Washington (UWBS)

US News loves it, the most likely reason is the admissions stat.s including the GMAT score. To my knowledge, no other major ranking system UWBS anywhere close to the elite cluster.

I am an undergraduate at the UW right now in the business school. The undergraduate program is great there for Finance. Where as for the MBA program I can only say that I am greatly impressed by the MBA students teaching my classes. Also most of them have outstanding GMAT scores. The main reason to go to the UWBS is if you are an in state resident, price quality ratio is definitely worth it in that case.

I am from Washington area! UW has a great campus too... and great location. Esp if u want to settle in the Pac NW, UW is a GREAT choice!

Seattle!

I'm aiming for UW MBA. Shooting for fall '08 admissions.

As in-state resident, I agree great value at $17k per year (according to their site).

I have SU and SPU as alternates, though my 1st choice is UW.

I'm matriculating this fall so PM me if you are still interested in applying for '08, I might be able to give you some pointers. UW is small and very competitive, especially if your GMAT is under 680.

GMAT773, I thought you said in a previous post that Thunderbird was your choice. What was the kicker that made you pick UW? I'm asking bc I'm interested in both schools. I'm a Utah resident, so the tuition break is N/A.
My main interest is Int'l Biz. What does UW have to offer in this regard worldwide. I've heard UW's main focus in SE Asia.
Thanks in advance for the feedback!

UW announced today that it will be named the Michael G. Foster School of Business

The sooner they get that thing done the better. Balmer needs to be replaced badly.

You are correct Simon. Thunderbird was my top choice until I decided to take a holistic approach to both a reputable (trans elite) MBA program and strong ties to the local business community where I intend to open a boutique consulting practice.

UW and T-bird are both known for their international focus (about half of our current class comes from East Asia) however, IMHO, Seattle is where the action is. Tacoma port gets over 70% of its container cargo from China, Japan, Taiwan and South Korea. There may be a south asian studies program here, but it isn't emphasized in the core. Nearly every class lecture makes a reference to Microsoft/IT or trade with East Asia. We also have quite a few exceptionally talented Indians here. All in all, the caliber of our small class never ceases to amaze me.

I think Thunderbird is more global in the sense that it represents MBAs from all over the world (not just Asia) and refers to other global business arenas (Europe, Latin America, Middle East etc) instead of focusing on the Pacific Rim. Thunderbird is also unique in that it is a stand alone campus with superb facilities.

I will agree with the comment above that Balmer needs a facelift (which we are in the process of getting at the tune of a quarter of a billion dollars) but hands down you will have a hard time getting a better ROI for under $50K (Thunderbird is $65K).

Other factors that graviated me towards UW:

1. Lifestyle: we got the mountains and the ocean here. You want fresh Alaskan lobster with your venison tenderloin, no problem. Mt. Hood is three hours south and Whistler is three hours north, with numerous other great biking trails zigzagging all over Northwest.

2. Weather: I've been here since July and never once had to use an umbrella. Sure we do get our seasonal downpours in February, but it rains far less than most people think. I'm looking out my apartment window across Lake Washingotn right now and it is cloudy (as usual) but not rainy. Besides, the summers are absolutely unbeatable.

3. Joint degree flexibilty: Uw allows for joint MBA/MHA or MBA/MA and even MBA/MAIS without having to take the GRE. This is a nice option for those who really want to specialize. JD/MBA requires the LSAT.
Keep in mind that we do have access to the BEST medical school in the country for primary care, the sixth best for research, and outstanding law, engineering and international relations schools. I think overall, undergrad included, the UW is ranked in the top ten universities worldwide. Aesthetically, the campus is damn pretty in the spring and fall too!

4. Cost of living: I don't know of any (single) classmates who pay more than $800 p/month for rent. The median is about $650. Phoenix was a bit more expensive.

5. Most importantly, job placement ratio: EVERYBODY who graduates here gets a job. Maybe not the ideal position with GS or McKinsey, but we are employed and most start out at six figures. Those doing biotech consulting (significant proportion of our classmates and large industry in the PNW) make double that. Microsoft, Boeing, Starbucks, Costco, Nintendo, Nordstrom, Washington Mutual, Kurt Salmon, and a host of other companies actively recruit here.

