University of Illinois at Urbana—Champaign College of Business

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Students Say - Academics
With a large university setting and a low in-state price tag, you might be surprised to learn that the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign brings a decidedly personal touch to the MBA experience. With only 100 students in each entering class, "the smaller class size" helps to "foster the interactions and provide a forum for students and professors to learn from each other." In the first year, full-time MBA students take a sequence of eight-week courses in business fundamentals, which comprise a "good mix of case study and theoretical knowledge." In this well-organized core curriculum, "The courses are structured, goals are communicated early, and all work done for the course is relevant and educational." In the second year, students take 16 credits of electives and 16 credits towards a concentration in fields like marketing, finance, information technology, or general management. Students are encouraged to tailor their MBA to their own career goals, and there is "a lot of flexibility with concentrations" and electives, including several opportunities to study overseas, as well as joint master's degree programs with other Illinois departments. Students may also take electives outside the College of Business. Group work and class discussion is stressed at Illinois, allowing students to network with their classmates, as well as their professors. Due to "the cultural and functional diversity in the class," the team-based format helps students to "expand my understanding and my knowledge concerning the business world in China, India and other countries around the world." Equally attractive, "The professors have a one-to-one relationship with most students" and many are very accessible outside the classroom. In addition to their accessibility, business faculty is "very well-regarded in their field and most [take] teaching seriously." In the lecture hall, professors "continue to innovate their teaching styles and course materials to prepare students for the realities that will be faced immediately upon graduation." While not every professor is universally adored, "The school has an unbelievable roster of finance and accounting professors who are great teachers with practical experience." To augment the traditional curriculum, the administration invites "Nobel Prize winners and industry leaders as guest speakers at the university." Many students enter the Illinois MBA with just a few years of work experience, and the program makes every effort to promote their professional development through handson education and training. There are many ways to get your feet wet at Illinois, including "vast amount of case competitions, clubs, and real consulting experience." Of particular note, every student must complete "practical consulting experience through Illinois Business Consulting," or IBC, through which MBA candidates do "management consulting work for small to Fortune 100 companies." In overseeing IBC and other programs, the administration "runs very smoothly"â€"and seems to be ever-improving. The school "hired a new dean in 2009" and students say the new leadership is "completely flexible to student needs."

Students Say - Admissions
The Admissions Committee at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign begins reviewing completed applications in December and will notify applicants of a decision within 4 to 6 weeks. Last year's entering class had an average undergraduate GPA of 3.4 and an median GMAT score of 652. Forty percent of entering students were business majors in college, and had more than 4 years of professional work experience before entering the program. UIUC does not have a minimum required GMAT score or GPA for admission. If you have taken the GMAT more than once, the Admissions Committee will only consider your highest score. There are no academic pre requisites for the program.

Students Say - Campus Life
At Illinois, 40 percent of current MBA candidates come from overseas, and students say it's an "amazing experience getting to know people from all over the globe with [so] many backgrounds and experiences." In addition to attending class, many students "spend a lot of time in our business building talking with other students, sometimes about a class project, but sometimes just about the current business environment." In addition, "There are seven or eight student clubs run by students in the U of I MBA program," and "Each weekend, one or two clubs put on events in order for students to interact with one another outside the classroom." Drawing praise all around, the business school's "new $50 million LEED-certified building" is "state-of-the-art, with many multimedia resources." The workload will keep you busy on campus, but "the business school itself is a place where you can spend your whole day studying," and is auspiciously located "within a block of a library and many restaurants." Surrounding Urbana-Champaign is "a nice Midwestern town" that offers "something for everyone, from Big 10 sporting events, musical and artistic performances, [to] outdoor activities." To blow off steam, "The nightlife both on and off campus is great and weekends are always filled with options."

Students Say - Careers
The Illinois MBA Career Services office provides individual counseling to MBA candidates, helping them prepare for the workforce and to secure internships during the program. Career Services also works with local employers and alumni (the school boasts a 6,000-plus alumni network) to operate its campus recruiting program. However, students admit, "Recruiting is our biggest weakness and challenge, since we are a relatively small MBA program." In particular, many students think the school should have more corporate ties in big cities, like Chicago. International students (a large percentage of the class) also say there could be more "assistance for international students in job placement." In response to these issues, the MBA Career Services Organization has been integrated into a new college wide Business Career Services Organization aimed at providing increased visibility for MBA students to companies that recruit at the college. In recent years, graduates of the Illinois MBA program accepted a median base salary of almost $90,000 annually, with a salary range between $60,000 and $160,000. About half of the student body took jobs in the Midwest, with general management and finance fields drawing the highest number of graduates. The top hiring companies included AT&T, Cisco Systems, Ernst & Young, ExxonMobil, Hewitt Associates, LG, Peabody Energy, Procter & Gamble, Robert Bosch Corporation, and Sears Holdings Corporation.

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