Building on two years of rigorous pre-requisites, Kelley students enroll in a block of four classes that focus on the important relationships among finance, marketing, operations, and management, also known as the “Integrative Core.” Additionally, I-Core students take Compass III to solidify their understanding of what it means to be a business professional. Throughout the semester, I-Core students go through several real-time experiences that challenge them to solve cross-functional business problems while developing their professional and leadership skills. The final I-Core case—also known as the Kelley "rite of passage"—is an extensive and intense team project in which students demonstrate all they have learned.
Abby Ericson, 2022
In the summer of 2018, I sat in a room full of “Kelley kids” during a summer orientation academic advising session. I knew no one, I still wasn’t sold on the idea of going to business school, and my once extraverted self wanting nothing more than to be a fly on the wall. I learned about all the courses I needed to take before “I-Core” during my junior year-- whatever that was. A rising senior told us all about the classes, the professors, the case, and the famous t-shirt and celebratory party. It was all very confusing and seemed like a lifetime away.Throughout the next two years, I worked hard to succeed in the pre-reqs while making great connections along the way. Once it finally came time to enroll in the infamous 13 cr block in the spring of 2020, I felt many different emotions. I saw it as a daunting challenge, but nevertheless, I felt prepared and confident that I could excel regardless of the semester’s rigor. Despite Kelley’s best efforts, we finally received word that I-Core would be taught entirely online with a combination of synchronous and asynchronous class sessions and recordings. I was bummed. Strangely, I wanted to file into the lecture halls and test my hand at the coursework. Instead, I woke up every morning for my 8:30 live lecture followed by another professor’s recording for the day. I knew I was doing it all alongside many others, but part of me always felt lonely… like I was stranded on an island by myself having to figure everything out. The homework was hard, the studying was frustrating, and most times I didn’t even make it out of my pajamas in the mornings. Regardless, online learning had its perks. I could rewatch entire classes, refine my notes, attend more office hours, and reference class material during exams (although, don’t worry, it didn’t help much!). After completing two weeks of midterms and finals, I was drained and ready for a break. I did my best to recharge during Thanksgiving, but I still felt nervous for the case. Working with five strangers on Zoom didn’t seem as fun as camping out in a room in the library for days on end. However, my teammates were all wonderful to work with, and we pieced together an impressive case. Figuring out the answers to tough, holistic questions made me feel like my work that semester wasn’t all for naught. Two and a half years later, I finally felt like a businessperson. Part of me finds it strange that I have yet to meet my professors or teammates in person, but at the same time, I also marvel at the connective powers of technology. Looking back on last semester, I was able to learn so much without even leaving my room. A global pandemic definitely takes a toll on learning, and my mental health was surely challenged at times. However, I found a way to grind through the trials and walk away with a wealth of knowledge and a deeply rewarding sense of satisfaction and accomplishment. I wish this past semester had been different in many ways; I didn’t get to shake my professors’ hands in Prebys at the end of it all, make new friends, see others in passing, or sit in a lecture hall even once. But, the lessons I learned about perseverance and grit were invaluable, and I discovered more about adaptability than I ever thought possible. Life will undoubtedly throw you some punches, just remember to laugh at yourself and roll with them.
Jenna Cochran, 2021
As I came to Kelley and IU, I was flooded with information about involvement opportunities, prerequisites, and I-Core. While I was very excited to immediately get involved and find my place at IU, I-Core was not something on my radar because it seemed so far away. Once I joined organizations like WiB, I remember seeing the I-Core juniors running around, stressed out, and constantly studying. I was worried about my ability to accel in I-Core, despite being successful in the prerequisite classes. By talking to upperclassmen, I found out most of the structure and details of how I could expect I-Core to go. I learned that your grade is almost entirely dependent on your midterm and final exam grades, that you have to hold yourself accountable for the readings, and that there was going to be a case at the end where you spend every minute with your team. I was able to mentally prepare for this challenging semester and ask upperclassmen for advice. Once I was in my first semester of Junior year, I woke up early and hopped on the bus to go to Kelley for my 8:30am section. I walked into the giant lecture hall and recognised many more people than I expected. A group of us always sat together on the right side of the lecture hall and we created a group chat for the many questions that we would ask each other throughout the semester. After our ten minute break and our second class, we ended at 11:50am. We would then spend the rest of the day working on homework and readings for that day. The midterm and final exam weeks were challenging in many aspects. We had an exam every night four days in a row, so that we could have one for each subject. Since there were so many students, we were assigned random buildings across campus that would allow room for us to take our exams. The stress and preparation of taking all our exams back-to-back was high, but we were able to sit in the library with friends and study for hours to help each other prepare for the exams. We got through the exams and the only thing left was our case. Our teams were sent out through canvas and then we were in charge of creating a group chat and figuring out when to meet. One of my teammates in greek life allowed us to use a room in her house to work on our case. We spent all day in this room for about a week with our team trying to perfect each portion of the case. While this process was challenging and morale was low at times, our team was able to stay positive, work together, and help each other out in order to complete the case. Some of my favorite moments of the semester were taking breaks with my team and joking around to keep our spirits high. I am very grateful for the friendships I was able to make on our team and how accomplished it felt walking into Kelley on the last day to turn in our case. As we put on our “I Survived I-Core” shirts on, ate breakfast, and hung out the rest of the day, I was so proud of what we were able to complete in such a short time.