I am in no way saying that T-bird is not a great institution, it is, just all things considered it was the perfect fit for my family and our long term goals.

PM me if you would like further questions answered regarding our program. Also, keep an eye on those rankings, we are about to move up about 8~10 spots once these new facilities come on line. Mark my words, UW will be a trans elite within the next five years.

Update:

That is now $20K per annum for in state and $30K per annum for out of state.

** Scholarships are frequently disbursed however.

hey gmat773 thanx for ur insight in2 UW. M thinkin seriously bout enrollin this fall. Few questions:
Does UW give out generous merit scholarships. Havent heard of neone get a full ride.
How's the school for international students. Latest figueres show that there isnt enough diversity in the class of 2009. how is the recruitment scene for internationals?

Hjort's random school designations should be ignored. Foster is a great school with very competitive admissions stats and great job placement, especially in the NW (Microsoft, Amazon, Philips, Hitachi, PWC, Starbucks, PACCAR, Expedia...). It has a great reputation in Seattle, where I have lived and worked for years. It gets less national publicity than schools like USC due to those ridiculous rankings that everyone focuses on, its location, and its size. Bottom line - Foster MBA is already a top program, and it will be moving up in those rankings with two brand new buildings on the way and recent large donations to the school. Hjort can call the school almost trans trans near elite or anything he wants, it is meaningless. I would go to Foster before several of those trans elite schools.

I find it interesting that one person noted that the school was ranked 18 and Hjort dismissed that argument. You either pay attention to those rankings when coming up with "elite" schools or not. UW is easily a top 20 program in my opinion, just ask the recent USC grads who were denied admission to UW and are still looking for jobs to pay back their enormous loans.

I do not have any stake in this besides being from the area and applying to Foster along with other elite/trans elite programs. I just found Hjort's designation of Foster to be misinformed.

This UW thread has been active for the last few months.

103-t58908

Thank you. That is a good thread.

Hey GMAT773,
I gather from ur posts that u in Foster at the moment. Can u tell us a little more bout Foster's strengths. From my research, I gather that International Business, Entreprneurship r 2 strong areas there. can u tell us a little bout wat u r specialisin in n also tell us as to wat classes or professors r really sought after at Foster. M lookin to specialise in Strategic Management with International Business. Can u suggest me who I shud talk to for course hadouts that the professors hv followed this year. Also wat r the chances of gettin scholarships in the next year given that i hv been offered a scholarship this year. Also shed some light on the criteria that second year scholarship awards r based on. Also if u can tell us somethin bout how Foster is rated by consulting firms n wat consultin firms r particularly active at Foster

Someone mentioned SU (Seattle University) and SPU (Seattle Pacific University).
I looked into both a bit.. here is what I found.

SPU: If you are not very religious, you would probably feel a bit uncomfortable here. It is a decent school to be sure, but in no danger of being ranked anytime soon. If you are looking to learn the fundamentals of business with a purely local degree, in a highly religious environment, then this could be a good choice. Some folks I work with attended school here and when I asked them about it, they backed up the religious bit. Sorry to harp on it, but it is REALLY important. If one of the Major Christian religions is not a major part of your life, you probably won't be a good fit here. That is why I stopped looking at this point. It is supposed to be a beautiful campus, very close nit - as it is mostly a small liberal arts college. 2-3 required religion courses for MBA students.

SU: PART TIME PROGRAM ONLY. Jesuit school. Possible to take 4 classes a week and get done in 2 years, but it is still a part time program. Most people take 1-3 classes. Great campus, another small liberal arts school. One side of the campus borders on skeezy parts of town, but the area is gentrifying quickly from the capitol hill side. Overall a very friendly atmosphere, great facilities. Seems like most people here are managers upgrading their skills from the MANY great local companies. This, combined with it being a PART TIME program means that formal recruiting doesnt really exist. It snuck in at #25 for part time programs in one of the rankings (yeah, maybe it is/isn't a top 25 but to me that at least means it is a decent school). With the companies its students come from, I believe it. Religious, but very laid back about it, no required religion courses, though i got the feeling the one required ethics course skated the fine line. This was my back-up school if I couldnt get in anywhere fulltime. I am sure I would have been happy enough, though as a career changer the job thing may have been tough.

I Think UW is the best out of those three schools.