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 was disappointed with faculty and course quality. I expected that my professors would be mostly of outstanding quality, considering the amount we pay as tuition. I found this was not the case. Most professors seem not to care about the fact that we want not only academic learning, but other skills. I was also disappointed that this school stresses its location in New York City so highly. There's something wrong if the school has to stress that its location in New York City (instead of traditional metrics like faculty and student quality) should be the reason students come here. Having said that, I will say that I was able to make a career switch into high-tech, and that was because of being in New York City. I do give the school some credit for that, as it offered some relevant courses in e-commerce, etc. -- Information Technology
Having gone to the business school as an undergraduate, I was a little hesitant in applying to the graduate business school program. Looking back on it now, it was the best decision I ever made. Stern is a school on the move. You feel it in the constant changing program (always for the better, to stay ahead of times and meet students' needs/desires), you feel it in the increasingly qualified incoming class, in the faculty, and definitely in the students, through their active involvement. Students, faculty, and administration all want to make a difference here at Stern. Stern absolutely met and exceeded all my expectations of business school. Because of this, I would highly recommend Stern to anyone who wishes to pursue an MBA. -- Investment Banking
Stern has made tremendous strides in the two years that I was there. First, the quality of the student body is so impressive. The smartest, most articulate, diverse, and accomplished group of young professionals that I've had the joy to be associated with. But most importantly, without the egos. All my classmates were extremely helpful, supportive and friendly...absolutely no back stabbing at all. That was what made it a truly special experience. Second, the administration really began to involve the student body in the decision making process...whereby student feedback was heavily encouraged and comments/suggestions were responded to quickly and efficiently. Stern's e-business programs took a giant leap forward this past year, linking up with Silicon Alley firms to revise curriculum and create opportunities for start-up jobs. Stern will clearly be a top 5 leader in e-business programs in the very near future. Finally, the faculty completely re-vamped the core curriculum, including proprietary research and instructional materials. Stern faculty are some of the best in the world, especially in the field of finance, and utilizing this intellectual capital to tailor courses was an extremely strong move. It created a buzz amongst the student body and the results were obvious in the level of student respect and appreciation of teaching talent. Stern is a fantastic place. Friendly people. A true melting pot of nationalities and perspectives. An oasis in the hustle and bustle of New York city. I have no regrets...and would do it all over again if given the choice. -- Entrepreneurship
I had an amazing experience at NYU-Stern and I would do it all over again in a second. The students and professors are first-rate, the international business exposure is always top-of-mind, and the daily access to business that comes from being in New York City is unparalleled. CEOs of Fortune 100 companies and of the largest and hottest e-commerce companies come to Stern on a daily basis to lecture, exchange ideas, and interact with students. Some (like Seth Godin -- former CEO of Yoyodine and president of direct marketing at Yahoo!) even come back to teach for an entire semester. I cannot say enough good things about my experience here, and I will now go forth and be a proud Stern alum until the day I die. -- Marketing
Stern students are great. It is a very interactive, non-competitive, non-threatening group of highly intelligent people. People work together and play together very well. Stern students are extremely cooperative. I never felt that I couldn't ask for help studying, get class notes I missed, ask for help getting job contacts. It is just not a "me" school. It is really a "we" school and I think that is what has made my experience so great. I learned just as much inside the classroom as outside. Being in the center of New York (and being in [Greenwich Village] so close to Wall Street and Silicon Alley) also make Stern very unique. Every single day on campus, the university or the clubs were hosting an executive to come speak. The contact we have with the outside world is phenomenal. I really could go out and speak to anyone and get any job I want. Its all right here! -- Entrepreneurship
It is my view that the top MBA programs are fairly similar, but there are three things that I believe set Stern apart from other top programs. First, it is rigorously academic and there is no "coasting" through the program. Second, the students are outstanding and become not only your class "team mates" but also lifelong friends. Third, the Stern administration has gone out of its way in the last two years to respond to student feedback and implement changes that have bettered student life. This applies to things ranging from facility changes to course revisions. My two years at Stern were quite a terrific experience. -- Anonymous
Sadly, my experience at Stern is forever marred by the financial aid process. In fact, I will never donate a single cent to Stern and will contribute any amount I would have donated to [the University of Connecticut] as an additional donation. Here's why: I did not receive a penny of financial aid in the form of grants or scholarships. I am a white male, 720 GMATs, holding an MS who worked at [a major corporation]. I made the deadline for scholarships but found they were reserved for minorities who MISSED the deadline. In fact, there are students with lower GPA, GMAT, and less work experience on full rides who missed the deadline but are Latino. When I spoke with the administration over this I was told that Stern uses perfect price competition to aggressively recruit minorities. This sounds like discrimination to me. -- Consulting
The only detracting point I feel about Stern is that the fellow students, many of whom are New Yorkers, can be rather self-centered and unfriendly. However, if you are here to look for the ideal business education and not just a good time, Stern is the place to be. Professors such as Dr. Damodaran and Yermack have exceptional presentation skills, and you will find the lectures and replies both lively and informative. A large number of Stern faculty are hardy Wall Street veterans who bring the wealth of experience not found in career professors. Then there are people with various backgrounds, economics and technical, who add to the diversity of experience and allow us to come up with exceptional solutions. While other universities, such as Harvard and Wharton, can only offer book studies from cases, the Sternites have real exposure to Wall Street, which is just a few subway stations away. Our alumni [base is made up of] more CEOs in the United States than any other university, and the reason is simply the intense, cut-throat competition people endure to get in and get through Stern. If you're looking for a business education, get an MBA. If you want to change the world by being a world-class entrepreneur, get a Stern MBA. This is where CEOs of the future are made. -- Finance
The Stern MBA program has vastly exceeded my expectations. I was able to turn my Peace Corps experience -- my pre-MBA experience -- into a great job with a fast moving start-up. How's that for switching gears! I have benefited from Stern's professors as well as support from my fellow students. Without a doubt, I am leaving NYU more prepared for the challenging business world. I owe a great deal to this school. -- Anonymous
Six days till my final deliverable, and I leave Stern with a mixture of excitement & trepidation. I'm definitely much more knowledgeable, better-educated, and infinitely better-connected than I was 20 months ago. But perhaps the change that would have the most telling effect on me is a greatly reduced degree of risk aversion going forward, although I suspect that spending the last 21 months in such an accomplished atmosphere, anywhere in the developed world may have given rise to at least a similar effect. On the negative side of the ledger, Stern should take decisive steps to build strength-in-depth in its management department. Space, facilities, and technology all improved immeasurably over the course of my time there, but could perhaps be better still. On the positive side, the finance department is simply stellar and entrepreneurship is becoming woven into the place's very fabric, powered by the unstoppable forces of student power and "killer" adjunct professors (Seth Godin, Jon Housman). -- Entrepreneurship
Coming from a non-profit background, I had my reservations going into school. I was worried that I would find my classmates' politics objectionable and that I would become personally corrupted by the "capitalist-pig" experience. I am happy to report that I found just the opposite. Students at b-school never ever talk politics, and on the whole, I found the ones at Stern to be a great bunch. Regarding how my own politics have changed, I feel that the experience has opened me up to another perspective and given me a deeper understanding of the issues that I had before taken for granted. Anyway, I now recommend the b-school thing (and Stern in particular) to all my lefty friends. It's a terrific learning/growing experience! -- Non-profit
THE QUALITY OF THE FACULTY IN THE STATISTICS & OPERATIONS RESEARCH AND FINANCE DEPARTMENT IS OUTSTANDING. -- Investment Banking
|
=Subscribers Only
Copyright 2001 , by The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. All rights reserved.
MBA Insider
