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2004 FULL-TIME MBA PROFILE
Cornell University
S. C. Johnson Graduate School of Management
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CLASS OF 2004 GRADUATE COMMENTS
[Recommend program to friends/colleagues?] Before coming to business school, I looked at only a few attributes of the school (including rankings). Now that I have completed the two-year program, I can confidently say that if I were to do this all over again, I would choose Cornell in a heartbeat. Some of the distinguishing features of the school are as follows: 1.)The small class in a remote area, which lends itself to a very close-knit class. Networking is a large part of business school, and these two characteristics have made it much easier for all of my classmates to really get to know one another. 2.) The faculty. Our professors are top-notch. They really care about teaching us the material...it is not uncommon for professors to be strolling in our hall late at night when major assignments are due just to see if students have questions or concerns. 3.) Access to the greater Cornell community. I took advantage of several other Cornell schools during my two-year stay (three courses in the law school and one course in the hotel).--Finance
[Recommend program to friends/colleagues?] I was a Twelve-Month Option MBA student; this is a program unique to Cornell's Johnson School, where candidates with advanced degrees (Masters equivalent or higher) in fields like engineering, science, economics, architecture, psychology, etc. can progress through the same curriculum as the full-time MBA at an accelerated pace over three semesters (summer-fall-spring). The TMO program exceeded my expectations in every way since I had access to the same great faculty and facilities as two-year MBA students for a lot less cost. The great value for me was that I paid only three semesters worth of tuition ($52,700), and I was out of the workforce only for a year, so my cost was cut in half.--Consulting
[Recommend program to friends/colleagues?] The MBA program at the Johnson School truly exceeded my expectations. Some of the factors that I believe set Johnson apart include: responsive faculty who care about building relationships with students that will last beyond our time in Ithaca, an innovative Career Management Center, and, most importantly, a small, stimlulating and collaborative student body that results in a uniquely supportive and life-long network. It's been called the "friendly" school, but I don't think that accurately describes the bond that develops between students, faculty, and staff during your two years in Ithaca. As a veteran, I came to business school with very few skills that transfer directly to the business world. The immersion program at the Johnson School is a unique program that helps people like me get ready for a summer internship. Having had no formal finance training, the Managerial Finance Immersion at Cornell's Johnson School gave me the skills to be competitive during my summer internship with people who had years of relevant experience in the field. The immersion program emphasizes practical application of business skills and stresses the importance of performance learning. I feel that the Johnson School provided me opportunities I would never have had available to me if I attempted to get a job directly out of the military. In general business school opened my eyes to many different career paths I never would have known about. I would strongly encourage veterans to attend business school and more broadly, Johnson in particular; for the immersion program, the close knit, but collaborative environment which is very similar to the military and for the culture which is friendly to veterans. We have a strong core of veterans here and we have all been very pleased with our experience.--Marketing
[Recommend program to friends/colleagues?] Cornell's Johnson School is a close-knit community where there is full access to faculty - - open door policy. The professors do everything they can to continually seek feedback and incorporate them into next year's curriculum - students definitely have a voice at the Johnson School. We have an amazing network and are able to meet not only everyone in our own class, but those students in the class above us as well as below us. One of the primary reasons I came back to B-school was to increase my network and this was the way to do it.--Finance
[Recommend program to friends/colleagues?] I really enjoyed the smaller class size because I was able to get to know a lot of my classmates. To me, this is an essential part of business school and we all got to know each pretty well. Having a network like this is important. I think the location also helped to foster this as there really is nothing else to do in Ithaca. I also think Cornell stresses teamwork and even though people are competitive, it never got nasty even in the worst of job markets.--Marketing
[Recommend program to friends/colleagues?] Cornell's Twelve-Month Option MBA program is a "hidden gem" within the ranks of the top 10 business schools. It allows students with prior Masters and PhDs in science and engineering to obtain the full MBA experience in less time than traditional programs, which from the student's perspective improves the MBA's ROI. Students receive the full core curriculum in what might be thought of as a summer "core boot camp" -- intense but manageable. The class size is small (30 to 60 students), so classmates get to develop strong relationships with other "TMOs". Further, unlike other one-year programs, TMOs have the opportunity to take the full second year elective schedule. Because Cornell's class sizes are smaller relative to its top-tier peers (250 to 300 students), it is relatively easy to integrate with second-year students. Finally, because of the reputation and selectivity of the Johnson School program, the diversity and caliber of classmates is exceptional, with representation from all continents and major economic zones.--Consulting
