Johnson Graduate School of Management

-I feel Cornell has a strong program and has made much effort to improve and ask students what is running well and what could be done better. I have seen positive changes in the program based on our feedback.

-I know for a fact that I will keep in touch with a large majority of my classmates, as well as my faculty and administration. They create a great sense of community.

-My experience was exactly what was communicated to me during my research process when deciding to which program I wanted to apply. The caliber of my classmates was beyond my expectations, and the challenges we had to confront during our class experience made the classroom experience extremely rewarding.

-The organization supported group sharing tools. But coordinating conference calls, dial-in resources, etc. was sometimes problematic.

-My experience was personally rewarding and enjoyable. It was hard and very demanding, but I was always energized and excited about my learning. I have not yet changed positions, but I am hoping to do so in the next six months.

-Getting the class involved, especially with the amount of experience in the audience, would be a great way to improve the class experience. The class could have been asked how certain topics related directly to their businesses. This happened, but I would have liked to have seen it happen more.

-They listened to our suggestions and made adjustments to the program while we going through it. We asked to have electives added and the administration made it happen. We received an excellent response to our suggestions and needs.

-I would have preferred electronic copies of all class materials. Harvard Business School cases were typically only distributed as hard copies.

-I think the content was truly great, and I enjoyed the ride. However, at the end of the day, I feel that the confidence and personal relationships that I developed with my classmates, the faculty, and the rest of the Cornell community was priceless. It is all about the people, and the weekend format that had us staying in the same campus, the small class size, diversified group of people and the cooperative atmosphere really has made it possible for me to feel part of this community. For example, I had one classmate who has coached me, an international student, with presentation and speech during class discussions for the two years in the program. At the end of the second year, our group was selected for one of the top presentations, and he told me how much I have improved (when we were having beer at the bar after class). Accumulation of these things helped me grow over the two years.

-While improvements have been made to providing career services, this is something that ought to be enhanced and strengthened. If the experience of myself and my classmates is any indication, it appears that the trend for EMBA students is to use the degree to create new opportunities for themselves, not as a credential for incremental advancement within their present company. Having said that, these programs are often quite expensive and somewhat speculative in terms of possible benefits and returns. I think this provides a challenge to the program to find ways to add value beyond course content and the degree.

-It would be better if Cornell provided better career management service and more interaction with alumni.

-My classmates were impressive individuals, and the alumni I have met are responsive. I'm blown away by the Johnson family.