Wake Forest University Babcock Graduate School of Management

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Students Say - Academics
The Wake Forest University Schools of Business offers "a first-rate education delivered in a small school atmosphere that is conducive to high levels of interaction between students and the faculty." Students universally laud the "personal touch" the graduate business program employs with its "commitment to academic excellence, strong faculty, [and] small class size that enables plenty of interaction among students and faculty." Academics at Wake Forest follow a holistic approach. The integrated curriculum helps students learn to analyze and solve problems by understanding the many components of a solution. Course content follows suit and is organized around a strong first-year core which includes essentials such as international business management, financial management, macroeconomics, operations management, and quantitative methods. In their second year students choose a career concentration within the broader areas of consulting/general management, finance, entrepreneurship, marketing, operations management, health, information technology management, or an individually-designed concentration. As one student attests, "The workload...is generally much more intense than what most students expect coming into the school and in comparison to students at similar schools. However, this intense and well-rounded education has already proven beneficial in my summer internship and in job interviews." The administration is "easily accessible and from faculty to staff, everyone is friendly. Student voices can be heard." When it comes to professors, at Wake Forest it's a first name, open-door policy; "All of my professors are engaged in my success. The level of dedication is a defining factor that sets Wake Forest apart," says one student. In addition, "the new Dean has fantastic visions for the school." Dean of Business Steve Reinemund, former chairman and CEO of PepsiCo, believes that by developing passionate business leaders who are ready to succeed in the marketplace the School's overall goalâ€"to impact the marketplace in positive ways and to get results with integrityâ€"will be achieved.

Students Say - Admissions
Wake Forest admits students who have proven academic ability, professional experience, and community involvement. Sought-after qualities include focus, motivation, leadership ability, strong values, and teamwork skills. Postgraduate work experience is highly important to an admissions decision. Last year, the entering class had an average GMAT score of 647, with a range of 610 to 680 (25th to 75th percentile), and average work experience of 3.3 years. For students who want to take part in a unique accelerated admissions process, Wake Forest offers "Done in a Day" admissions, wherein prospective candidates come to campus for one of several panel interview sessions. These applicants forego completing the admissions essays, and they receive an admissions decision within 24 hours of their interview.

Students Say - Campus Life
Wake Forest MBAs are "outgoing, dedicated, hard workers who are easy to get along with and fun to be around." There are countless student activities and the academic work is rigorous, but students love the atmosphere and enjoy getting together to debate key topics of the day or cheer on the Demon Deacons at a basketball game. "We are a tightknit group. Everyone knows everyone for the most part. The week can get pretty busy, but a lot of us play intramurals or pickup games during the week." Fridays are the time "when we all go out and blow off some steam. Students, even ones on different teams, will help each other out." Life on campus "is fast-paced and exciting." The workload is pretty demanding, but there is time for fun." "The student government "puts on lots of social events that bring most people out to socialize." There are "tons of clubs, activities, both athletic, cultural, and community oriented," and "the town of Winston-Salem also has plenty of dining venues." The typical day at Wake "ranges from all-nighter's in the study room with your learning team to happy-hour events in the courtyard where students cut loose, to Alive at 5 concerts in downtown. It very much is a work hard play hard atmosphere," which "prepares you well for the future." "Quality of life is part of what makes Wake Forest such a great place to be." In essence, Wake Forest's Full-Time MBA Program is full of "brilliant, type-A achievers you can get along with." There is "a prevailing atmosphere of collaboration and support."

Students Say - Careers
Wake Forest alumni "are very open to mentoring and helping with [students] job search." However, some current MBA students feel "Career Development needs to better prepare students for the internship and job search…clubs could have more activities that connect students with potential employers." In addition, current students would like to see more "diversity of companies that come to campus." Right now, "the focus is primarily on the Southeast, but they are taking strides to move to a more national scope." However, others note that the Career Management Center has already been making strides to improve; "For example, a dedicated mentoring program and alumni outreach program has been developed and is being implemented." In 2009, 84 percent of full-time MBA students seeking employment received a job offer within three months after graduation with those accepting jobs averaging a mean base salary of $88,230. Bank of America, Hanesbrands, Inc., Altria, Wachovia, and PepsiCo were the top five employers of 2009 grads with financial services and consumer products being industries with the biggest draw.

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