TIMES or not being able to graduate. So with that being considered, its even worse to try to get above a B-, which is REQUIRED for standard admission.
And that’s JUST ONE CLASS, the other classes required- Microeconomics, Calculus, Computer in Business, Accounting, and others, ALL HAVE NIGHTMARE STORIES OF THEIR OWN I have heard people say that Kelley MAKES YOUR LIFE HELL if you try to get admitted as a standard admit.

Even the teachers make remarks in class and reassure students about how hard it was, I know my finite teacher actually quoted, “I know this is the most hated math class in the entire IU”.

Please bear in mind that some people still are able to, but most people end up failing and not coming anywhere close to getting admitted, it personally has upset me greatly to see all of the people who have had their dreams ruined not being admitted to this school. If you are going to go for it, please prepare yourself for getting through a year that will be the toughest you may ever encounter and where reaching one’s goals may seem excessively demanding or seemingly impossible at times .Even as a direct admit, checking grades and getting through at times made me very apprehensive and overanxious If you are expecting an easy year or do not expect to put your entire life into the process, I would advise you to stay away from PreBusiness at IU by all means, especially if you have gotten accepted to other schools that are easier to go to, otherwise if you are willing to take the huge chance and pay expensive out of state tuition for it, be my guest.

1 Like
2

Admission to Kelley is getting more competitive each year as incoming freshmen classes are coming in with higher GPAs and higher ACT/SAT scores, but that doesn’t mean the standard admission route is as difficult as you make it out to be. Standard admission into Kelley is largely based on academic performance. Direct admission requirements are generally around a 30+ ACT and 3.7+ GPA, however these requirements are the bare-minimum. As admission becomes more competitive, meeting but not exceeding these requirements simply isn’t enough. Standard admit students who either met but did not exceed or came close to direct admission criteria might have a hard time trying to get into Kelley, but the process isn’t overly difficult. While there are many horror stories about Finite, Microeconomics, and A100, it’s important to know your demographic. Are the people doing poorly on their exams putting in enough work to begin with? Are they showing up to class everyday? Are they doing their required readings and completing their homework? Are they seeking help when they need it? While I don’t doubt there are students who study hours for their exams, show up to class everyday, do all their homework, and still don’t do as well as they hoped they would, I bet there are more students who didn’t focus on their classes enough and came in with unrealistic expectations of how difficult it would really be for them.

3

The fact of the matter is that today’s high schools generally don’t prepare you for college. The biggest difference is in college most learning is done on your own and not in class. That’s why office hours, tutoring and work outside of class are so important. But few students get that until it’s too late. Students who figure it out early and put in the extra work will be fine.

1 Like
4

I agree with the comments above. My son got in through the standard process a few years ago; today his GPA is higher than many direct admits because he had to work hard from the beginning. He did this while pledging a fraternity so you do have time for social activities as well. You have realize that this isn’t high school and your previous study habits probably aren’t going to get you by. That being said, it’s very important to be judicious in the classes you choose to take your freshman year. For the gen eds, review the grade distribution and make sure you’re choosing a class with a high percentage of A’s and B’s. Choose these classes based on if they’ll improve your GPA. W131 and K201 are very doable classes, just put in the work and ask for help. The math and economics classes are probably the most difficult. Consider taking one of the math classes the summer before your freshman year at a local college and transfer it in. A100 is doable if you review old exams to understand ahead of time the format of the questions you’ll be seeing. When selecting classes your freshman year, just take the minimum needed to meet the Kelley requirements and save some the more difficult ones for after you’ve been admitted to Kelley.

5

I think you came in with unrealistic expectations of what it takes to succeed in college. You really don’t have to be that smart to get through high school (even some AP classes) with next to 0 studying outside of completing assigned homework. I would say the majority of students in Kelley have at least that level of intelligence.

But I’ve yet to meet someone who can never study for anything in Kelley and still do very well. I’m sure someone has done it, but certainly, less than 1% of students fall into that category. What you said about finite math is true for some students, but if you’re in the ballpark of the direct admit requirements, the problem usually lack of class attendance or effort rather than lack of intelligence. If you aren’t as smart as other people in the class, you just need to work harder than they do, which really isn’t that hard if you’re talking about finite. My finite classroom was never more than half-full after the first day.

6

What you described sounds like what EVERY engineering student at EVERY school goes through.
It is common to work hard and get Cs in engineering courses at many universities.
In fact most engineers I know who took business courses laughed at how easy those courses were in comparison.
That said, one can make courses arbitrarily difficult for no good reason.
I have heard some Physics profs put questions on tests that they themselves can’t fully answer, just to see if
any students can come up with a good solution. What is to stop IU Bus profs from making arbitrarily ridiculously difficult tests ? Just not common practice in B-schools (outside your experience) but it IS common practice in engineering. Most eng freshman don’t make it. They change majors and life goes on…

Consider either 1) work harder and accept Bs/Cs or 2) transfer.
If you are thinking about grad school, maybe transfer is the right option.
When people “vote with their feet” only then would a school listen and possibly change.
And transfer kinda wipes out your GPA so you can start over.

