If you are an incoming Kelley student planning to begin your B- school journey in the Fall, you may have many questions, including what a typical day entails at the Kelley School of Business.

To gain insights into a Kelley student’s daily routine, we reached out to Karan Sharma, a former MER student and a first-year student at Kelley School of Business. Karan has happily obliged us with an overview of his daily schedule at Kelley. Before we delve into Karan’s daily routine, let us introduce him to our readers.

Karan Sharma has a degree in Electronics and Communication Engineering and 8.5 years of diverse experience in automation engineering, lean manufacturing, and operations. Karan was working in IT as a consultant for Ernst & Young, India when he decided to pursue an MBA to fulfill his career objective of working at a multinational IT firm like Google or Microsoft as a product manager. He collaborated with MER for his applications to three top MBA programs in the US and received admission offers from two: Kelley, Indiana, with 55,000 USD per year, and Tepper, with $ 15,000 per year. He was also interviewed by McCombs. Karan decided to join Kelley.

And now, without further ado, let’s hear from Karan about his experience at the Kelley School of Business…

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Welcome to my world as a Kelley MBA student! This post is an initiative of Poonam, who asked me to put my daily routine down. To my knowledge, she is one of the best admission consultants who takes your problems personally and will make sure that you ace your applications.

I'll take you through a typical day in my life as an international first-year student at the Kelley School of Business. Firstly, I want to emphasize that every day during an MBA program is unique, and the core curriculum is rigorous, leaving little time to relax. Therefore, I rely heavily on a to-do list to prioritize tasks and stay on track.

Morning Routine

6:00 am- 8:45 am

I wake up around 6 am and begin my daily routine, which includes a shower, yoga, and breakfast. I typically start the day with a banana smoothie or cereal and make my way towards campus as early as 8:45 am by bus, which usually stops right in front of my residence at Woodbridge Apartments.

Campus Routine

8:45 am- 9:20 am

The bus drops me off right in front of the Godfrey Building at the Kelley School of Business I speak with my classmates about our topics of discussion and also engage in friendly discussions to relax my mind.

9:20 am- 10:50 am

On Mondays and Wednesdays, I attend two classes starting at 9:20 am. The first class is on Business Law and Ethics, where we discuss different state laws in the USA and determine which laws are ethically right or no longer relevant in today's business dynamics but still exist.

11:00 am- 12:00 pm

After my class, I meet my project team in the MBA lounge to discuss a case study, where we review the market study, sizing, and pricing related to our case. I usually eat lunch on campus, which I bring from home and heat up in the MBA Lounge.

1:10 pm- 2:50 pm

After my Design Thinking class, where we brainstorm ideas on designing prototypes (not limited to products) from scratch and do some practice on our own, I quickly finish school to catch a bus back to my apartment. I am on my own after 3:00 PM.

There are a lot of events happening on campus, but I attend the scheduled events almost twice/ thrice a week (based on the assignments and other tasks) on a specific day. There are club events from Asian MBA Club, Kelley Marketing Club, Outdoors Club, and Data and Operations Club. There are other events like a Women in Tech seminar, a TEDx Talk, or a networking event with employers. I also attend TTAC (Third Thursday After Class), a monthly get-together where we celebrate our learning and attend webinars and seminars from industry experts.

3:00 pm- 4:00 pm

As a Hoosier host, I speak to MBA aspirants and share my thoughts on various aspects of the Business school to help them make their MBA decision. I also take a power nap to recharge myself for the next half of the day and apply for jobs when I have the opportunity.

4:15 pm- 7:00 pm

I begin working on pre-class readings and assignments. As the president of Kelley Tech Club, I spend time with my team strategizing activities for the club twice a week. We work on the club's budget, discuss the readiness of team members, and address current and upcoming issues.

7:00 pm- 8:00 pm

A healthy lifestyle requires a healthy dinner, so I cook my vegetarian dinner (Beans, potatoes, tofu, etc.) and pack my lunch for the next day to avoid the morning hustle.

8:00 pm- 9:00 pm

This time is the "Me time of the day" for me, during which I enjoy watching TV shows. My current favorites are Shark Tank and Ted Talks.

9:00 pm-10:00 pm

This time is reserved for family, where I chat with my family about the day and discuss well-being.

10:00 pm- 10:30 pm

After 10 pm, I plan for the next day and prepare to sleep.

In conclusion, being an MBA student at Kelley School of Business is demanding as well as exciting and rewarding. Every day is different, but staying organized and prioritizing tasks is crucial to make the most of the experience.

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You may connect with Karan via Linkedin.

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Since 2011, MER (myEssayReview) has helped hundreds of applicants get accepted into the top 20 MBA programs, including Kelley.

You may email Poonam at [email protected] with questions about your application for the 2023-24 admission cycle.


This blogwas first published in myEssayReview.