School of Management

I think Boston University's School of Management is more comprehensive and strong compared to that of other schools. The business program emphasizes and trains us on many factors that would prepare us for the future work field. For example, it is clear that the business program emphasizes leadership because we have a lot of classes dedicated to the importance of working as a team.

My only complaint about the program is that it is sometimes too focused on teamwork. In some classes I feel that I could learn and present the required material better on my own than with a team.

BU's business program is unique because of the focus it has on ensuring our experience is cross-functional. At many other business schools, students will tell you they are majoring in Marketing or Finance, but at BU, everyone is majoring in Business, because we are being trained to go into the business world already looking at the big picture. No firm can be successful without paying fair attention to each area of business activity, and if you are able to work in your sect of choice while keeping in mind how you are affecting all other areas of the firm, you will be a stronger and more effective figure in the organization.

Its strengths could be better promoted during the campus tours offered to prospective applicants. I was NOT made aware of a lot of the great resources and courses offered by the school during my own tour of the school. This would help the school attract more students, and further consolidate the school's brand amongst Boston's competitive undergraduate business programs.

The core curriculum that is required of all School of Management students really combines real world experience while integrating the curriculum (finance, marketing, operations, and information systems). Students learn about working with a team under stressful situations and creating a full-fledged business plan.

I think stronger emphasis on business ethics and writing would make the program stronger. I also think the information systems curriculum should be improved, given that it's such an in-demand hiring area for graduates.

Boston University's School of Management requires all business students to take CORE, a semester long team project that involves creating a product from scratch and making a business plan for it.

My business program could recruit from a wider variety of industries to be stronger. The career services have helped me tremendously with practicing interviewing and networking skills and cover letter and resume writing, but I wish more companies from my industry of interest (retail) recruited on campus for their executive training programs in buying.

Our school is extremely focused on teamwork, with almost every class having a big team project or some element of teamwork. The School of Management is a network and very strongly knit community compared to the rest of the school. I believe the constant teamwork has created excellent opportunities to network and feel closer to my fellow SMG students.

The CORE program, while good, is out of date and while it's been made known that it's actively being worked on to become more relevant it still feels stuck in the mid to late 90s. This in addition to the aging information systems program that does not stay current with modern IT management practices such as ITIL.

The environment sets the school apart. The building itself sets a professional tone that encourages students to work hard when they enter it. The quality of the professors who bring world experiences into class also set it apart.

While studying abroad in London, I was taking international marketing and management classes that used more international examples. I really enjoyed feeling knowledgeable and informed on international businesses and I think it would be great if they could incorporate a more international take in the Boston curriculum as opposed to the mainly US business focus it currently has.

The professors and staff at the school of management are dominantly business professionals that can provide their real life experiences in the classroom to bring to life the material covered in our textbooks. They truly live and breathe the subjects they teach and it comes across in their immense motivation to help students on anything they need assistance in.

Each student must complete a semester-long internship that is facilitated by the university. Course load during that semester is lessened so the student can concentrate on having a positive work experience.

The cross functional core program, taken in the junior year is undeniably the toughest but most rewarding semester any SMG student will have in his or her undergraduate career. Groups of students engage in a semester-long project in which they hypothesize a product idea and create a comprehensive business plan from the perspective of each class (finance, marketing, info systems, and operations). I felt like I learned more this semester than any other I have ever taken.