From Advice to Consultant: Kelley Support Leads to Success

Jessica Wild BS’07

Associate consultant, Bain & Company

Chicago, IL

Kelley professors take their students’ success seriously. Jessica Wild learned this firsthand when she expressed her interest in consulting to her professor, Tom Lenz. His recommendations led to contacts at Bain & Company, where she landed an internship. The following semester, Kelley organized a campus visit for the company, which led to an interview and her job as an associate consultant.

Thanks to her Kelley education, she’s well-prepared. “In consulting, we are constantly being presented with a problem and are expected to determine solutions or alternatives, often with little information,” she says. “Kelley went above the typical business school to prepare me for these challenges. My course work and activities at Kelley taught me how to examine questions and situations in their entirety and supplied me with the necessary skills to solve these problems and effectively communicate the results.”

Kelley’s environment—a mix of friendly competition, challenging classes, and supportive classmates and professors—was particularly beneficial to Wild.

“Faculty members help tremendously not only with career development, but also in offering invaluable advice and suggestions to help students in job placement—all while creating challenging classroom environments,” Wild says. “Plus, students are constantly investing themselves in each other while still setting high levels of competition in and out of the classroom.”

This unique blend of competition and collaboration was just one of the many factors that made Wild’s experience at Kelley memorable. She also recalls spending a day with the CEO of Mattel, Inc., during his visit to the school: “It was fascinating to listen to his stories and hear his advice!”

Jessica says what most impressed her with Kelley was the genuine investment her professors made in her future, and their continued interest in her success.

“Undoubtedly, the thing that makes Kelley special is the interest everyone has for each other’s success,” she says. “From the administration to the alumni, people within the Kelley family seem to be each other’s biggest proponents and fans.”

In Brief

Best thing about Bloomington:

“The restaurants and the shows. My favorite way to spend an evening was trying a new restaurant—whether Indian, Thai, or Italian—and going to a show at the MAC, the IU Auditorium, or the Buskirk-Chumley.”

On Jessica’s iPod:

“A little bit of everything, but a lot of alternative and indie rock.”

Web sites she visits every day:

Facebook and the New York Times

One word to describe Kelley:

"Open."

Advice for Kelley students:

"Make the most of the opportunities that are there—and if you don’t think there are any, create them for yourself! There’s no limit to what can be done through Kelley, and the more time and energy you invest in it, the more the degree will contribute to your success and fulfillment in the school.”