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This program is very strong and any candidate from any school should know that you will get out of it exactly what you put into it. Smith will show you the door and provide top-notch professors. Case in point: even though I was starting my own company I completed the program in two years, went to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Tunisia, Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Hong Kong, Macau, and competed in a $15k business competition put on, judged and hosted by Kevin Plank, the CEO of Under Armor. All of this is thanks to the networks and exposure every student will have at Smith.

One of the best parts of the MBA program was my classmates. They were all completely competent, willing to work, and shared interesting experiences to facilitate the lesssons/topics under discussion. We really got to know each other over the past 3 years, and I consider many of them good friends.

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Strengths: Instructors were almost always leading scholars in their fields and were published regularly. Furthermore, they respected us as students and were available for discussion before/after class and via email and the phone. Weaknesses: Often had to deal with large class sizes, which, by their nature, limited the instructors' ability to engage everyone in the discussions/debates.

Maryland offers all of the same opportunities as the top five MBA programs do, as far as resources and quality professors. If you're seeking a challenging MBA program with a leading edge on the global events, it would be Maryland.

s

I am very torn as to whether this was worth the time and money. Yes, I have learned a lot and gotten a new job, and I will have some great skills with me for the rest of my life. I have also met many great, talented people who will be valuable friends and contacts for many years to come. However, I feel the program has stopped caring about me as a student, and they have sold out their good name to cash in and take in as many students as possible. There is almost zero selectivity in admissions. Anybody with a pulse and a student loan can get in. Also, the school doesn't seem to know what it is. When I first applied it was all about "leaders for the digital age." That slogan is gone, now. So what is it? Georgetown is very clearly branded as an international program. Maryland should take advantage of its location and either go back to being a leader in high-tech MBA offerings, or focus on being in Washington DC and close to the federal government. About 2/3 of our class are either government employees or contractors--why not focus on the business of government? There is a single class offered that deals with the public sector. A truly missed opportunity.

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There should be more career services for part-time students, especially closer to the teaching facilities.

Yes, there is an event almost every week. I could not name all the networking events I receive invites to.

I think better flexibility as to the number and timing of electives offered would help. The balance between core and electives is skewed too heavily towards generic, mainstream courses. The electives really help distinguish our skills in the marketplace. Making the core such a substantial potion of overall credits (unnecessarily, I might add) is a detriment to our marketability.

s

The school needs teachers with more outside experience and more learning from the book rather than class discussions.

All the instructors did their best to try and meet the needs of the students. They were all willing to make time for you to go over any area of interest or issues with a topic. They all had a wide variety of experiences and many were at the forefront of their field in research. The instructors were not easily accessible, although they made themselves available. The instructors' offices were located on the main campus, which was a little out of the way for most of us to visit, but they did try and accommodate us by coming to class earlier or staying later to attend to the students.