Editor's Note: BusinessWeek collected graduate comments in 2000 during its ranking of full-time MBA programs. The next ranking is scheduled for fall, 2002.
After being accepted here, I still had the opportunity to look at or visit other MBA programs for benchmarking purposes and found that the technology access at Iowa is equal to or superior virtually all others. It is obvious that the Iowa program has put emphasis on allowing MBA's access to technology. Additionally, the entrepreneur center at Iowa was a pleasant surprise. It is directed by Ed Moldt, who started the entreprenuership program at Wharton. I took several of the classes offered through this center and feel that I am extremely well prepared to either purchase a business, or to start one. Bottom line, I really am very satisfied with the program. It exceeded virtually all of my expectations especially considering the very reasonable cost of the program in relation to other programs of similar quality. --Finance
A brutal experience at times, but overall worthwhile. I may not give out superhigh grades to the B-school, which was not as good as the law school here is, but the program is totally worthwhile, even though the MBA recruiting is mostly regional, and I had no great interest in staying in the Midwest since I grew up out East. It was difficult to be persuasive about being excited about living in Milwaukee or Minneapolis when you really want to get out to the coasts. Narrow band of recruiters, but very worthwhile program. Also, something could be done to make the class schedules more compatible between schools [at the university]. With my lack of real biz experience before school and only an okay GMAT score of 650, I had only a prayer at Wharton & Cornell, which both rejected me. So I finished out here, and it worked out fine. --Anonymous
The Tippie MBA is a hidden gem waiting to be unearthed. Top faculty and excellent students in a personalized program made for an outstanding return on my investment. The responsiveness of the administration and faculty to developing a curriculum that meets your individual needs is a real strength. I came to Iowa with a specific professional development agenda that was outside the norm and took every opportunity to get out of the program what I needed to make a career transition. I had extremely high expectations, and was not disappointed. Another strength is the ability of the students to give back to the program and make it what we want it to be. The workload is tremendous, but pays off in the end. It is clear that Tippie students compete with the best students in the country for top MBA positions while paying one-third the tuition. In short, the Iowa MBA is a great return on investment and has a positive NPV! --Marketing
I chose the University of Iowa based on limited information on very short notice. My leading factor in the decision was based on personal reasons. But I could not be happier about the education I have received and the quality of the program. I would have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by most of my experiences over the past two years. --Human Resources
Outstanding value! The qualities of finance and accounting departments far exceeded my expectations. The academic standard of international students is particularly impressive. --Finance
My educational experience here at the University of Iowa has been outstanding. The quality of my classmates, the faculty, and the administrators/staff is exceptional. While I learned much from the professors, I learned even more from my classmates. When considering the cost and the quality of the program, I could not have made a better choice than to come here. My time here has truly been value-added. --Operations
Many leadership opportunities outside of the class. Teaching assistantships further develop presentation skills, defray cost (improve ROI), and strengthen the resume. --Marketing
I had never even been to the state of Iowa prior to coming to school here. My move from the East Coast to the Midwest was the best decision I have ever made. The small size of the program and personal interaction with the faculty have made these two years the most productive of my life. In addition to receiving a great education, I more than doubled my salary and landed a job working in e-commerce. I could not have wished for better results. --Finance
The best part of my experience was the small-sized classes and ability to interact with faculty. I also valued the ability to design my program around my interests, including taking classes outside the business school. The worse part of my experience was the lack of appreciation of working mothers. I raised three sons, taught a class, worked with a graduate assistantship, carried a full academic load, maintained a good GPA (higher than 3.10), participated in extracurricular activities, and was president of a major organization. They featured a man who was a married father as exceptional for getting his MBA. He did nothing different than men have always done -- his wife was at home to cook his meals, clean his clothes, keep his home clean, and care for his children if a project kept him on campus late at night. The program needs to understand the full range of diversity and the issues of working women, mothers, and U.S. ethnic diversity. --Marketing
I feel that the University of Iowa offers an outstanding MBA experience. Although I must admit that I find it frustrating that we are not ranked higher. The University of Iowa offers experiences that I feel are not available at any other MBA programs. For example, the director of the entrepreneurial center currently owns 207 separate companies. He has taught students interested in running their own business the most effective ways to buy, start, and run their own company. He draws on around 40 years of business experience. --Marketing
Excellent program and should be within top 5. --Marketing
The University of Iowa has a great MBA program that does not get recognized because of the location and the small class size. The three best things about this program are (1) The diversity of students (2) Small class size (3) Great return on investment. --Marketing
Career services is a disaster at the [Tippie School]. Outside of a handful of companies, firms do not recruit here. A student with a different, nontraditional MBA career path, receives very little attention or instruction. I find the program gives easy grades in response to meeting standards of other programs. --Marketing
I was concentrating in finance and believe that in that area the school is very strong in terms of both - quality of teaching and practical experience. Two things that do not allow me to say that the program was excellent overall are (1) a very poor performing career placement office and (2) practically to e-commerce orientated. Additionally, the school does very little to encourage, and support students to start their own businesses. --Consulting
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Copyright 2001, Bloomberg L.P.
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