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2004 FULL-TIME MBA PROFILE
University of Southern California
Marshall School of Business — Marshall MBA Program
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CLASS OF 2004 GRADUATE COMMENTS
In my estimation, USC is the best business school in Southern California for three reasons. First, USC has developed an amazing curriculum in international business. The first year core courses in strategy are both excellent! Moreover, the PRIME program (where students have a mandatory opportunity to study outside the U.S.) is truly a one-of-a-kind, invaluable experience. Second, the USC network and its commitment to helping students is second-to-none. Coming from Duke, I had a lot of doubt about the credibility of the "network" argument. I stand corrected. USC owns Southern California. Regardless of the industry, there is a Marshall alumni in it willing to help. Based on my interactions with peers at other business schools, this is not the norm. Thus, it is a real strategic value of the program (and virtually part of the curriculum). Networking is important and USC emphasizes that to the fullest extent. Finally, USC boasts three extremely solid fields of study outside the strength of their finance and marketing programs. Specifically, the entertainment business, the entrepreneurship, and the real estate programs are all amazing. Not only are they direct pipelines to the business leaders in the community, they are enriching additions to a B-school education. Obviously, arguments can be made to the contrary supporting UCLA and their supposed superior facilities and faculty, but in the end, both UCLA and USC are regional schools. While both have national notoriety, most graduates prefer to stay in California. As a result, alumni networks, school loyalty, and student body cohesion become essential in securing jobs in the competitive California market post-graduation. In that regard, there is no comparison between USC and any other business school (save Stanford) in California. USC is truly the ultimate job finder!--Marketing
[Recommend program to friends/colleagues?] It would depend on the person. USC has a very team-oriented culture that works for some people and doesn't for others. In addition, USC is very strong in placing students in California, but not as strong in placing students on the East Coast. If you want to go be a banker in New York city, then this isn't the place for you.--Marketing
I believe USC Marshall is like a growing startup firm. I see things getting better every day. The school has improved the curriculum and experimented with professors and scheduling with careful balance and feedback. The quality of the professors has improved considerably -- some are the best in the industry. Lots of automation in systems and technology at the school has further enhanced the experience. While visiting different B-schools during my interviews two years ago, I found Marshall unique in its responsiveness and courteous customer service. Its mix of social, cultural, and charity events also impresses me. Diversity is very well utilized here -- big international mixers every semester. Small class sizes helped me in getting sufficient time with professors. With my involvement in clubs and the career office, I feel that visiting recruiters are regularly impressed with Marshall's efforts. They observe the change in attitudes and quality of students.--Consulting
As a career-switcher, I felt that the first-year Core Curriculum was absolutely necessary for me to understand how a business worked. I would definitely recommend this program to someone looking to enter the corporate world as a way to quickly become acclimated to what it is all about.--Human Resources
I have been extremely impressed with the MBA program at USC, not only in the teaching, resources, and classmates, but also how hard the administration strives to improve the experience.--Marketing
The program gives a great broad overview of general business topics in the first year, and then allows you to choose your own classes in the second, so it can really appeal to people with varying career interests. The program is also quite progressive and there are many, many ways for every student to get involved and develop leadership and teamwork and business skills outside of the classroom.--Consulting
USC has improved its MBA program in recent years and the caliber of students and faculty now is on par with the best business-school programs in the nation. For me, the essence of a business-school program is entrepreneurship. It is through entrepreneurship that students learn how to combine marketing, strategy, operations, and finance to create an entity that makes money. USC's entrepreneurship program is among the best and the resources available to students are abundant. Additionally, USC's alumni network is extremely strong.--Operations
The Marshall MBA experience brings you top academics with a community of loyalty and teamwork that is unmatched. The alumni network not only mentors students, it voraciously fights to find students internships and jobs and to advance their careers. The opportunities that I had to explore and exploit the rich economic landscape in Southern California were unparalleled.--Operations
The program may not be a perfect fit for everyone, but I found great value in the curriculum, network, speakers, staff, and community. The MBA from Marshall was a great challenge and experience that I would encourage anyone to pursue.--Entrepreneurship
Marshall offers a great West Coast location for business (Los Angeles) with numerous Fortune 500 companies. Marshall has a strong genuine alumni network and a genuine desire to improve. The prime program offers a one-of-a-kind opportunity to study and travel abroad.--Marketing
The broad scope of business acquired at Marshall really changed the way I see the world and how I want to live my life. I have acquired the vision to manage the marketing duties at my current position as well as the confidence to eventually run my own business.--Entrepreneurship
