| BUSINESS WEEK ONLINE:
|
|
|
|
|
|
| University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign College of Commerce and Business Administration |
||
1999 Profile Update School Profile School Statistics Graduates' Comments: University of Illinois offers excellent academics! However, the school needs to improve the entering class's years of work experience. --Sales Manager There are many excellent students here at UI. However, those students who are not so excellent (the lower 10%) create nearly half of our problems in terms of ratings. Illinois has a very diverse program. Excessive reading/course preparation. Great learning environment.--Business Analyst The first-year curriculum is too basic for someone with a business background and involves a large amount of non-value-added busy work. All of the work is done in teams, so those with business backgrounds end up doing all of the work. Secondly, there is too much diversity. Over 50% of the class are international students, many of whom lack English language skills and refuse to participate fully in group work and social activities. The overall quality of students is not as high as elsewhere or as high as I expected. Finally, the administration is hostile toward any new ideas or complaints.--No career path given On the positive side, the second-year Finance track is outstanding. The teaching is world-class, and the top MBA students all move into the Finance track. Unfortunately, there were too many non-value-added required classes to allow me to take all of the classes that I would have liked to have taken. --Finance There was a great sense of comradery in the program. There was always support when needed, and I met a lot of great people who will serve as friends and contacts in the future. I think one problem with the program is the overall quality of the students. While there were some extremely talented people, there were also some that were not so talented -- that others had to carry in teamwork. Some students speculated that admittance requirements, such as letters of recommendation or minimum TOEFL scores, were waived. This resulted in some negative attitudes, especially when group members had trouble communicating and couldn't contribute. I know we are working on improving the number of applicants and student quality. Overall, I feel I had a great experience, having learned a great deal from both faculty and my fellow students. --Finance The University of Illinois MBA Program has been not only very challenging but also very rewarding. One of the only negative aspects of the program is that there is such a high percentage of international students (around 45%). Although I believe that the international students improve the learning experience, the high percentage greatly hurts our placement statistics. Many of the international students have trouble finding jobs, because they want to stay in the U.S. (but many U.S. companies require U.S. citizenship). --Human Resources Far too many of the international students didn't have adequate English skills. Their inability to speak English caused many problems in team situations. The class size of 300 students is just too big. The school accepts too many marginal candidates simply to collect the tuition revenue. The school would have a better overall class if it reduced the size of the class. The placement office is in real crisis. The school's biggest weakness is the poor placement office. The school does not work hard enough to bring in quality companies. It gives no help to students looking to interview with companies that are not coming to campus. --Finance I had a very positive experience. The motivation and commitment of the faculty and students to launch the new integrated curriculum is really impressive. Faculty work countinuosly and extensively in team to integrate the core courses and to provide students a 360 degree business experience. Finals and exams are comprehensive cases. The use of laptops in class provide a unique experience. --Finance Two years ago, the UI MBA program was completely overhauled. After that, the program administrators did not do any follow up work to ensure that the program was running smoothly. Luckily, this year, after much urging by the students, the administration decided to "revamp" the program based on student suggestions and suggestions from external consultants. If the administration continues on a path of continual improvement -- which is drilled into students' heads -- then the program will become world class. Right now, when UI MBA students go to competitions or study abroad with other MBA students we always have just as strong a knowledge base in general business and superior skills in computers and analytical abilities. However, as I mentioned before, the program does need to be revamped and revised. And, the image of the program, for whatever reason, has to be overcome. --Management Trainee The University of Illinois is an outstanding MBA Program, and I feel it has been unfairly represented in the rankings. There are some issues, internally, that must be dealt with, and it appears the administration is handling them. This program is a top 30 program, but for whatever reason is struggling to prove this to the outside world. Programs such as the Office for Strategic Business Issues and our technology set us apart. It is only a matter of time until Illinois gains the respect it so deserves. --Marketing The University of Illinois has really put a great effort into revamping the MBA program. The program has some really great qualities, but it also has some complications. The program has a few glitches that need to be worked out, but if the past year is reminiscent of what is to come the program will do great. --Marketing Overall, my experiences at the U of I's MBA Program have been positive. Just like any other institution in this country, there are a number of problems that exist and that must be addressed before the program is capable of achieving it place amongst the top MBA programs in the country. Some of these problems include greater selectivity of students, greater emphasis on prior work experiences before entering the program, and a greater balance between international/domestic students accepted into the program.