| Address: |
|
MBA Program, University of Notre Dame
276 College of Business Administration, P.O. Box 399
Notre Dame , IN 46556-0399
|
| E-Mail: |
MBA.1@nd.edu |
| Web site: |
www.nd.edu/~mba |
CLASS OF 2000 GRADUATE COMMENTS
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.
I really enjoyed my two years at the University of Notre Dame. The network of students, particularly the alumni, is second to none. I often got interviews with people just because they they were alumni from Notre Dame. The community really fosters a sense of teamwork and friendship that certainly extends many years beyond graduation. I look forward to giving back to future Notre Dame alums -- for I have been very fortunate myself. --Entrepreneurship
Notre Dame was a top-notch program, especially in enterpreneurship and ethics. With the recent contribution from the Mendoza family, the e-commerce curriculum will be boosted as well. The potential synergies of the Enterpreneurship and e-commerce areas are substantial. The corporate-strategy courses are vitally integrative and provide a source of academic growth for nearly every student. --Information Technology
I feel that the area of career placement is hurting. Currently, if you want to get into investment banking or strategic consulting, Notre Dame is the wrong school for you. It is embarrassing that these companies are on campus for undergraduates and will not speak to the MBAs. --Finance
One of the reasons I chose Notre Dame's MBA program was for the opportunity to participate in the London or Santiago program, in which the fall semester of the second year is spent studying in one of these cities. I chose London, and I can say without a doubt that it was the greatest, most-rewarding experience of my life. The quality of these programs sets Notre Dame apart from other schools. Having the chance to live and study in another country, and experience life and business firsthand, is worth more than years in a classroom and hundreds of books. Participating in this program was absolutely worth having to miss a Notre Dame football season and having to work a little extra harder on the job search! If I had to do it all over again, I would choose Notre Dame, regardless of where else I was accepted. --Anonymous
The value of a Notre Dame MBA has been underestimated. The alumni network alone is worthwhile, but the values, leadership, and ethics that are stressed make ND grads extremely valuable to any employer. --Marketing
The experience I have had here at Notre Dame has been spectacular. It is often overlooked by many recruiters and journalists for B-school rankings due to its small size. I have friends who attended the "top" B-schools, and I feel that I have actually received a better education due to the diversity of the program and the experience of the faculty. My salary and career opportunities are equal as well. Notre Dame is a hidden secret that will soon be shared with the rest of the business community. --Finance
Notre Dame, unlike any other school, creates a family-type of environment. Everyone feels like they are a part of something very special and the administration goes out of their way to make everyone feel welcome. The professors here put teaching above all else, and you never get the feeling that their research comes before the students. The students here are also encouraged to think about the less fortunate, and nearly every student is involved in community-service projects throughout the year. Finally, there is nothing quite like seeing a Notre Dame football game! --Investment Banking
The career center lacks a focus and a responsiveness to the students' needs. Currently there are not top-quality firms actively recruiting MBAs from Notre Dame. The career center and the administration are having a hard time promoting this top program. Career services lacks leadership. --Finance
The Notre Dame MBA experience is indescribable -- there is a level of teamwork and camaraderie that cannot be compared to any other institution I have experienced. At ND, more than just basic business facts and data is learned -- it's a complete and well-rounded experience where the intangible aspects of business are taught in tandem with the obvious business skills. This has opened up doors of opportunity tenfold for me because business is about personalities and getting along with others as much as it is about knowing NPV calculations and valuation methods. --Operations
The MBA program does not treat all the students equally and fairly. During my two-year study at Notre Dame, I noticed more than once that some of my classmates got certain inside information regarding interview-slot and job opportunities. I would not say that this is discrimination, but it is undeniable that "favored students" got more help than others did, and American students got more help than international students did. And as international students, we almost receive no special help with finding career opportunities in the United States. No one in the program cares about this (and to my knowledge, no one in the MBA office is in charge of issues related to international students). The MBA career office's work is unacceptable. Not many companies recruiting MBA students on campus, though the job market is tremendous this year. Many of my classmates have to depend heavily on undergraduate career-placement office for job search (Thank God we belong to this university) or search by themselves (because they have to find a job). Of the students who have received job offers at this moment, many of them are simply returning to their previous employers. Of the MBA job postings, many of those can be easily found from [The Wall Street Journal] or other online job-posting sites. I do not feel that the MBA career-development office works hard enough to bring in companies to recruit. The program releases information that may mislead applicants. For example, the MBA program brochure implies that almost 200 organizations are recruiting MBA students. But actually this year, less than half that number of companies came to campus to recruit ND MBAs. Obviously, many of the 200 companies either are not specifically recruiting MBAs at ND or are searched by students themselves. I do not know whether this is common among B-schools, but I do not feel that Notre Dame, the No. 1 ethics B-school in the nation, should mislead applicants in such a way. We have excellent facilities, outstanding faculty members, and a nationally recognized university reputation. The management team of the MBA program does not work efficiently and effectively to improve and market the program. At this moment, I do not encourage applicants, especially those international applicants, to join the program. And I hope that the information I mentioned above can be reached by those MBA applicants so that they can make a better judgement before they make the decision that can impact their future career. --Finance
I truly believe this MBA Program is finally headed on the right track. The administration appears committed to revitalizing the functional areas that have been ignored over the past few years. Feedback from students, faculty, alumni, and recruiters have proven instrumental in identifying the areas most critical at this point. This is certainly quite encouraging from my standpoint. The only area which seems to be lagging behind is that of the career-development office. In the meantime, people such as myself are at least fortunate to have a second-to-none alumni network from which to source. Though work is still needed, people here appear to be upbeat about the future of the program, the concurrent brand equity and inherent value of the degree. --Investment Banking
The faculty in the MBA program are wonderful people. Of course, tenure is a very bad thing insofar as it lets the antiquated dead wood drag down the entire program, but most professors would bend over backward to help a student learn. Sadly, the administration runs around treating students as obstructions rather than customers. Inefficiencies exist that would never be tolerated in corporate America, where there is rarely such a thing as job security and everything is based on measurable performance. I wish the program all the best in the future. --Consulting
I strongly recommend the MBA experience to everyone in order to continue a path of lifelong learning. --Human Resources
|
=Subscribers Only
Copyright 2001 , by The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. All rights reserved.
MBA Insider
