Experience during the program

USC Marshall more than met my needs and expectations in every metric I had coming into the program. The school did a good job of bringing in an extremely diverse class, a class which different perspectives based on geography, education, and professional experiences.

The MBA program has a lot of experiential learning opportunities which makes it very helpful in practicing the skills in a low stakes environment before going out into the professional world.

The major area of opportunity for the school would be to better leverage the advantages that come with being in LA. While there is a lot of momentum towards this, there is still work to be done in ensuring that the school gains more advantage from being in LA and also gives back more to the community within LA and this is where the Trojan network comes in.

USC Marshall grads and the larger USC Trojan network can honestly work wonders. I have not yet reached out to a Trojan, no matter how senior who hasn’t responded to me. If they are busy they might take a week or 10 days but they always get back. As soon as I signed my summer internship offer, next morning I got emails from 3 Trojans at the firm, with whom I had never spoken before, offering to get on a call and share the lay of the land and their experiences. While it might be a marketing term in most schools, the school spirit at USC is extremely high and the Trojan family is a real thing from which I have benefitted way more than I ever could have imagined as an international student who did not really understand the breadth and depth of this network before coming to the US.

Overall BSchool experience (5.0)
Schools contribution (5.0)
Classmates rating (5.0)

Strengths of the program:

Curriculum, Classes, Professors
Student body, diversity
Alumni Network
Location
Culture & Student Support

Best fit at this program:

Consulting
Marketing
Investment Banking
Tech
Management

Can be improved:

Admissions Team

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Experience during the program

I was lucky to get enrolled in Marshall, as one of the two schools I applied for. I enjoyed everyday at Marshall during the two years but only understood the real value of getting my MBA at Marshall after graduation.

- Marshall network, including all alumni and specifically the friends I got to know and work with during my study at Marshall. I can't advocate enough about how strong the trojan network is and how kind Marshall alumni are when being asked for help or advice.

- Wide range of opportunities. Because of the location, there are plenty of opportunities in entertainment. Still, it's close to silicon valley where is THE tech place. Industries like health care, investment banking as well as consulting are all possible. Some of the benefits I got to enjoy were to have various options (industry night to understand which industry or function I'd like to transition into after MBA) and to know experts in different fields that became very good resources.

- Diversity. As an international student who came to US for the first time, I found myself comfortable and excited to be brainstorming with people from different cultures and backgrounds.

Overall BSchool experience (5.0)
Schools contribution (4.0)
Classmates rating (5.0)

Strengths of the program:

Alumni Network
Culture & Student Support

Best fit at this program:

Consulting
Tech

Can be improved:

Career opportunities provided by school
Brand/Ranking

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Experience during the program

I was skeptical that the USC alumni network was as strong as it's reputation purported, but have been pleasantly surprised. If you plan to work and live in Southern California, USC should be your only option. Simply mentioning I'm a current USC student has already opened doors that otherwise would be difficult, if not impossible, to enter. I've referenced USC to meet with numerous CEO's and other executives. They've greeted me with open doors and shared incredible insight about their businesses', of which I have used in my own career search.

Outside of the alumni loyalty and affinity for the school, USC's entrepreneurship courses and teachers are superb. All of them have been very successful as either business owners, VC members, or corporate entrepreneurs. The insight they share is immediately applicable to starting your own venture and the resources available through USC can rapidly accelerate your business' growth.

I highly recommend USC for anyone with plans to start a business or those that want to gain access to a superlative network of alumni leaders throughout So Cal.

Overall BSchool experience (5.0)
Schools contribution (4.0)
Classmates rating (4.0)

Strengths of the program:

Curriculum, Classes, Professors
Alumni Network
Career opportunities provided by school
Specialization in a particular area (e.g. Finance, Consulting, Healthcare, etc)
Entrepreneurship

Best fit at this program:

Consulting
Tech
Entrepreneurship
Management

Can be improved:

Student body, diversity

Read More

Experience during the program

I selected Marshall primarily due to its location, alumni network and the culture. And I was not let down by any of the 3. I was helped by a lot of alumni during my recruiting phase, and due to its location, I traveled to Bay Area a lot (where eventually I ended up). The student culture at USC in general is very collaborative and you can get help from anyone whom you approach. The facilities are pretty good and with the new building it would be better. Career services went through a lot of churn during my time but I think it had stabilized now. Overall, I had a very good experience and I highly recommend Marshall for MBA.

Overall BSchool experience (5.0)
Schools contribution (4.0)
Classmates rating (5.0)

Strengths of the program:

Student body, diversity
Alumni Network
Location
Culture & Student Support

Best fit at this program:

Consulting
Tech

Can be improved:

Career opportunities provided by school
Brand/Ranking
Specialization in a particular area (e.g. Finance, Consulting, Healthcare, etc)

Read More

Experience during the program

Progressing through the program has been a life changing experience. My goal when I entered the program was to switch careers into a highly technical and competitive industry that I had no experience in. I had plenty of opportunities through the alumni network and landed a job that met my goal. Friendships and collaboration with classmates has been the best part of the program and it far exceeded my expectations. For a future applicant I would suggest really thinking about what you want to get out of an MBA before you apply and use your first couple months focusing on how you can use resources to achieve that. An MBA is great for a number of reasons, but I think the most beneficial is boosting or switching your career. Figure out which one you want to do and focus on how you specifically want to do that with an MBA.

About professors, classes and curriculum

Core year is all your mandatory classes and some of them are less than enjoyable. The real fun starts when you get to electives.

About job placement process

Figure out what you want to do with your MBA before you start and prepare for recruiting as early as possible. The better idea you have about what you want to do with your MBA, the more successful you will be with job placement and recruiting.