--No career path given Other concerns include greater diversity amongst its historically under-represented students and more geniune efforts to integrate these groups into the formal recruit programs sponored by the MBA administration. Finally, the MBA administration needs to take more responsibility for the current state of the program. I find it disconcerting that the undergraduate business college and various departments that individually comprise the MBA are consistently ranked among the top college and department across the country. This state of events has led me to the opinion that the MBA is a poorly managed program, and like any corporation, needs to admit its shortcomings and make efforts to ensure that the right management team is chosen to lead the program. --Marketing I was in the second class that participated in the newly reengineered MBA program at the University of Illinois. Classes were integrated to more closely simulate a business environment and to produce more well rounded managers. My graduating class was a diverse group of individuals, bringing to the program many backgrounds, cultures, and talents. The administrators and teaching staff of the MBA program are very involved and making constant improvements to further improve the curriculum. Overall, it was an outstanding experience, and I fully expect to see the program improve in ranking over the next few years. --Marketing The UI MBA has provided me a quality education at a very reasonable cost. The professors are approachable and helpful, the student body is very diverse, and there are unique programs such as OSBI (Office for the Study of Business Initiatives), which allow students to be consultants for different "real world" business projects. The one negative has been the facilities, but that should be changing with the new business school that is being built. Overall, the UI provided me the biggest "bang for the buck" that I could have received in a MBA education. --Marketing I am in a very special program at the Illinois MBA called the BS/MBA program. It allows a few specially selected students to start their MBA during the senior year of undergraduate study. It was the perfect opportunity for me as I already knew that Ag Econ was not the right choice for me. The Illinois MBA is the best thing that ever happened to me. I have learned so much. I have learned what it is like to be a part of a team, and the fact that teamwork is essential for every full-time job. I have been both a team member and a team leader. I have been on teams with good students and poor student, and each and every one of those students has taught me something about myself. --No career path given Another thing that I have learned is that it is not okay to quit. I had problems adjusting at first and almost dropped out. The Director of Admissions and I had a long conversation. During that conversation I learned something--I needed to develop a backbone and tough it out. She helped me see that in the "real world" you can't just drop out. I have learned about diversity, friendship, and camradery. I don't understand why someone would want to go to a school where all of the students are cookie-cutter images of one another! You can learn something from everyone. I have met so many people from so many countries (51 different countries to be exact) that it amazes me. Because of all of this diversity, I know I could effectively do business with someone from a different country -- and know how to not offend him. --Marketing The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign offers a student-designed degree program. This program allowed me the opportunity to take elective courses from the Institute of Labor and Industrial Relations to enhance the MBA core curriculum. There is not an official dual-degree program between the two schools but the Illinois MBA allowed me to take advantage of both programs with the student-designed curriculum. Business skills can be applied to so many different organizations and the student-designed degree opportunity allows MBAs to explore a wider range of disciplines for which the MBA might be suited. The school also makes excellent use of technology with the "First Class" intranet. Although domestic diversity is an issue, the program is roughly made up of people from other countries. The Career Services Office sponsors, in part, trips to the National Black MBA conference and the National Hispanic MBA conference. --Human Resource Manager The Illinois MBA is an outstanding program. The curriculum is very relevant to understanding and learning how to deal with the challenges and problems that managers face today. The diverse student body contributes to very rich learning opportunities and networking. I feel that this is a VERY strong asset in the global business environment. The outstanding