The Best Choice for All the Wrong Reasons

Kelley Direct Online MBA graduate, Carrie Hoefer MBA ’19

When starting an online MBA program there are a lot of personality tests you take. I personally love these tests and I take them for fun. Some of my top traits are “Woo” and “Competition.” In fact, there is always the joke that I woo people in, just to beat them later. I like to think this is a lie, but then again, I started my MBA for all the wrong reasons.

See, my husband moved two hours away to get his MBA and I didn’t want him to have the letters “MBA” after his name without me having the same letters. Granted, I have my doctorate in Pharmaceutical Sciences, but I wanted more. More is what I got at Kelley Direct. Sure, I learned the basics of business, accounting (never make me do debits and credits again!), supply chain, information technology, finance, etc., but the best part was the “more.”

Let me start with the Kelley Connect Week residency experiences where you get to visit campus. These two weeks were by far two of the best weeks of my life. I met amazing people that lift me up daily. Being a science “nerd,” we sometimes forget how to work with people in different fields, but these people, friends, made it so easy. Meeting them in person made the online classes so much better. We would get to see each other via Zoom video conferencing, and chat about work or family. It made the online program feel like it was not online, and that was incredible.

Next, I cannot give enough praise to the immersion class where we went to Moffitt Cancer Center to work with the COO of the hospital. How many MBA programs do you know that provide such an opportunity? We were able to help investigate current hospital projects that would improve patient experiences. This one class changed my whole career outlook and provided me an opportunity to develop a business plan to implement in my current workplace.

I recently graduated, and the leadership team and faculty from Kelley Direct have been unbelievable, especially with the project I am working on post-graduation. Not only are they eager to help me succeed, but they also want me to succeed. It only took one email and I had numerous meetings set up to help me create a business plan that is failproof.

I may have started the MBA program for the craziest reason, but it changed my life. It will change yours too. I promise.

By Carrie Hoefer, MBA’19

Carrie received her Ph.D. in pharmaceutical sciences from the University at Buffalo in 2015, and a post-doctoral fellowship at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in 2016. She was one of the founding members of the first Master’s in Pharmacogenomics program in the country, both online and on campus. During her time as an assistant professor, Carrie earned her MBA through Indiana University’s Kelley Direct Online MBA program. Currently she is researching how to utilize pharmacogenomics in cancer therapy at Roswell Park in Buffalo, NY.