Karen Woods
Marketing major; Elkhart, IN
"The Kelley name is well recognized – not only in Indiana – but across the country. Being able to put that name on my resume is important to me."
In choosing Kelley Indianapolis, Karen Woods decided to put Indiana's capital city to work for her. Now a junior marketing major, Woods has taken advantage of all Indianapolis has to offer, completing two internships while attending school full time.
"The city brings a lot more opportunities than most college towns," Woods explains. "I wanted to be able to get a variety of experience while in school, and Kelley Indianapolis and IUPUI give me that chance."
For Woods, a native of Elkhart in northern Indiana, Kelley's downtown location puts her in touch with unlimited resources – opportunities for internships and networking with local businesses, social and cultural events, shopping and festivals. Couple that with Kelley's national reputation and experienced faculty, and Woods is the first to say she made the right choice.
Another factor that's become increasingly important for Woods since arriving at Kelley is the interaction she's had with faculty members. Many of her professors, Woods explains, still work in the field or have had practical experience in the business world. She sees this as a real advantage when learning how businesses run today.
"Kelley's faculty have real-world knowledge; they don't just teach out of a textbook," Woods says. "They use a lot of examples from their past experience, bringing to class an aspect of real life that can't always be taught from a book."
Since class sizes are smaller at Kelley Indianapolis, Woods has had an opportunity to build relationships with faculty members – something she says might not be possible at larger schools.
"Most professors take the time to get to know their students," Woods observes. "I've had some of the same instructors for multiple classes, and they know my name. I'm not just a number here."
When not in the classroom, Woods has made a name for herself by participating in Kelley Student Government and serving as a mentor for freshman business students (direct admits).
"Student government is a great way for me to develop new relationships with other students, with advisors and staff and also with Kelley faculty," she says. "I've learned about a lot more resources by being in student government, and mentoring Kelley freshmen reminds me how much I've grown since I've been here."