faculty (many are recognized as the leading thinkers and researchers in their functional areas) have helped to shape my thinking and have given me the tools I need to be successful in the future. The Illinois MBA offers a very appropriate program to develop managers who will be prepared to face complex global challenges in continuously changing business environments. --Marketing In applying to business schools I performed extensive research on well over 20 programs and applied to three top ten schools (as ranked in 1996). The most exciting and interesting thing about the University of Illinois was, and is, its newly designed integrated first-year curriculum. In the business world of today, with the increasing focus on "cross-functional" managers, this program is one of a few programs truly attempting to train students to be cross-functional. While the program certainly has experienced some pains that accompany any transition to a new curriculm, it is one of the most underrated programs around. --No career path given The school also has a wonderfully diverse population of students and a strong teaching staff, most of whom are more interested in the growth of students than their personal research. Additionally, the MBA students benefit from access to classes in the well reknowned Accounting and Finance departments of the University of Illinois, a point which seems to be overlooked by many in assessing the graduating students. Overall, this program is experiencing some issues relating to the new curriculum, but amazing strides have been made in just the past six months towards revising and rejuvinating the curriculum. --Consulting Overall, I was pleased with the education I received at the University of Illinois. I concentrated in accounting, which allowed me to take master level accounting classes at the school. It is not a mistake that the University of Illinois is ranked so highly for its accounting classes. I received good job offers from such employers as IBM, Delta Air Lines, and Price Waterhouse Management Consulting, as did many of my classmates. --No career path given However, one area that could be improved is the number and quality of companies that recruit University of Illinois MBAs. The Career Services Office is targeting more companies from the Chicago area as prospective recruiters, but it is sometimes hard to convince the companies to make the 2 1/2 hour drive to Urbana-Champaign when they have Northwestern and the University of Chicago right at their doorsteps.--No career path given On a different note, I really applaud the Illinois MBA program for its efforts to improve its curriculum. It has gotten its core faculty to work together in an integrated course offering that is innovative and cutting-edge. Sure there have been bumps in the road, but overall the program has evolved into one that deserves the respect of others. --Consulting Overall, the University of Illinois is a good school. However, the administration and entire program have a lot of work to accomplish in order to be a leading business school. One of the biggest problems with the MBA program is that they continue to admit a large number of students with no work experience. --Consulting This program is highly underated. Academically, the program is outstanding, yet the program should have more resources to build better facilities, etc. I would highly recommend the program as a "big bang for the buck" rating. I feel very prepared for the market. For example, out of 20 schools who competed in the KPMG National MBA Case Competition, our Illinois team (of which I was a part of) made it to the finals and was commended by the President of GMAC. --Consulting Diversity and the international environment are excellent, with 35 to 48% of each class consisting of international students from 30 to 40 different countries. The learning in this environment is extremely valuable and unique. The integrated curriculum, particularly during the first year, makes the learning of business comprehensive and much more effective. The integration of courses continues to improve more and more each year. The Office for the Study of Business Issues (OSBI) provides many -- and diverse -- opportunities for students to participate in consulting projects for real companies in the real business world. --Consulting The Illinois MBA program has far surpassed my expectations. I recently reviewed my Individual Development Program (IDP) that I composed at the beginning of the program to articulate my goals for growth. I am now very comfortable in areas that I knew I wanted to develop, such as public speaking and use of techology for research and problem solving. The core faculty team works extremely hard to present a cohesive and integrated program in the first year. They do a very good job. I should also note that the program has a good mix of international students that provide for a good cultural and informational exchange. --Finance The only problem I can see from my experience is that the program takes a lot of international students but they don't have enough resources to help those students find jobs. --Finance By far one of the best apects of this program is the diversity in the student body and one of the best Finance deptartments in the U.S. However, I beleive it has been underrated by popular reports. It seems inconceivable that the undergraduate Finance program is ranked among the top five in the country, and our MBA is not given due credit. --Finance Back to Top 1999 Profile Update School Profile School Statistics |
||
