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| Georgetown University McDonough School of Business |
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1999 Profile Update School Profile School Statistics Graduates' Comments: Overall, it has been an excellent two years. I chose Georgetown as the program is still young and not settled. I am entreprenuerial by nature, and the fact that it is not tradition-bound appeals to me. My classmates have been wonderful to work with and learn from. The instruction I received here has been phenomenal and the new curiculum looks terrific. I would do it again in a heartbeat and recommend it highly to prospective students. --Entrepreneurship Georgetown should have a stronger focus on quantitative issues. It should also improve the quality of its faculty. While some of the courses and profs were just oustanding, some courses were taught pretty poorly. --Finance The Georgetown MBA program has been rewarding in many aspects, while exciting and frustrating in others. To begin with I would like to comment on some of the worthwhile aspects of the program. The International Business Diplomacy Program, essentially a joint venture between the Business School and the School of Foreign Service, offers some of the University's best lecturers in topics including International Business, Business/Government Relations and Business Ethics. The value of learning how to manage government regulations and national positions within the International business and financial environment will prove critical to students seeking careers in International business and banking. --No career path given In my own experience, Georgetown's faculty has proven to be one of the school's key success factors. I have had one-on-one meetings with about 90% of my professors throughout the program. Professors are often willing to open their Rolodexes for employment contacts and in some cases they have even augmented the process. --No career path given There are negative aspects to the courses offered as well for example, the quality and presentation of the public policy electives and decision sciences classes was absolutely sleep inducing. Interim Dean Kasra Ferdows has done a lot to add transparency and dynamism to the program, however it seems that a mix of factors is slowing things down at the Georgetown School of Business, including its relationship with the parent institution. At times, the bureaucratic process in which all registration forms and approvals have to be made by both the MBA administration and the Graduate School is superbly tiresome and aggravating. GU must loosen the reins on the Business School for true progress in the administrative realm.--No career path given They have made tremendous strides in the quality and number of employers coming to campus. During my MBA, Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, P&G (Brand Management)and several other notables have begun recruiting on campus. The on-campus interview process runs like a swiss train, always dependable, however on the negative side, the career management office is very lacking when it comes to assistance with outside job searches. Many students are often literally on their own out there, the class of 1998 has taken it upon themselves to create an alumni Web resource (as part of the class gift) to enhance the contact between alumni and current students. --Finance Georgetown turned out to be a fantastic school experience -- a very different experience than what I have heard from people attending other MBA programs. Our class count was a little over 200 people so we all knew each other and were very close knit. Of course this helped in the social scene but it also facilitated efficient forming of teams for the various projects we had. In the first year, just about every core class had at least one team-oriented project. --No career path given The school emphasizes an international perspective in most classes. A marketing class will not only cover the traditional selling techniques, but will also address how those techniques differ from one country to the next. About 30% of the student body came from foreign nations. This diversity added to the classroom and work experience because ideas and experiences came from various and unique perspectives. --Consulting I chose Georgetown because of its global perspective and cognizance of business-government relations. Having lived and worked in different countries, I had experienced first-hand the globalization that is going on around us. As competition increases, businesses are looking outside their countries for increased operating efficiencies and expanded potential markets. Along with globalization, better business-government relations are needed to confront the demands that international operations impose on businesses. The Georgetown curriculum is built around a global focus. --Consulting My MBA experience at Georgetown was truly rewarding. A handful of faculty that are second-to-none in devotion to students, quality of teaching, and real-world application of core business concepts made my education memorable and fulfilling. Careerwise, I'll be pursuing an opportunity in management consulting. The Georgetown career office provided ample opportunity to learn about and interview with all of the top consulting firms (Big Six and Strategy) that were of interest to me. The MBA administration has been responsive and has addressed numerous student concerns by revamping the curriculum for fall 1998. There is still work to be done on the technology front, but progress is being made. Finally, the Washington, D.C., area is an active hub of domestic and international business relations and offers a wealth of cultural and recreational outlets. --Consulting I am quite pleased with my GUMBA degree. In two years I have managed to triple my salary! Additionally GU has vastly expanded my knowledge and how I think about business. For a General Managment program we do an excellent job of exposing students to finance and banking. Leveraging our DC location is an advantage that cannot be stated enough. While here I interned at the White House and my roommate at O.P.I.C. I regularly visited the SEC or congresional offices to obtain current research and talk with policy officials. Just yesterday Warren Buffett spoke to 50 of my fellow classmates and I. I have also listened to President Clinton, Treasury Secretary Rubin, and Citibank head John Reed, among others. Such opportunities make an MBA from Georgetown unique and is a coveted aspect of my education which is appreciated by employers. --Finance Georgetown's Washington DC location, along with its reputation and alumni base, is a distinct advantage. Students also have access to New York City finance opportunities, and high-tech opportunities in Virginia while enjoying powerful speakers on campus ala Clinton, Rubin, Buffett (among others), all of whom reside or conduct business in DC. --Senior Financial Analyst Georgetown is substantially underrated -- the starting salaries prove it. The school's poor rankings are most likely a reflection of the entire University's somewhat schizophrenic attitude to the MBA program. Additionally, Georgetown students are among the very best at forming good teams. --Consulting One of Georgetown's strengths is the international flavor of the program; I was continually impressed with the diversity of the class with respect to this. The administration has been very responsive to the student body; during my first