The MBA program at UC Davis has the advantages and disadvantages of being one of the smallest and youngest nationally ranked schools. Disadvantages: small alumni pool, small student body, hard to entice recruiters, low key reputation. Advantages: flexible program, school listens to students, great team and interpersonal dynamics, excellent teacher to student ratio. In addition, UC Davis is geographically located in close proximity to the technology hotbed of San Francisco and Silicon Valley. The school has one of the best organizational behavior departments in the country. The weak links are job placement and lack of focus on technology. -- Marketing
The class of size of 65 students is one of UCD-GSM's big advantages. I had the opportunity to get to know all my classmate and did not have to compete for time with the professors. The professors have an open door policy and readily answer questions, trivial or complicated. The professors keep the students' education in mind. -- Marketing
UC Davis is a school on the ascent. We need to get more people out into industry spreading the good word. (Small graduating classes -- approx. 60 full-time students per year, but we have really strong numbers.) Takes time, but by building this kind of notoriety, UC Davis MBAs will continue to impress employers and do great things in the business world. -- Consulting
UC Davis was a fabulous school that combined all the advantages of a top 20 school with the intimacy and personal attention you get at a small school. I got into UCLA and UC Berkeley, but decided to go to UC Davis and I am happy I did so. -- Anonymous
Judging from the discussions I have had with my friends and family at other b-schools, the sense of community at Davis is unparalleled. The initial collaboration, teamwork, and familiarity developed into genuine concern for classmates. (My personal anecdote to demonstrate this concern occurred during my first year. I was struggling with statistics and the night before the final, after my regular study group had disbanded, the two students who were setting the curve in the class showed up unannounced at my doorstep to help me study for the final. Where but Davis does that kind of b-school camaraderie exist?) Competition is good-natured and never cutthroat. I attribute this to our small class size. The amount of diversity among such a small number of people is exceptional and very rewarding. I am very proud of my classmates and impressed that my class decided to start an endowment and then reached 100% participation among graduating students. Our faculty and staff are always available and know us personally. Our concerns and feedback about the curriculum were immediately addressed, and revisions were made for the subsequent class. The flexibility of the electives is great and allowed me to do a marketing project for an automotive firm (my personal area of interest) that will hopefully lead to a job in the industry. The school's disadvantages also seem to stem from student enrollment size and how new the program is: the lack of state-of-the-art campus facilities. I do not feel that our school's reputation or ranking is commensurate with the quality of our education. -- Marketing
This has been one of the best experiences of my life. The small class size has allowed me to get to know not only my professors, but also all of my classmates. I feel like I am not well prepared to go back into the workforce as a smarter manager and employee. I believe that my classmates and I will be able to make important contributions to society and the business community. And we owe our thanks to our MBA program. -- Marketing
UC Davis is a very young but incredible school, now regularly attracting TOP faculty. Any weaknesses that it may have stem from the fact that the school is so small and so young. The caliber of students is amazing, and the faculty (in general) are incredible. I was initially disappointed that I wasn't accepted into my first choice school, but now I wouldn't trade my experience at UC Davis' Graduate School of Management for anything. It's another success story of the University of California system! -- Finance
The small size of the student body (65 students per graduating class) led to class sizes for elective courses of no more than 30. This was an ideal [class size] for learning. All students know each other very well and have made great contacts for the future. -- Marketing
UC Davis is a young and small program and this is seen by some as a negative feature. This factor was actually an important selling point in my selection of this school. I had an opportunity to interact with people from many of the top tier business schools such as Stanford, Harvard, and Wharton. My impression of these schools was favorable but there was a element of groupthink or concern for mutual success that was missing. UC Davis had people that were as bright as anywhere, but they also seemed to care if their peers were succeeding and getting the most out of the program. The size of the class is small and the size of the alumni pool is small. While on the surface this might seem be a negative, in light of larger, older schools, in reality, it is not a large factor. The quality of the alumni pool and their commitment to the school after graduation makes this group very effective and useful to the current students. I was able to call many members of the alumni and speak to them at anytime, both at home and at work. They were very happy to help and worked very hard to aid me in anyway needed. I am extremely satisfied with my experience at UC Davis and will work tirelessly to help future students in every way I can. -- Marketing
I feel that the GSM (UC Davis) and other smaller schools are at a disadvantage in this type of ranking solely based upon our size. We are unable to attract the same employers to campus because we have by nature less potential employees to offer them. I wish there was a small business school ranking in addition to the standard rankings. -- Marketing
UC Davis was extremely responsive to student input and its size and youth allowed it to implement changes immediately. Students worked with faculty to design courses and reshape the core program. In addition, the faculty was receptive and encouraging to our ideas for independent study. -- Finance
U.C. Davis Rules! I loved it, it is a great MBA program!!!! -- Investment Banking
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