Women's Weekend @ Kelley!

Just as that new bunch of 1st years start, MBA recruiting season is in full swing again! At Kelley this is no different! Our Student Admissions Council has been selected and we're already starting to have prospective students come to visit for a day. It's very exciting to meet these impressive women and men who just might make up the Kelley MBA Class of 2012.

One thing that impressed me, even as a prospective student, was Kelley's commitment to new and creative recruitment events. While I was in New York, my first introduction to Kelley included a tour of the Food Network Kitchens! That was an event I could not miss - and thankfully I didn't, or I might not be here right now.

On our latest and greatest new recruitment event is this November 6th - 8th. We will be hosting a weekend focused on bringing more women to Kelley. It looks to be a great event! On Friday we will dedicate the day's programming to understanding more about MBA programs in general - and then Kelley specifically. Friday Night there will be a cocktail reception at one of the best restaurants in Bloomington following by the Annual Faculty Auction (sponsored by Kelley Women!).

Saturday's programming is really to highlight the many opportunities available after your time here at Kelley. We'll have alumnae panels on different topics and many of our alumnae will remain with us for the evening where our prospective students will have the opportunity to begin networking with many great companies.

One of the major highlights of the event is our keynote speaker - Maggy Siegel. Ms. Siegel is currently the COO of Dylan's Candy Bar in New York City. Not only has she had a very exciting career, but she is also one of the most interesting and fun speakers that I've seen/heard in my life. It will truly be a great weekend - and I hope, if there are any prospective women out there, that they will click the link below to apply!

http://kelley.iu.edu/mba/kelleyLife/womensWeekend.cfm

It's Fall in Bloomington!

Okay, well it's almost fall! The weather definitely got a lot crisper and we needed sweatshirts this weekend. But, that's okay - I think I'm ready for Fall.

If you've never been, this is probably one of the most beautiful times of the year here in Bloomington. The leaves turn, the weather cools, and we all settle into our classes. For the MBAs though, by the time we settle in we're almost done with our first seven week session! Time just flies!

This seven weeks one of my favorite classes is Channel Management. Due to my retail background and my experience over the summer in Brand, I really see the relevance in this class. It also built very nicely off of CMA Academy Intensive Week 3 - our closing session was by P&G on store-back marketing. As things continue to change, it seems the only way to truly be successful is to have a strong partnership between both the vendor and the retailer. I'm pretty sure my classmates are enjoying this class as much as I am - we have some pretty engaging class discussions over some of the cases. And, to supplement those cases we also have some guest speakers. Last week we actually had Target come to talk to us about their new own-brand up & up!

It's been an exciting few weeks here but I need to get back to it! More to come later!

Orientation - Belated!

Hello Again! I know this is a belated post - but I do want to share a little bit about the fantastic orientation program put together for our new 1st years!

Orientation is a 2 week period where information is flying at you from every direction! Classes, Majors, Minors, Academies, Clubs, Committees, Team Building, Case Competitions and of course Social Events! While my class enjoyed a robust orientation program - I have to say that our 2nd year team - Scott, Leslie, Patton and Jessica - did a FANTASTIC JOB of welcoming the new 1st years to Bloomington!

Two events in particular really - I think - were some of the best I've ever experienced! First, orientation collaborated with our newly formed Kelley Wine Club, to take us off campus straight to the vineyard! Bloomington's own Oliver Winery hosted us for dinner and wine tasting! Students had the opportunity to explore many of the wines offered by Oliver while getting to know their new classmates. AND! To top off the evening - there was a Hot Air Balloon! Not your typical orientation event by any means!

The 2nd Event really highlights some of the hidden treasures in Bloomington. To all those naysayers who think Southern Indiana doesn't have a wealth of culture and diversity - think again! Bloomington does! On 4th Street in Bloomington, we have restaurants offering just about every cuisine you can think of! The orientation team organized a 4th street block party - with food from many of these restaurants, beer from a local brewery and live music! It was a tremendous event and I can't think of a better way to showcase so much of what Bloomington has to offer!

Orientation was truly wonderful - and congratulations to the team for making it a success! They defintiely raised the bar!

Until next time... xoxo

Blog Kick Off!

Hello! I'm very new to the whole blogging thing, so you'll have to give me a little time to get used to it!

Where to start for a kick off blog post! Well, I am originally from Northern New Jersey and was working as an Associate Buyer for macys.com before returning to business school. Over the course of this year, I will try to incorporate some of my thoughts on the business school application process, business school in general, summer internships and future career opportunities. Hopefully this will be useful to a wide variety of people!

I've really been on the East Coast for all of my life up until Kelley. Raised in New Jersey, I attended Immaculate Heart Academy for High School and then spent the next four years in Baltimore, MD at the Johns Hopkins University. Both were great experiences! I returned home after graduation and spent the bulk of my five years before business school at macys.com in New York City.

I'm sure I'll give you details and stories about all of the above later - but I'd like to spend some time on my life at Kelley! Here I'm a marketing and strategic management major and a member of the Consumer Marketing Academy with Plus Life Sciences. I love the Academy program at Kelley, it really is one of a kind! The Consumer Marketing Academy (CMA) has helped me do three very necessary things. First, it has helped me to understand the different careers that exist within consumer marketing. Second, it has introduced me to numerous great companies so I can get a sense of which ones would be the best fit for me. And finally - and most importantly! - it has truly prepared me to hit the ground running on my summer internship! I don't know if I would have been as successful without the preparation that the CMA offers.

Now I'm back - returning for year number 2! It's going to be a great year - and I'll get to share all of those experiences with you!