| BUSINESS WEEK ONLINE:
|
|
|
|
|
|
| University at Buffalo (SUNY) School of Management |
||
1999 Profile Update School Profile School Statistics Graduates' Comments: I was in a unique position being able to take part in the school's 3/2 MBA program. Selection to the program was quite limited and one of my worries was the fact that I did not have any full-time work experience coming into the program. One aspect of the program that should be noted is the strength of the MBA in Accounting. While the starting salary in a field like Public Accounting may not be as high as some of the other concentrations, I do not feel that starting salary is necessarily the best indicator of how prepared our students are, or how much demand that they are in. --No job track given I think that the true statistic that should be looked at is the percentage of students who receive jobs; especially the people who get the jobs working where they want to work. Our school has a strong reputation of accounting students going to work for Big Six accounting firms for four to five years and then obtaining jobs alongside students who graduated from the so-called "top business schools." I think it is about time that SUNY - Buffalo is placed in the same category as these other schools. I am quite confident that our students are just as qualified, if not more than they are. Our placement at consortium events as well as four to five years after school will attest to that! --Accounting One of the greatest strengths of the SUNY at Buffalo MBA program is the arrangement where local executives come in to teach courses. Being former MBA students themselves they are able to relate and give relevant approaches and challenges to consider when leading a business. They seemed to have the most energy and passion for what they did and thoroughly considered all potential sides of growing a business. --Human Resources When first approaching applying for the MBA school at SUNY Buffalo, I had intended simply to round out some of the classes I had taken previously while an undergraduate at the School of Industrial & Labor Relations at Cornell University. The MBA, I assumed, would be a natural progression from many of the courses in economics, accounting, and collective bargaining I had already taken. I assumed that a Buffalo MBA would not be challenging nor develop many new skills, only adding to that which I already had. My surprise at the program cannot be overstated. From the outset in the expanded orientation program, I quickly knew most of my classmates, making the overall experience far easier. In terms of the core courses, I was surprised at the caliber of the professors. Unlike some of my previous educational experiences, including my time at Cornell, the "good" professors were not reserved for the elective classes. The electives were diverse enough for my tastes, and well-taught. I simply cannot say enough about the school. --No job track given Although a JD/MBA student at Buffalo, I always felt at home in the School of Management. Classmates went out of their way to make others feel comfortable, and competition was good-natured and far from cutthroat. I was under the mistaken impression that a state school MBA would necessarily be subpar. Thankfully, I was quite wrong. --Associate Attorney The school needs to do a better job of creating a nurturing environment for students. The school has in place a system, which I assume is typical, which uses MBA student assistants in the admissions and career placement offices. During my tenure here, the students in these offices would freely converse about which student had the best grades, score on the GMAT exam, highest starting salary, etc. I found myself in uncomfortable situations that spilled over into the classroom when groupwork was at hand. This was not an isolated incident because at the start of my second year, the new student assistants did the same thing. In my opinion, the administration let these students have free rein and allowed a clique mentality to take over. Unfortunately, this minority of students created a divide within the class that cut off what could have been positive contributions by the uniquely diverse student body. --Consulting I am particularly impressed with the level of cameraderie among the students in the program. The focus on teamwork helped to enhance this spirit among the students. A group of students even organized a softball team and bowling league with an open invitation to all students. As a member of both activities, I can say this has helped to network among the student population. The academic services available to students are another area deserving of special recognition. The Career Resource Center has truly been an advantage in my job search. --No job track given The internship office was a reliable resource while looking for an internship. This office assured that ALL interns would be working throughout the semester on worthwhile, relevant projects. The advisement office was available to students during hours suitable to working students as well. This office could be contacted for course selection advise and curriculum scheduling. All students had the opportunity to meet with the dean to discuss student concerns, curriculum changes, and any other relevant issues. --Human Resources Upon entering my grad school, I was told by professors that I should: Concentrate on their course only; Read the book; Do all homework; Do extra homework; Read extra literature on the course such as papers and journals. This was in order to get the most out of the class. The only problem here is that there were 4, sometimes 5 different courses with professors saying this. It was truly hard in itself to do this. --No job track given Then there are the Career Resource Center employees telling you that in order to impress potential employers, you need to get involved in extra-curricular activities, and do other stuff besides school work in order to work on your nontechnical, people ("soft") skills. Therefore, I joined a professional fraternity, held a coaching job, a graduate assistantship, an internship, and started up and operated my own business. --No job track given I was involved in at least two, sometimes three of these at a time, along with full-time course work, and it just killed me. I truly believe I could have learned a lot more in my courses if I did not commit myself to outside activities. But I also believe that juggling these different jobs and responsibilities gave me a great deal of knowledge in time management and improved my leadership and interpersonal skills. --No job track given The only complaints I have about my MBA education is the fact that the professors at SUNY-Buffalo were hired because they were very knowledgeable in their area, not for their ability to teach. But, overall I believe that my MBA has made me very marketable in the job market. Therefore, I have received a decent return on my investment. --Information Technology Buffalo has helped with finding a job, but I have been disappointed with the number and quality of companies recruiting here. I am satisfied with the education I received, but I would not necessarily recommend this school to someone else. --Marketing At our MBA Advantage (orientation) session we completed an exercise that had us selecting recruits for a job opening. At the close of my third semester I had two job offers. But it was the challenge that the school offered and the opportunity to fulfill the challenge to lead and excel that stands out the most. --Marketing Back to Top 1999 Profile Update School Profile School Statistics |
||
