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(4.5) |
I am currently a part of the dual degree program(MBA + MSBA) at Mendoza College of business. Being a STEM program this gives me an added advantage as I am an international student and also the curriculum is great.
The best part about my program that I like is the small class size of about 130 students and still have such vast alumni network. I know almost every person in my class (I mean personally) and enjoy conversations and gatherings with them. The people are very supportive and encouraging here. Oh and did I mention the campus is amazingly beautiful and has opportunities for everything. Name any sport/hobby and there is a facility for that.
There is one drawback of location though. South Bend (the place where the college is) is not a very big place and so there are no opportunities to meet with companies/network with people. But then, Chicago is just 2.5 hours away. So you can easily go and meet with people and companies if that is necessary.
All in all, I am very satisfied with my decision of choosing this program and am a proud domer (people of Notre Dame).
No complains with respect to curriculum and professors. The professors are very qualified and are best at what they do.
There are not a lot of on campus recruitment opportunities so if you are an average student you have to rely on off campus job opportunities. But you will sail through, not a problem. :)
Overall BSchool experience (4.0)
Schools contribution (4.0)
Classmates rating (4.0)
Student body, diversity
Alumni Network
Culture & Student Support
Facilities
Consulting
Finance
Entrepreneurship
Career opportunities provided by school
Location
Brand/Ranking
Firstly, Notre Dame wasn't my first choice when applying. However, 7 months into the program if I had to pick first choice again, I'd pick ND any day. Here are a few reasons why:
1. The brand
Internationals, ND is a huge brand. It's just crazy how much brand power ND has here. No matter which part of the US I am in, people know and respect the ND brand (Some may trash their football team, though!) It is commanding. I had no problem talking to recruiters in any company since I never had to explain how good ND is.
2. People
ND attracts some top talent, and importantly, everyone is really friendly and helpful. There is no sense of competition - classmates are not trying to one-up the other. Its very collaborative and people genuinely care for each other. I already know that some of the people I've met here are going to be amongst my closest friends for a long long time.
3. Location
Sounds crazy, yeah. South Bend? I love the place. It's close enough to Chicago to allow opportunities to travel there for networking while also being so cheap to live in. Besides, this place is so awesome during home football games. When you see thousands of passionate fans streaming in to campus, the ND pride starts to become real.
The professors, by and large, are good. Some are truly exceptional, while some are ordinary. Irrespective of whether you like their teaching style or not, these are respected academicians, invited by leading news organizations to comment.
Classes are lecture based and perhaps more emphasis on cases would have been nice.
Career services used to be a weak link. But they are now truly trying to transform themselves. They've made some great hires into the team, including an ex-recruiter from Apple and things should be much better.
For our batch, they didn't begin on-campus recruiting till January to align with other schools.
For me, I did a lot of my internship search myself.
FYI - I already have an internship - so if you put in some work, you can get one fairly quick.
Overall BSchool experience (5.0)
Schools contribution (4.0)
Classmates rating (5.0)
Alumni Network
Brand/Ranking
Culture & Student Support
Consulting
Finance
Management
Facilities
Specialization in a particular area (e.g. Finance, Consulting, Healthcare, etc)
Technology Careers
The Mendoza MBA program is a class apart. The small class size and the small town location of the school creates a close bond with your classmates. Its nationally recognized brand name helps finding jobs quite easy as recruiters always light up at the mention of the name. The school does give out scholarships to the top applications quite generously as well. This along with the low cost of living in South Bend makes for a very high ROI for the degree. The schools reputation and caliber in football makes the fall season particularly enjoyable. The Fighting Irish are an internationally known team and are among the top team in the nation. The caliber of the program, camaraderie of the classmates, the accomplished professors and t
The professors are well renowned in their fields and make the classes quite interactive, drawing from the experiences of the class. They have an open door policy and give great advice on careers, life and school itself.
The alumni network is incredible and is potentially the second largest in the nation. This allows students to get a foot in the door at almost all of the Fortune 50 organizations. Relying on the network is a better option than on the placement team at the school.
Overall BSchool experience (5.0)
Schools contribution (5.0)
Classmates rating (5.0)
Curriculum, Classes, Professors
Student body, diversity
Alumni Network
Brand/Ranking
Consulting
Finance
Entrepreneurship
Career opportunities provided by school
Specialization in a particular area (e.g. Finance, Consulting, Healthcare, etc)
Notre Dame's alumni network is very strong. Come to Notre Dame prepared to hustle. Not a ton of big name brands consider Notre Dame a core school, but many are glad to interview and hire Notre Dame students and grads. Again, you just have to put in the work. South Bend definitely isn't for everyone. Social life is centered almost exclusively around classmates. Professors, student support, career services are all strong. A number of first year candidates received internship offers from off campus career fairs such as NBMBAA and Prospanica Conferences with big name brands. For the first time this year on campus internship recruiting takes place after winter break.