The school provided everything I wanted out of the program. I was able to "step out of my comfort zone" and try out a different career path during my summer internship (Major League Baseball). The professors and my classmates created an environment where I was allowed to explore and take advantage of my two years away from the "real world."--Finance
I'm confident that the Johnson School has the best education available of any business school in the world. For those strictly focusing on training, it is a great place to learn. The drawbacks are that the program is regional (most recruiters are from the New York metropolitan area), and that being located in Ithaca makes job searchs more difficult.--Investment Banking
[Did consulting project enhance learning?] I helped incorporate a biotech start-up. Three classmates and I built the business from the ground up based upon a patent from a scientist in another Cornell school. We continued to work with the company after the class and recieved funding from various sources to continue the development. The school was incredibly supportive in providing resources, advice, and facilities for us to maximize the opportunity.--Investment Banking
[Did consulting project enhance learning?] This was my first U.S. assignment as an international student. It improved my interpersonal skills by working in culturally diverse team with US clients. My project planning and execution improved -- in one semester we had to: meet the clients, determine what theyr really neede, get approval, do primary and secondary research and create a useful marketing plan. My analytical thinking improved, we had a deep-dive, subsequent information overload but managed to see the wood for the trees and come up with a good marketing plan. I also used all the tools we were taught in strategy, marketing, and research.--Marketing
[Did consulting project enhance learning?] Yes. At the Johnson School our second semester is an "immersion," where we have the choice to concentrate on a particular area (finance, operations, marketing, etc). In the brand immersion, we use the skills we learn from courses such as Marketing Research and Marketing Strategy in a consulting project. Our team worked on a consulting project with Dryer's Ice Cream, and we did a study to identify areas of opportunity where Hispanic consumption of ice cream varies from the general population. We applied skills we learned, such as holding focus groups, preparing a survey, analyzing the survey, putting together a series of recommendations, and presenting our results. This project gave me the confidence and preparation I needed to hit the ground running during my summer internship at Neutrogena.--Marketing
As part of the Park Leadership Fellows program, a team of four of us volunteered to create a marketing, financial, and operating plan for a local nonprofit historic theater. We conducted intensive market research on the theater industry including implementation local and national surveys and focus groups. Additionally, we benchmarked forecasted financials against industry comparators and recommended best practices learned from successful larger public companies.--Not Available
I would be remiss if I didn't comment on the extent to which students are involved in the day to day operations of the Johnson School. I heard that at the Graduate Business Conference (for student government people) many schools are experiencing difficulty getting students involved. That is definitely not a problem at Johnson. Since we are in Ithaca, and away from many large cities, it is up to the students to make the culture what it is. Typically there are 3 to 4 club events each week and more than that each weekend. If you wanted, you could spend your 2 years attending club events and never go to class. It is an integral part of our culture and unique to the Johnson School, I believe. In addition, student led initiatives drive change in the school, For instance, last year a set of core values was initiated, a completely student driven initiative. When the students realized that the Johnson presence at "buy side" asset management firms was low, they initiated the Johnson School Stock Pitch Challenge, again student driven. This year, to bolster the leadership training at the school, students organized a leadership trek; similar to traditional job treks but instead of making contacts for potential jobs, they attended seminars on different leadership techniques employed at large firms.--Finance
Ithaca, being in upstate New York, provides some negatives and positives. It is tough to get recruiters to come out here in February. Not being in a big city there is a lack of extracurricular activities that are city based. However, being out here allows us to make much closer ties to our fellow students. If you are into outdoor activities it is a great place. Interested in raising a family in a safe low crime area with tons of child-based activities... Ithaca is tops.--Finance
The Johnson School at Cornell was an amazing experience. The professors were constantly conducting feedback sessions to ensure that they were meeting students' needs and constantly adjusting the curriculum. The Johnson School is truly a student-run organization where every student has the opportunity to build essential leadership skills.--Finance
The Johnson school gave me an opportunities that would be hard to replicate in big city schools with 1,000 or more students. The small town environment of Ithaca fosters long-term, intimate relationships with almost all your classsmates. They are your real network in good times and bad. Plus, the school is small enough that you are not just an ID number, but a real person. Everyone including the dean, faculty and all my classmates knew me. The resources available here are some of the best -- the Parker Center with its real-life trading floor, the Big Red Venture fund, a real VC fund, access and ability to take classes in any of Cornell University's schools.--Consulting
There are many opportunities to participate in consulting projects; in fact, there are classes dedicated to this. My experience was through the brand-management immersion. My team worked with a travel services startup company to provided market research and startegy. It was a great opportunity to apply the skills we learned across the program.--Marketing
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