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| Babson College F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business |
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1999 Profile Update School Profile School Statistics Graduates' Comments: I'd like to point out that few schools succeed in characterizing the way work has changed in recent years. It makes a material difference in how you view the schools. I entered business school having been self-employed and having started a business with some colleagues. I chose Babson for its focus on entrepreneurship, knowing I would start other businesses down the line. I turned down two job offers of almost twice the salary I'm making so that I could get a certain kind of management experience so as to attract venture capitalists when the time comes.--No career path given Moreover, in addition to offers of full-time employment this summer, I also received "offers" to help found businesses/write business plans with an intention to have me stay on as a marketing director. That's what I'll do in a few years, and when I do, my salary may be close to zero. But isn't that a *postitive* measure of the success of my MBA program? Even if my next business fails, but the one after that is a winner, hasn't Babson succeeded if I become a successful entrepreneur? --No career path given I should also mention that I was not only in business for myself before coming to Babson, but I was in a creative field. On most business school campuses I would have spent the whole time apologizing for being myself. Babson wanted me because of, not in spite of, my creativity. This is not a campus of "MBA types"; it's a remarkably inquisitive, tolerant, open place. So it's hard to put checkmarks in boxes after two years of being out of the box. I'm delighted with my Babson education, and with the number of people I meet who also have high regard for the program. It is an exciting, intense time on the Babson campus, with tremendous momentum caused by the chain reaction of solid leadership and recent major gifts. More than 98% of my graduating class contributed to the class gift. --Entrepreneurship The entire program is based on entrepreneurship, which gives our graduates the ability to think cross-functionally about all decisions. Throughout our first year, we are assigned several groups for different projects and assignments. Over 75% of the first-year grades are based on group projects. We are taught to think like entrepreneurs for startup companies as well as Fortune 500 companies. During the first year, all of the students are assigned to consulting teams that produce a deliverable at the end of each semester for a Boston business that will be integrated into the organization.--No career path given The international focus of this program is another huge plus. Over 30% of my second-year class, of 150 students, are from Latin America and Asia. All American students must have international experience before graduation. This can be an internship, for which we had several students working on all seven continents over the summer, or an elective. The students selected from one of these opportunities: China, France, Switzerland, Prague, St. Petersberg, and Chile/Argentina. The objective of these trips was to do a comparative analysis of the political, social and economic status of these countries and how they compare to the U.S. Several native speakers with political or economic credentials speak with the students to give us first hand knowledge of the situations in their country and region. --Consulting During the 1997-98 academic year, my business partners and I conceived, developed, and launched an Internet company. We created the concept and wrote the business plan as part of Babson's capstone Entrepreneurship course. As we prepared the business plan, we realized the viability and market potential for our idea and pursued our venture full-time upon returning from winter break. Currently we are operating out of free office space in the business school's Incubator Lab. On our seed capital, we created a fully functioning product in time for a mid-April '98 launch, raised significant financing, and directed a launch marketing effort that included direct mail, advertising, special events, and media relations.--No career path given It is impressive to note that within the framework of Babson's curriculum we were able to take a business from the idea stage to the world marketplace. Babson is more than a business school; it is a community for entrepreneurs. We had classmates helping us make customer support calls, faculty consulting us on various strategic issues, and we even had investment support (the ultimate vote of confidence) from within the Babson community. I turned down other top programs with strong national reputations (e.g., large alumni networks, Top 10 rankings etc.) to attend Babson. From an outsider's view (e.g., friends, family, colleagues) this decision was met with some surprise, yet I have now demonstrated my ability to recognize and seize opportunities. --Entrepreneurship The integrated nature of the program and holistic view of business, supported by faculty who would at all times leverage the concepts (and cases) used in other streams makes Babson's MBA program outstanding. The professors are always there, not only to coordinate among themselves but also to share their views during breakfast. An emphasis on the business problems from the practitioner side makes the learning experience immediately applicable in the real world. Visitors from companies (often protagonists in the cases) often come to Babson to share their own insights and learning experiences with the class. --Finance Babson's two-year program greatly exceeded my expectations. The program is tightly integrated, especially in the first year, and provides insights that students would not get with a more traditional approach. The faculty and administrators put a lot of effort into continuous improvement and should be recognized for designing and managing an operationally complex program that responds to student and employer needs. The combination of exceptional faculty and adminstrators, small class size, a world class building, and year-long company sponsored projects, make this a unique program that will be difficult to imitate.--Operations The personal attention and responsiveness of Babson's faculty and administration are unmatched. ANY student with ANY grievance or suggestion for change will be heard, and most often, students and faculty work together to solve problems, improve processes, enact change, etc. The faculty's passion for their students' learning and their subject matter is evident in almost every class. (Most professors gave out their home phone numbers and had no objections to late night calls during exam time!) Teamwork and cooperation are strongly encouraged and as a result, there is virtually no cutthroat competition between students. I cannot say enough about my experience at Babson. While there will always be room for improvement, the positives far outweigh the negatives. I would recommend a Babson graduate education to anyone who was interested in making the best investment of their life. --Finance Babson is in a period of transition. The school's academic rigor, responsiveness to adding electives, and aggressiveness in creating opportunities for networking with alumni all increased at least five-fold during my tenure in the program. The strength of the Babson program lies in its ability to provide students with the ability to run an entire organization as opposed to one specific functional area. In my current job, I work closely with our technology providers. The education I received at Babson allows me to look at the various ways that my products are impacted by technology and to bridge the gap that existed between the technology department and the marketing department before I came to the company (my products are Web-based). --Marketing Babson is ahead of the game in terms of the program, especially the first year. To really be best-in-class however, it needs to invest in the faculty who teach electives. Specifically, I would say Marketing is weak. Finance is getting stronger by the semester, but they could still use one or two more good people. The other departments are generally excellent. --Finance Babson's curriculum is an excellent MBA program, but it should be considered a "dark horse" at the present time. Its reputation as the leading entrepreneurial MBA school in the country has not been enough to propel it into the top league tables. The "regionalness" and small size of Babson makes it very difficult for the school, considering its big town rivals (Harvard and MIT) across the Charles. However, the administration recognizes the situation and is making major efforts by first improving the status of its finance arm with stronger faculty and support. The addition of Lee Higdon should be a major boost for Babson. He did an excellent job turning the Darden School around and is expected to do the same for Babson. --Finance In general, I'm pleased to have chosen Babson as my MBA school. A few months in the workplace and conversations with my former classmates have brought to my attention that graduates from Babson are as prepared as graduates from Ivy League schools. On the other hand, Babson lacks a strong career services office and the tight alumni services top schools offer. --Consulting Back to Top 1999 Profile Update School Profile School Statistics |
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