Meet The Indiana Kelley MBA Class of 2017

Karan Wilson 

Indiana University, Kelley School of Business

Hometown: New Delhi, India

Undergraduate School and Major: Institute of Technology and Management (Maharishi Dayanand University), Bachelor of Technology (Automobile Engineering)

Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation: TAFE Motors and Tractors Limited (Graduate Engineer Trainee and Junior Manager – Service)

Recalling your own experience, what advice do you have for applicants who are preparing for either the GMAT or the GRE? My two pieces of advice would be:

1. Give yourself time for preparation – A lot of the material is not very intuitive and requires a strategy to attack. Developing a strategy, perfecting it and consciously applying it on every question takes time.

2. Stick to the creators of the test as a source to predict the test questions – There are a lot of options out there to help you with the tests, but I believe that the realistic measure of the difficulty can be very well gauged through practicing questions/tests from the creators of the actual test.

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? The biggest advice would be to talk to current students and alumni to find the perfect fit for yourself. Most schools offer a great curriculum, robust resources, and excellent opportunities. Thus, the most significant factor becomes the fit. Kelley has a strong collaboration theme, which resonated perfectly with my requirements and personal attributes. Thus, I was extremely happy (and off the market for other schools!) once I got an admission offer.

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? Stay true to yourself and your stories. Realize that you are special and be proud of your achievements. I understood that when I kept talking to different people and saw that they were interested in me.  It is just how you present your story that matters. Talk to people who were successful and ask for guidance if required.

What led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA? It was the collaboration. I knew Kelley had very smart people all across the board who were ready to help and that was the biggest differentiator for me. This knowledge was reinforced when I finally started school and experienced this first hand. My peers, alumni and faculty are ready to help me at odd hours, when at client premises and also when unwell! This really challenges me to be on top of my game every day so that I can give back when I’m presented with an opportunity. Due to this, I feel much appreciated, am developing continuously and believe myself to be a special part of a nurturing community here at Kelley.

What would you ultimately like to achieve before you graduate? I want to keep challenging my limits and find comfort when presented with ambiguous scenarios as a result of the skills I develop at Kelley. I now realize that to grow professionally and personally, I need to accept situations as they come and be comfortable enough to adapt myself to the situation instead of trying to change the situation every time to suit my needs. In this way, I can develop consistently and further my capabilities with each endeavor I execute.

DON’T MISS: OUR FULL SERIES ON THE CLASS OF 2017