Wells initially enrolled at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign in 1920, but transferred to Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, in 1921 at the beginning of his sophomore year. Although his father objected to the move because Illinois had a strong business school, Wells convinced his father that the transfer to IU would be a good idea, especially since he intended to work in Indiana after graduation and already had friends at IU. Wells also pointed out that the connections he developed at IU would be useful to his future career. In his autobiography, "Being Lucky: Reminiscences and Reflections" (1980), Wells described his early impressions of IU: "It was a simple place in those days, with not yet three thousand students, but it had great charm and appeal for me."