I was very impressed by the level of alumni participation in the MBA program. Past graduates were involved in everything from in-class projects to recruitment to professional mentoring. The Penn State alumni network is not only large and pervasive, but also supportive of its members. --Marketing
The size of Penn States MBA program is one of its strengths. The small size enables a more "community" atmosphere within the larger Penn State world. Additionally, the type of student here is not only focused on individual achievement, but on that of the group as well. There are always people, faculty, staff, and other students, that are willing to help and assist. --Operations
In my opinion, the Smeal MBA combines a great learning experience in a small personal environment. There are not too many schools out there, at which students go out for a mountain bike ride with their professors. It provides a great value, especially since most of the 2nd year students receive a graduate assistantship (including tuition waiver). --Anonymous
Not only is the Smeal MBA program world class, but State College is a wonderful place to live. It was a great program, great location, and great experience overall. I would objectively recommend this program to anyone thinking of pursuing an MBA. --Accounting
Overall, I am rather disappointed with my experience at Penn State. In the first year, I think that we were given work for the sake of doing it -- business for the sake of business. I have no doubt that my learning was impeded. In the second year, there were some good classes with good professors. But, as with everything at Penn State, the politics seemed to interfere with several aspects of the education and overall learning process. On top of that, there was virtually no assistance available from the MBA career services office. I do not have a job, even now. But it's not from the lack of trying or the lack of ability. I simply do not interview well. I tried to gain assistance from MBA career services. Their advice to me -- read books about interviewing. And now that school is practically over, they have offered no advice as to how to process in the future. All in all, I am pretty sure that I went to the wrong school. --Anonymous
I chose Penn State for the following reasons: 1) I wanted the experience of a small academic community with the resources of a large university, 2) I wanted a strong quantitative foundation while still concentrating in marketing and management, and 3) I wanted a good return on my investment. My expectations have been met in all three areas. I really found that Penn State students learn to compete by cooperating with others, and I have been able to develop my skills in financial analysis while still concentrating in marketing and management. Most importantly, as an in-state resident who was offered a graduate assistantship in my 2nd year, I received an MBA from a top program for $8,000. That's a bang for your buck. --Consulting
I feel that Penn State is a great program, but needs some improvements before becoming capable of competing as a top 15 program. It should only be a 15-to-25 ranked school -- until it puts better physical facilities in place. --Venture Capital/Private Equity
The small program enabled me to meet and get to personally know all of my classmates. However, I feel the small size caused a lack of proactive recruiting on the administration's part. Certain companies (IBM, HP, Ford, Intel, etc.) heavily recruit from Penn State year after year. I feel the administration relies on these companies and various career fairs to provide employment to a majority of the class. Individuals seeking careers outside of these mainstays must rely on their own efforts to secure employment without help from the career services group. This is the area Penn State needs to work on the most. Currently there are two secretaries and a part-time leader of career services (he teaches three undergraduate classes in addition to his other responsibilities) to try and meet the needs of 240+ students (1st and 2nd years). These people try hard but are stretched too thin. Additional staff is needed to help the students move into their chosen career paths. --Finance
Since I am still unemployed, I imagine my responses to some questions could be somewhat negative. In my opinion, this program would best serve those students who are going to be returning to their previous positions or who have an extensive network of people who can help them find work. For these people, this is a beautiful environment since PSU has all of the things people generally associate with a major university (sports, arts, bars, etc.) There are many highly qualified people here that are still looking for employment upon graduation, and this is a booming economy! What makes the problem more serious is the fact that this has been going on at PSU for several years now, if you look at the placement statistics, and the only response of the administration is to blame the previous students. One final comment bears mentioning. The two offers that I received had some serious drawbacks. One of them was not even within my major. --Finance
My MBA experience at Penn State University has been a great experience. I have learned so much in the two years that I have been here and have loved every minute of it, including the staff, faculty and students. I can honestly say that I have never regretted coming to Penn State, and am glad I chose this school to attain my MBA degree. We have an exceptional program here, and I hope this continues into the future. With our new dean on board, I think we will. --Anonymous
I am very happy that I chose to attend the Penn State MBA program. I found the faculty to be very supportive and encouraging. The program was structured so that I could finish a double concentration in marketing in finance. I found the finance faculty to be very strong, particularly the corporate finance offerings. Professor Chris Muscarella is undoubtedly a valuable asset to the program. The Penn State alumni network is very strong (#1 network in the US) and has proven very helpful in the job search. I was very pleased with the recruiters visiting on-campus and had multiple offers to select from. --Marketing
I think the key advantage to the Smeal MBA is the size of the program. With only 120 people in three sections, you get personal attention that is not available at the larger programs. Your professors know you by your first name, and are readily available outside of class. Many of the elective classes are as small as 15 to 20 students, which is an excellent learning environment. The marketing engineering concepts are cutting edge, and the communications program is second to none. I can put together a top notch presentation in a matter of hours. My business partner and I used these skills to put together a presentation over a weekend to request investment in our business from a local economic development agency. After the presentation, we were high on the list to receive funding (which came through at the requested level.) Penn State also has the advantage of the low cost of living and high quality of life in the state college area. I saved to attend school and get an entrepreneurship focus. Then I could actually afford to put it to use right away as I am not facing huge loans that require immediate income to pay down. I feel that the education provided by the Smeal program was the equivalent of one of the higher ranked schools, but with a smaller group in a very supportive atmosphere. I learned the same information, without the huge debt. --Entrepreneurship
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