Will Weber

Indiana University, Kelley School of Business

“Rock climbing, road tripping, data driven cost-and-profitability consultant with a fondness for current events.”

Hometown: Fort Wayne, IN

Fun Fact About Yourself: I really enjoy cold showers.

Undergraduate School and Major: Wabash College, BA in Economics

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Senior consultant at Deloitte

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: I developed a novel method of analyzing gross margin for one of my clients. It took a week of scribbling algebra on whiteboards until 3 am, and another month to build the data sets and crunch them, but the client loved it. The CFO used some of my insights on the quarterly earnings call and we won follow-on work to perform the analysis for the next quarter.

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? Midwestern! It encompasses three key facets: humility, kindness, and a strong work ethic

Aside from your classmates, what was the key factor that led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA and why was it so important to you? It’s hard to pick one, but the Kelley network stood out to me. While I was going through the application process, I spoke with several current students and alumni. Every single one of them referenced the power of the Kelley network throughout their careers. The common experience builds a bond that lasts longer than just a few years.

What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? The Investment Club is probably what I’m most excited about. I love current events and evaluating their impact on markets. I’m looking forward to spending time with like-minded people and hearing different perspectives.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? I’ve always wanted a full-time MBA education. I’ve viewed it as an opportunity to fully immerse myself in the learning experience. I came to the point in my career where it was time to begin narrowing my scope of expertise, and I thought to myself, “Wait, you’ve always been curious about other aspects of business and industries, why not take the time to explore them?”

How did you decide if an MBA was worth the investment? I had three criteria to decide if it was worth the investment: whether I would enjoy it; the opportunities for professional development; and whether it would pay off financially. An MBA is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Kelley’s emphasis on professional development — from Me, Inc. through individual coaching to personal attention from professors — is excellent, but Deloitte’s investment in people (epitomized by Deloitte University) is phenomenal, so that was a tie for me. Then I built a financial model; the numbers worked.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? Kelley was the first program I heard back from. While I was still going through the application process with other programs (MIT Sloan, Duke Fuqua), Kelley won me over. I withdrew my other applications after making my decision on Kelley.

How did you determine your fit at various schools? I spoke with alumni of different schools, mostly friends, co-workers, and clients, as well as other prospective students, to get a sense of the type of individual that thrived at a given school. I researched the curriculum (is there a core, all elective, etc.) and spoke with or attended lectures from the professors. Lastly, I visited the cities, not just the campuses, to determine if I could see myself living there for two years.

What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? As humans, we’re constantly changing and growing based on our experiences. If I had to pick one, it would be the first time I found myself in a literal ‘do or die’ situation while rock climbing. I succeeded (you can tell because I’m typing this), and now I consciously know that I can succeed at any given task if I give it the focus and effort required.

What do you plan to do after you graduate? A Kelley MBA opens up opportunities, including opportunities that I would never have thought for myself. My plan is to pursue a career that uses finance and analytics to drive results.

Where do you see yourself in five years? I hope to be well on my way to owning a P&L; I want to see how my efforts result not just in tangible accomplishments, but in quantifiable value added. I’m looking forward to developing a team to unlock their strengths, fostering a culture of data driven insights, as well as setting goals and measuring progress.