When it came to selecting an MBA program, for me it came down to 3 major things: Location, Class Size, and Career Placement.
In terms of location, I knew I wanted to remain in the area and build a life in southern California (I had been living here for about 10 years prior). I wanted a school with an established alumni network in the area and longstanding relationships with the companies headquartered here. Merage may not have the largest alumni network by numbers, but my experience has been that they make up for it by being willing to go out of their way to help current students. Definitely leveraged those connections in my internship/job hunt. Still working in the area and now that the shoe is on other foot I try to do the same for current students.
In terms of class size, I went to a large high school and undergraduate program and was looking for more of a personalized experience for my MBA. Not knowing exactly what I was wanting to do post-MBA, I wanted a school where I would be able to get 1-on-1 attention from faculty/career services team. Some people want the big program, but this was much better fit for me. Definitely felt I got the attention i was seeking at UCI especially with career services team.
Lastly, career placement was the third reason i choose UCI. Let's be honest, getting an MBA is a HUGE investment (time and money) and you want to see a return on that investment. Looking at the placement statistics at the class prior to mine, I felt good about the average starting salary and the what really gave me confidence was that they had placed something like 90% of grads in full-time roles within 6 months. The career services was instrumental in working for me from day one preparing for the job search, interview training, career visioning etc.
Small class sizes, everybody gets to know everybody. Faculty is very accessible.
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