year, a significant drop in the rankings coupled with student dissatisfaction with parts of the program resulted in a reinvention of the program and a change in the senior leadership, all within only one year. It's an exciting time at Georgetown. The reinvention of the curriculum initiated by our class in cooperation with the administration should improve the program tremendously. I only wish I could be there to be a part of it! --Consulting Georgetown has a new dean and curriculum for the fall of '98. This will address the school's past weakness in leadership and allow Georgetown's superior teaching faculty to lead the school into the top 20 rankings. --Senior Supply Chain Consultant Georgetown is in a tremendous state of change. We are searching and selecting a new dean, raising funds for a new business school building to be built in the next few years, have completely revamped and redesigned the curriculum making radical changes, have increased the quantity and quality of firms coming to campus and have started fostering and building alumni relations. The past two years have seen Georgetown hold steady in the rankings. I think we now have a clear direction and path to excellence. Teamwork has always been a strong component in everything that we do as students. Georgetown students are better prepared than most MBAs in the areas of interpersonal skills and managing teams. Analytical skills have traditionally been a weakness, until now. The newly revised curriculum will inject a rigorous analytical emphasis on students from the first day. My prediction is that Georgetown will be in the top 20 MBA programs within the next three years. --Consulting Georgetown is a contender for Top 10 business school status. Over the past year the school has recruited a new dean, completely overhauled its curriculum and raised $60 million. To better understand Georgetown look at the where the graduates are going to work. For example, I am going to J.P. Morgan and my roommate to Goldman Sachs. Keep in mind, there is not another MBA in my associate class from a school out of the Top 15 (more accurate Top 10). Recruiters have discovered a unique source of smart internationally focused MBAs at Georgetown. I expect that it is only a matter of time before the Georgetown MBA's ranking reflects the quality of the MBA program. --Finance I believe that Georgetown is a positively developing program. It is a competitive program that attracts a diverse student body. Many things at Georgetown are "under construction", most importantly the curriculum, the leader ship of the school (new dean), and the facility itself. If all of these proceed according to plan, the Georgetown MBA program will offer a top-tier program in a location that can't be matched. --Finance Georgetown's biggest challenge is its young age--the program began in 1981. On-campus recruiting and starting salaries are at an all time high. This fall, we will get a new dean and a new curriculum. All this is not say that the school does not face significant challenges. To the administration's credit, when the students balk, they listen. Our class (1998) was perhaps the most controversial and outspoken in MBA history. We complained the curriculum was not coordinated and integrated, as a result, in consultation with the students, a new curriculum will begin this fall. We wanted more focus on international business, and next year each MBA will travel internationally and perform a consulting project. --No career path given In response our class has left a legacy for the school, pledging $250,000 (90% participation) as a way of demonstrating our ongoing commitment to the school and continued confidence in the direction it is moving. --Marketing The Georgetown MBA program underwent some difficult times over the last two years. However, through these difficult times, the program has set out on a path that will surmount several of its shortcomings. First, a new dean will be leading the MBA program beginning next year. Second, the curriculum has been revamped in a close cooperative effort between students, faculty and staff to recognize the needs of each group. Third, the school is in the middle of a capital campaign to gain the funds to build a new building. Each of these factors will vastly impact the program and will greatly benefit future students. --Consulting Georgetown has some room for improvement being a relatively young MBA program. The school is taking the right steps and is committed to improvement and to being an outstanding program that meets the student's needs and is relevant to the current business environment. The school offers excellent international exposure and sound fundamentals that will serve students well in their careers. I believe that once the school completes its plans to have a business school building, then the program will be well on its way to providing a unique and complete experience. --Finance The quality of teaching at Georgetown is also superb. My undergraduate institution is a research oriented university -- which is reflected in the poor quality of teaching. At Georgetown, the professors are more concerned about the quality of their teaching than their research. While this is great for students, it may have a negative impact on rankings because the professors do not get published as much as professors at other programs. --Consulting The people at Georgetown are great. As a foreign student, the student body is extremely important because it is ones primary contact to people. My fellow students at Georgetown were among the smartest, honest, and most stimulating people I have met. In my opinion, these fellow students are the real resource of a business school. --Entrepreneurship Georgetown has done an exceptional job at attracting a diverse and international student body. I had expected everyone to come from a similar background, but found that my classmates had done a wide variety of things before entering business school. This diversity greatly enhanced all of our learning. While any school can teach finance, I chose Georgetown because of this unique aspect. I have had the opprtunity to work with people from all over the world. This has taught me about diversity of cultures and business practices around the globe. --Finance Georgetown is not a good school for career-switchers or those interested in technology industries. There are no open interview schedules, and career management does nothing to support independent job searches. If one has a background in finance or consulting and wants to pursue a career only in one of these areas, Georgetown will be fine for you. I did manage to get my dream job, with my dream company anyway, but I had very few interview opportunities and as a consequence few offers.--No career path given On the bright side, Georgetown does do a good job with international business, and my classmates were some of the most creative and brilliant people I've ever met. You will be teamworked to death here, so I was very grateful to have such a cooperative and intelligent group of classmates. Georgetown is completely revamping the curriculum to emphasize international business to an even greater degree. It has also hired a new dean. All the alumni will be waiting with bated breath to see if the program will be implementable and if Career Management will actually start to do its job in the new program. --Marketing Back to Top 1999 Profile Update School Profile School Statistics |
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