In my Urban Feasibility class, we helped an investor plan a redevelopment of an office builiding/retail center in Los Angeles. Having the opportunity to apply skills learned in class to a real-time project was amazing. I have never had an opportunity like that. I feel I now know what really goes into a project like that.--Finance
Through the PRIME program we conducted a consulting project for Fast Retailing, UNIQLO in Tokyo, Japan. We had the opportunity to present our findings to the company's president and CEO. Fast Retailing is the fourth-largest clothing retailer in the world and the largest clothing retailer in Japan. The company loved our presentation and allowed our entire PRIME group to go to a UNIQLO store and pick out "whatever we wanted" for free.--Finance
The ability to take what we were learning in class and apply it simultaneously to a real-world issue with real clients was very helpful. It is more effective than assessing a case on paper because you get to learn to ask the right questions and come up with solutions, then see how it plays out.--Consulting
I participated in a six-month consulting project for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation and presented findings and recommendations in Bangkok to more than 30 CEOs from around the world. During the research phase, I interviewed business leaders from various Asia-Pacific countries. I also participated in an HR-consulting project for Eli Lilly Japan. I presented findings and recommendations to senior managers in Japan. These projects were, by far, the highlight of my business-school experience and definitely enhanced the learning experience.--Finance
Learning does not occur in a vacuum. These projects allowed us to pratically apply the skills that we have learned and receive feedback from experts in their field. While the grades provided feedback from a theoretical aspect, the company projects reinforced our learning and demonstated that we could compete in that environment.--Finance
I was accepted to a top-five MBA program, but I really fell in love with the people at USC. I really felt the momentum the school was experiencing and wanted to be a huge part of it. I have no regrets in my decision to go to Marshall, and I truly believe that the business school offers a world-class MBA program that is highly underrated.--Marketing
I am speaking as an international student from Brazil. Academically, I had a great experience. Marshall has a friendly environment, and students are very nice and friendly. There are very smart people and it was certainly a great experience. The only downside is really the poor recruiting of students from Latin America. The U.S. network is strong, but in Brazil there are very few alumni, and in a moment of recession like now, I really wished USC had more names in Brazil. It was hard to be the only one from my country, but I made good friends from other countries and it was a great opportunity. In terms of international recruiting in Brazil, only Johnson & Johnson hires on campus. USC Marshall is strongly focusing on Asia and India, where they keep offices to help students to get jobs in China and Japan, so for those students Marshall will be a great choice. Latin American students might be disapointed with the lack of activities in the region. For international students interested in working in the states it is hard to say. Overall, it will depend more on their previous work experience, and I have seen some succesful cases, but this depends more on the economy here than anything else. The American network is willing to help, but it seems that companies are on a halt on the H1B visas and the policy from the U.S. government is not clear on that. I think the school does a good job in trying to place students, but there are several limtations beyond school for international students to work in the U.S.--Marketing
I feel that the current economic situation has a large effect on how I view my experience at B-school. Especially for international students in the United States, it is very difficult to even land interviews with potential employers, which reflects on how MBA program are perceived. With no visible benefit after a very tough and expensive educational program, it is sometimes difficult to separate the institutional experience from the frustration of unsuccessful job hunting.--Not Available
I was part of the Student Investment Fund at Marshall. This program gives 12 students the opportunity to invest $2 million for the university. The course was extremely well run, giving its students real-world experience investing money and exposing us to industry professionals through company visits and guest lectures. I can easily say that this course alone made my tuition worthwhile. I don't think that Marshall is given its due credit in the financial community for offering such exceptional courses.--Finance
For prospective students, the bottom line is that your Marshall experience will transform you as a person and a business manager. While the quality of your experience will relate directly to how much you invest personally into the experience, Marshall can make you whatever you want to be. When I was a Marshall student, I popped out of bed every morning and could not wait to get into school. Now, I pop out of bed every morning and cannot wait to get to work.--Marketing
Marshall's greatest asset is the amazing group of individuals the admissions office consistently puts together every year. By far the greatest take-away from the program is the value added by my classmates.--Investment Banking
The culture emphasizes cooperation without sacrificing ambition. The core program sets the tone for the entire experience by assigning students to teams that are used for the entire semester. The culture of teamwork and cooperation quickly extends itself beyond those core teams. All Marshall, students develop a strong working relationship among themselves as well as alumni. The program is intense and challenging, but the culture makes it an enjoyable experience.--Marketing
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