Overall BSchool experience (5.0)
Schools contribution (5.0)
Classmates rating (5.0)

Strengths of the program:

Alumni Network
Brand/Ranking
Culture & Student Support

Best fit at this program:

Consulting
Marketing
Entrepreneurship

Can be improved:

Curriculum, Classes, Professors
Specialization in a particular area (e.g. Finance, Consulting, Healthcare, etc)

Read More

Experience during the program

USC Marshall was great. My classmates were diverse in background and experience. So I had the opportunity to hear a lot of differing points of view durning my time there. The emphasis on communication skills and teamwork has been huge in helping me be successful post-graduation (as a consultant for one of the Big 4). I took advantage of pretty much every opportunity that I wanted. I competed in a lot of case competitions (including GCC), I was on the ABAC team, I received the Business of Entertainment Certificate, and I recruited heavily for consulting. The opportunities were great, and I appreciate them to this day. Career services was awesome (especially Elaine). They were great when I was there, and they have helped me recently when I was looking for a change. Also, I had a lot of fun. The social activities were great, and the program is very tight knit.

About professors, classes and curriculum

Professors and classes were uneven. For the most part, they are really good. When you are selecting your electives, make sure you get notes from 2nd years on which classes are good and bad.

Overall BSchool experience (5.0)
Schools contribution (5.0)
Classmates rating (5.0)

Strengths of the program:

Alumni Network
Location
Culture & Student Support

Best fit at this program:

Consulting
Marketing
Entrepreneurship

Can be improved:

Brand/Ranking

Read More

Experience during the program

Make sure there are specific reasons to attend Marshall as it is a relatively smaller program. There is going to be "something for everyone," but may not be as developed as elsewhere. For instance, it is a consulting and marketing factory, but not so much for healthcare. Reach out to some current students to get more insight on your specific needs.

Overall it is a decent program that is growing quickly, after falling in the ranks in the last 2 years. We're working hard to bring us back where we belong. While the Trojan Network is real, keep in mind many are alums of the undergrad program, PhDs, other masters, etc.

Overall BSchool experience (3.0)
Schools contribution (4.0)
Classmates rating (3.0)

Strengths of the program:

Alumni Network
Career opportunities provided by school
Specialization in a particular area (e.g. Finance, Consulting, Healthcare, etc)

Best fit at this program:

Consulting
Marketing

Can be improved:

Curriculum, Classes, Professors
Culture & Student Support
Facilities

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Experience during the program

The network I gained over my time in the program has been incredible and and the experience has been very eye opening. Most of the professors were also great because of the experience in the field and their passion to teach. Program also provides a lot of flexibility for what areas you want to focus on.

The first year of the program is the core year and the entire class takes the same classes. The 2nd and 3rd year are all electives expect for the globe trip and class. The globe trip was the highlight of the curriculum and an experience you will never forget.

The on campus recruiting provides opportunities to many high end MBA jobs that are hard to reach.

About professors, classes and curriculum

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Overall BSchool experience (4.0)
Schools contribution (4.0)
Classmates rating (5.0)

Strengths of the program:

Curriculum, Classes, Professors
Alumni Network
Career opportunities provided by school

Best fit at this program:

Consulting
Finance
Marketing
Entrepreneurship
Management

Can be improved:

Specialization in a particular area (e.g. Finance, Consulting, Healthcare, etc)

Read More

Experience during the program

Hi, I am an international student. My overall experience as of now has been amazing.


I wanted to pivot my career to consulting after MBA. The resources the college has provided for consulting have been amazing.

USC Mashall is very good for Consulting, Entertainment & Tech industries.

I can talk about consulting, as my primary focus has been in that.
The college has it location advantage and is, therefore, one of the targets recruiting college for the big four consulting companies. The Full-time hires for consulting this year has been generous. The support from Trojan network is awesome. The alumni are always ready to provide guidance and help in career decisions.
The Student clubs especially Consulting club trained us very well on the different aspects of an MBA journey.

Prospective students who are interested in Consulting should seriously consider applying to this college.

About professors, classes and curriculum

The curriculum is decent. no complaints as such.

About job placement process

All the Big 4 recruit consulting companies recruit on the campus.

Overall BSchool experience (5.0)
Schools contribution (3.0)
Classmates rating (5.0)

Strengths of the program:

Alumni Network
Career opportunities provided by school
Location
Culture & Student Support
Specialization in a particular area (e.g. Finance, Consulting, Healthcare, etc)

Best fit at this program:

Consulting
Tech
Entertinment

Can be improved:

Brand/Ranking
Admissions Team

Read More

Experience during the program

Marshall's MBA program is truly amazing...The students and the school is extremely collaborative. The Trojan network that is known to you all is terrific indeed! Regardless of the school's rankings, the students are prepared extremely well...Marshall students compete and often perform better than students from top ranking MBA programs, as evidenced by the case competition results and recruiter feedback from various companies (i know of the big 4 consulting firms only)

I was looking at consulting and Marshall made that really easy for me to pursue...the recruitment is well structured and there are many internal programs in place to help you with consulting recruitment...

Suggest future applicants to know what their target careers are before joining any school. Marshall doesn't have a strong foothold in marketing...when it comes to consulting, Marshall is not a core school for MBB, making it harder to get into those firms...

Overall BSchool experience (5.0)
Schools contribution (5.0)
Classmates rating (5.0)

Strengths of the program:

Alumni Network
Career opportunities provided by school
Culture & Student Support

Best fit at this program:

Consulting
Finance
Tech
Entrepreneurship

Can be improved:

Curriculum, Classes, Professors
Brand/Ranking
Admissions Team

Read More