Experience during the program

UCI Paul Merage School of Business is a middle of the pack business school. While it was not my top choice, I can see how it was ranked in the top #50. (both positively and negatively)

I found most of the classes and the teachers to be engaging. I would say there were a few classes/teachers where I didn't find as useful (~15%). Small class size is a plus and keeps you engaged.

In terms of facilities I attended when the new building just finished so that was a plus. Awesome study room and classrooms.

The biggest issue I had was the weak alumni pool. While I didn't have serious difficulty finding a job, I know others did and I would have hoped the alumni pool would have been strong enough to help everyone secure their internship/full time job without too much worry.

At the same time, I would say the career center is staff is amazing and very supportive. Despite the challenges of finding positions, the career center gave us their full attention. They had workshops to assist us and the career counselors are super responsive. I almost want to say the challenge of finding jobs was more due to the lack of network connections/alumni rather than the career center staff themselves.

Personally if you don't get a scholarship (partial or full), it can be tough justifying paying that much to go to a mid-tier business school. If your main selling point is getting a better job/role coming out I would say don't expect it to fall on your lap.

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

Strengths of the program:

Curriculum, Classes, Professors
Facilities
Admissions Team

Best fit at this program:

Consulting
Marketing

Can be improved:

Alumni Network
Brand/Ranking
Culture & Student Support

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Experience during the program

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.

About professors, classes and curriculum

Small class sizes, everybody gets to know everybody. Faculty is very accessible.

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

Strengths of the program:

Alumni Network
Career opportunities provided by school
Location

Best fit at this program:

Finance
Marketing
Tech
Entrepreneurship

Can be improved:

Curriculum, Classes, Professors
Brand/Ranking

Read More

Experience during the program

I entered the program with a support of a sponsorship by my current company and does not have a plan to stay in US but in my 2 year time school provided me good career services although they know my situation. Chris was very helpful and helped me gain useful insights about finance sector and consulting by doing workshops and calling events with alumni from near area companies. There were 2 career fairs that had lots of companies for you to meet and have small talks so that you may have a better chance of finding internships or jobs. School does not have specific pathways that you feel confident about areas that you are learning and program should be powered up with more advanced electives and up to date content but my overall experince was near excellent most of the time thinking of great landscape and beaches close to the school that compensate minor deficiencies encountered in the program.

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

Strengths of the program:

Career opportunities provided by school
Location
Admissions Team

Best fit at this program:

Marketing
Tech

Can be improved:

Curriculum, Classes, Professors
Brand/Ranking
Facilities

Read More

Experience during the program

I graduated from the full time MBA program in 2015. I chose Merage based on the location, the smaller class, and the strong track record of the career services team. Overall I was not disappointed. I leveraged the MBA program to pivot industries and functions to consulting. The career team was instrumental in making that switch happen. There are tons of opportunities on and off campus to network, add skills, and build your resume. Merage has a large and active alumni network in Southern California. The school has good name recognition at virtually any company with some level of southern California presence. Oh and my current boss is also an anteater. Zot Zot!

About professors, classes and curriculum

Interesting mix of classes. No need to pick a particular "track" of "focus". I like that i was able to take any mix of classes I saw fit.

About job placement process

Pretty much any large company that has a Southern California presence recruits heavily on-campus here. For some of the largest top-tier post-MBA companies (Apple, McKinsey, etc.) your going to have to do the legwork but there's alumni out there who have done it who you can leverage.

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

Strengths of the program:

Student body, diversity
Career opportunities provided by school
Location

Best fit at this program:

Finance
Marketing
Entrepreneurship

Can be improved:

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

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Experience during the program

Merage MBA is a close knit community and you get an opportunity to know each of your classmate. Class mates come from diverse culture and background and the school provides a great platform for such individuals to engage in mental inter course. The professors are best in the business and continuously challenge students with case and real life projects. The school provides a second to none career center who take care of building your profile and preparing you for applications and interviews. Great location, upcoming silicon valley, year round sunshine and next to NewPort beach so much to do to relax your mind and body. Overall a 5 star experience. For future applicants if you are looking for a holistic experience, learning business, being continuously challenged, career growth and being a part of a close knit community then Merage should be your top priority.

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

Strengths of the program:

Curriculum, Classes, Professors
Alumni Network
Location
Culture & Student Support
Facilities

Best fit at this program:

Consulting
Finance
Marketing
Tech
Management
Operations, Product/Program Management

Can be improved:

Brand/Ranking

Read More