7

IU’s reputation as a party school tends to scuttle many freshman students plans for a 3.0.

8

I know IU’s “reputation” as a part school. But it really is no different than other similarly sized public universities. The only real difference is that little “weekend” in April.

9

My D went to a large high school here in Indiana and both my wife and I commented that the school felt more like college. The work my D did starting in middle school was very difficult. At the time I always felt that the school was really overdoing it when my girls would be up to midnight most nights doing homework.

What I came to realize and appreciate as did my D was when she showed up on campus last fall, she actually felt it was easier. She watched most of her friends from other states and other high schools struggle that first semester because in HS they didn’t have to work as hard. Her adjustment to college was very easy while others around her struggled.

College level work is more challenging and I agree with others that many HS don’t do a good job of really preparing students for that next level. Help is there for people at IU but surprisingly, many who struggle don’t seek it out. My D had tutors in HS so going to visit someone or talk to a professor was natural to her.

Her second semester she was asked to be a tutor for a class she did well in during Fall semester. The entire Spring semester, not one student came to see her about questions and the professor told her there was many people in the class struggling who should be coming but they never did.

If you or anyone is struggling with a class, seek help. Sometimes just having a peer explain something in a different way is all it takes to have the material click and get through to you.

My D is in a Sorority, active with IU Dance Marathon and maintains over a 3.8 GPA while also having a small job. I don’t think she is any smarter than most students at IU, she just might be better at time management that others because she’s had to do it since the 6th grade. Its not always about working harder, sometimes it about working smarter.

1 Like
10

Yes, hard work is certainly important and IU Kelley freshman required classes are more difficult than HS classes.

One thing my D came up against in both of her math classes (finite and calculus) were professors utterly devoid of communication skills or teaching experience. Not easy to learn a body of knowledge when the professor can’t understand questions, chooses not to respond to most questions, is obviously smart but lacks teaching skill, and in general isn’t interested in teaching freshman.

It’s so important to choose your sections wisely.

11

Getting into Kelley is tough for standard admits. I was on that boat being a transfer student but I worked hard and sacrificed a lot to get in with my 3.72 GPA / B’s or higher in all the prerequisites. The only thing I am sour about still to this day is being denied to the IBW. Although I know admission to workshops like the IBW are not guaranteed, I couldn’t help but be in bitterness when I found out what an old boys club it was. I am still so passionate about banking and am attempting in my professional life to lateral over into that career path but it stings knowing that so many spots were taken by candidates less qualified than me. I am not trying to come off like there is a sense of entitlement but I have these opinions because other members in the workshop class that I was denied to even admitted there is so much politics involved. People were chosen over me for stupid reasons like being in the same fraternity as other members or even as low as dating someones sister. I just never understood why so much power would be given to students to who make these decisions about who gets in which can alter a persons entire career path and this goes for other workshops as well. I really hope things have changed at Kelley since I graduated because I truly feel like I was cheated out of opportunities that could end up affecting me for my entire life. I know it was still possible to get jobs in banking without being in the IBW but the culture at Kelley that recruiters see are that IBW members are “the most qualified ones”. It makes me even more bitter when I think about how I asked multiple people for feedback after my interviews, including professor Haeberle, and was outright ignored. This is the ugly side of Kelley that you wont get from the outside.

12

In law school, it’s called Law Review. Student run & often has a very significant impact with respect to interviews with some of the best law firms as well as other opportunities.

Sometimes life just isn’t fair.

13

Also, IU’s reputation definitely does not extend to the business school. Kelley basically functions as its own entity, breeding corporate superstars and innovative business leaders. Sure, students may have a little fun here and there, but Kelley does a good job at weeding out anyone who isn’t serious. It is definitely a play hard, work harder atmosphere. I know many people that didn’t even fall into the “party” side of college that changed their major because they couldn’t take the rigor at Kelley. The students here are coming in as former valedictorians, student body presidents, founders of international non-profits, award-winning business competition contestants, world champion DECA/FBLA members, and [not or] with perfect ACT/SATs. (I could name an astonishing amount of people with these credentials exactly, oh boy) Even some of them fail classes at Kelley. It’s wild, but if you’re passionate, you can definitely make it through!

14

It’s definitely a grind. The first accounting 100 midterm usually washes a good percentage out.