Meet The Indiana Kelley MBA Class of 2017

Wayne Shen 

Indiana University, Kelley School of Business

Hometown: Phoenix, AZ

Undergraduate School and Major:

University of Arizona, BM in Violin Performance

New England Conservatory of Music, MM in Violin Performance

Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation:

Director of Academic Programs, BASIS Educational Group

Recruitment and Enrollment Coordinator, BASIS Educational Group

Music Director, BASIS Educational Group

Recalling your own experience, what advice do you have for applicants who are preparing for either the GMAT or the GRE? Make sure to take as many practice tests as you can. I also found it helpful to create lists of questions that I answered incorrectly, redo those questions, and then repeat the process until I was able to get all the questions correct. This process helped me to focus more time on the questions that were harder to intuitively understand, and less time on easier questions.

Based on your own selection process, what advice do you have for applicants who are trying to draw up a list of target schools to which to apply? If there is a particular field or function you are interested in, look into the types of activities that different schools offer that would give you experience in those areas. Later on the in the process, make sure to visit school campuses and talk to students as much as possible. Schools are looking for students who are a good cultural fit, but you should also be looking for schools that are a good fit for you!

What advice do you have for applicants in actually applying to a school, writing essays, doing admission interviews, and getting recommenders to write letters on your behalf? Make sure to get as much of a head start as possible. It takes a lot of time to become familiar with all the options out there and to choose the schools that will really get you where you want to go. Once you really do the homework in understanding the culture of each school, the essays and interviews will fall into place. The same thing applies to recommendations – talk to your recommenders early so you can help them understand who they are writing for.

What led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA? One of the biggest draws for me was Kelley’s helpful, collaborative atmosphere. Before, during, and after my campus visit, I found students and faculty completely open to speaking with me about their experiences with the school. That aspect of the school has continued to impress me, as faculty, administration, and students have gone out of their way to prepare me for interviews and post-MBA life during my first semester at Kelley.

What would you ultimately like to achieve before you graduate? I would like to continue to develop my leadership skills, while building up the quantitative skills that will be a must in any of my post-MBA roles. Another priority of mine is to build up lasting relationships with those around me and grow a personal network that I will be able to rely on throughout my career.