Marriott School of Management

Being associated with a religious organization, there is a much larger emphasis on morals and ethics than what I see and hear from friends at other schools. Also, since so many students, male and female, have served religious missions, many internationally, there are an increased focus on how international business.

I wish that the generalized curriculum was taken down a small notch and that specialized "electives" took the place of some of those courses. Some students feel like their programs are a little too rigid. Ultimately, you only really get to choose three or four electives out of all of the major requirements.

BYU is unique because of the network. The business program taps into the alumni network and also the network of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) throughout the world. I was fortunate to intern overseas as an undergrad and place into a competitive asset management role because of the mentorship from various alumni and Church members.

Honestly I don't feel like the administration or teachers really care about individual students. The overarching feeling is that teachers and administrators are so caught up on doing things to make the school look good that they often overlook students’ needs or suggestions.

The caliber of students and faculty is amazing. I am impressed by their brightness, originality and dedication. The staff is highly concerned for each student in order for us to succeed after we graduate.

I feel that the school expects you to know your emphasis even before you take any classes and then if you want to change your emphasis you can only change it to the general business emphasis. I think it should have some type of introductory class to introduce you to the different emphases and then be more flexible if you find something you love to do.

Many students are capable of attending Ivy League institutions but chose BYU for the culture. The same is true of many professors. This has created an atmosphere that top students can do whatever they'd like upon graduation whether it be consulting, investment banking, venture capital, entrepreneurship, etc. This culture alongside our outstanding career services office helps place students in a variety of jobs. Also, most students have lived abroad two years and speak another language. This brings a lot of diversity of ideas to the classroom.

The weakest point of the program is that students start in it too late. If students could begin taking business classes first semester of freshmen year, the program would better educate and place their students.

There are always recruiting events and business club events to become involved in. They stress personal development and networking just as much as learning to work in teams in the classroom. Also we have an extremely high ethical standard that is higher than most business programs.

Many of the courses are only offered in the fall or only in the winter. This makes it difficult to take the classes you want.

The level of intelligence of the students is amazing. Also the atmosphere that is brought to the school by being around so many people of the same faith. Also, the fact that 75% of BYU students speak another language is unbelievable to me.

Adding in a stronger focus on economics would be beneficial for the finance program. At times it can be too practical (as opposed to big-picture focused), although that has been instrumental in helping BYU place an increasing number of students on Wall Street each year.

Professors with a vast amount of real-life experience. Many professors and leaders have come back to teach and help the students without wanting to receive any pay; they come merely to give back to the university. BYU also does a phenomenal job of presenting students with internship opportunities (if not off campus, then you can easily enroll in an on-campus internship). It's no longer a matter of whether or not you can find internships, but deciding which one to take and how many you want to do.

We need more diversity.

I have never had so many professors know my name (sometimes even before the first day of class) and care for me as an individual rather than just another student.