Overall BSchool experience (5.0)
Schools contribution (5.0)
Classmates rating (5.0)
Alumni Network
Brand/Ranking
Finance
Student body, diversity
Location
Overall, I really enjoyed my time in the Notre Dame MBA program. The school has a strong focus on ethics, and tends to attract people who want to make a difference through business. I enjoyed my classes, and the professors were always willing to answer questions both in class and in office hours. They all want you to learn and succeed, and I believe they are the bright spot of the program. The only area that needs improvement when it comes to the program is career services. My wife is also an MBA, and the career services in her program were much more proactive than at Notre Dame, checking in regularly and recommending various alumni and events without any provocation.
Overall BSchool experience (4.0)
Schools contribution (4.0)
Classmates rating (5.0)
Curriculum, Classes, Professors
Alumni Network
Culture & Student Support
Consulting
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Marketing
Student body, diversity
Career opportunities provided by school
I chose Mendoza over Goizueta, Kenan-Flagler and Kelley after I visited each school. I have no doubt that the people and professors in this program are top notch (one professor is the founder of Keurig Coffee). With that said, nothing compares to the Fighting Irish alumni network. ND is truly a family of great tradition and support. The job placement numbers are great, 100% got internships last year. Mendoza is notoriously known as one of the best in Finance and has more IB placements than students. The Notre Dame brand is not only strong in the Midwest, it is strong in the entire country. Not many schools can beat that!
School spirit = better network.
Go Irish!
Overall BSchool experience (5.0)
Schools contribution (5.0)
Classmates rating (4.0)
Curriculum, Classes, Professors
Alumni Network
Brand/Ranking
Consulting
Finance
Investment Banking
Entrepreneurship
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As a somewhat older applicant (30 y/o during admissions), I spared no expense or time in exploring all of my options--applying to 20 full-time programs around the world and the U.S. While not among my initial consideration set, I responded to an offer from Notre Dame to waive my admission fee, which I believe was triggered off of GMAT score.
I interviewed with all 20 of the programs I applied to, and Notre Dame did by far the best job of being engaging and welcoming while asking tough questions about my plans for the future. At the time, I came away impressed but doubted I would attend, as I had received admission offers from top-10 ranked programs. Then a few days later I received an admissions offer from Notre Dame with a VERY substantial financial assistance offer, so substantial that it essentially made my decision for me. I was headed to South Bend!
Overall, I found the program to be quite culturally conservative, and I didn't like living in a small town in the midwest, but I'm sure others would like that environement. From an academic and career perspective, all the opportunities are there for the taking unless you're looking for something VERY specific at the high-end of the occupational spectrum. Only 10% of students received offers with the Google/Goldman/BCG diamond studded companies, but offers of $100k+ jobs were available for 80% with stodgy F500 firms.
Overall, I got what I wanted done without too much pain. It's key to remember that much like work, an MBA is only one component of your life, and your satisfaction with the period can be influenced as much by the other elements than which school you chose.
Curriculum is a little "old-fashioned" in that it's standard classroom-based, but I don't think that distracted from the overall knowledge transfer.
Strong Midwest network, particularly Chicago.
Overall BSchool experience (3.0)
Schools contribution (4.0)
Classmates rating (3.0)
Brand/Ranking
Culture & Student Support
Specialization in a particular area (e.g. Finance, Consulting, Healthcare, etc)
Strong Corporate Finance
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Career Center will help you and they'll provide some opportunities for internships and jobs but a lot of Notre Dame MBA students have to tap into the ND alumni base constantly and often in order to network properly and get an interview with a top employer. I had a different idea of what it was going to be like in business school coming in - I thought that internships and jobs were going to come easy but I was way off. There is a lot of competition regardless of what business school you're in or what major you have.
Veering off point slightly, there are 3 pillars to a successful business school students' life: Social life, Job searching life, and school (grades/learning). If you are fond of your social life, get ready for a change because you won't have much during your time except for the inter terms. Job searching/ school/ other extracurricular activities will comprise 80-90% of your time. Getting an internship is easier if your major reflects your background experience but for career switchers its vital to hit the ground running: start networking before you come on campus, know exactly what your major is and what job you specifically want after business school, start prepping for interviews immediately, etc. If you're in consulting, read Case In Point by Marc Cosentino before you arrive on campus. Trust me, all this a great opportunity to get ahead of the curve
Some of the professors in your first couple Mods (quarters) are new, so they're learning how to teach just as you're learning how to learn
ND is Finance heavy. Consulting Club has died out the last couple years but I'm part of a board that is rebuilding it to be one of the premier MBA consulting clubs. We're going to encourage students to practice case interviews early and often with each other and then share insights through consulting club, for instance, rather than doing a group case and not having much interaction and participation. We're also encouraging alum from MBB and other top firms to come give practice case interviews weekly/biweekly
Overall BSchool experience (5.0)
Schools contribution (3.0)
Classmates rating (5.0)
Alumni Network
Brand/Ranking
Culture & Student Support
Finance
Investment Banking
Curriculum, Classes, Professors
Career opportunities provided by school
