Experience during the program

My experience at Tepper has been amazing. The small class size and the academic rigor at Tepper really set it apart from other programs. The school is also really invested in your success – You will receive a lot of support to help you succeed both in your academics and recruiting.
Quick plug for a friend whom I’ve known for a long time - Vatsal Srivastava. He has helped numerous people navigate the world of MBA admissions. I also reached out to him for his thoughts on European and North American MBA programs. He is an alumnus of INSEAD and has a pretty good feel of the global MBA landscape. He was extremely helpful in getting me to think through what I wanted out of each program, this was very helpful for when I was shortlisting schools.
Vatsal really provokes you and tries to push you to think of the most relevant experiences from your personal and professional life to answer the questions being asked in the essays. He is very accessible and usually answers any questions you may have pretty quickly. You can count on him to objectively assess your essays and give pertinent suggestions on how to effectively bring out the essence of your story through the essays. You should reach out to him at vatsal.sriv@gmail.com if you’re thinking of applying for MBA programs.

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

Strengths of the program:

Curriculum, Classes, Professors
Student body, diversity
Culture & Student Support

Best fit at this program:

Consulting
Tech

Can be improved:

Alumni Network
Career opportunities provided by school

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Experience during the program

I pursued an MBA to transition from an eclectic engineering background to a multifaceted leadership role in tech. After completing the full-time program I landed my dream job and couldn't be happier with my time at Tepper. Since Tepper is part of the larger CMU community, there is a strong cross-campus culture of collaboration that offers ample opportunity to work with students from other departments. It was invaluable for me to meet and work on projects with students in programs across the Carnegie Mellon campus. For future applicants, I recommend seriously considering how Tepper fits your specific needs (recruiting outcomes, courses, tracks, etc) as well as considering specific classes, projects, or clubs across CMU that interest you personally and for professional development.

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

Strengths of the program:

Curriculum, Classes, Professors
Student body, diversity
Career opportunities provided by school

Best fit at this program:

Consulting
Tech
Entrepreneurship

Can be improved:

Location
Brand/Ranking

Read More

Experience during the program

The program has a very inclusive environment with highly diverse students. Teachers are all accesible and want you to learn and grow professionally and personally...furthermore, the career services works hard to help you better your job search process and ensure that you have the ability to find the job you desire and make the professional changes you need. I would highly recommend this program to anyonedinterested in consulting or technology!

In a few years when the new school of business opens it will be one of the best and most technology focused campuses in he US and this will only enhance the reputation and learning that students experience here

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
Culture & Student Support

Best fit at this program:

Consulting
Marketing
Tech

Can be improved:

Alumni Network
Location

Read More

Experience during the program

I left my job as a mechanical engineer to pursue a career in management consulting. Tepper provided me the opportunities to both get the job I wanted and prepare me to succeed once I started working. I can safely say that it was worth going to Tepper as I got the job I wanted and I feel that anyone that puts in the effort can be successful here. The biggest piece of advice I can give is to be honest with yourself about your career goals and the effort you are putting forth to achieve these goals. The only people I know that were unsuccessful in their job search were either not a strong fit for the role they recruited for or simply did not put in the work required to prepare for interviews.

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

Strengths of the program:

Curriculum, Classes, Professors
Career opportunities provided by school
Culture & Student Support

Best fit at this program:

Consulting
Tech
Entrepreneurship

Can be improved:

Brand/Ranking
Facilities

Read More

Experience during the program

Tepper challenged me professionally, personally and academically. It was everything I could have hoped for and more.

After Tepper, I gained work experience both in Silicon Valley and Wall Street. I couldn't have gotten that kind of experience without my MBA from Tepper.

Facilities could have been better but the new Tepper Quad will do wonders for the student experience.

If you want to beef up your analytical skills and gain a reputation as a problem solver in any industry, Tepper is the place for you.

Since earning my Tepper MBA, I go into job interviews with a confidence i couldn't have had before. Employers see Carnegie Mellon on my resume and give me the benefit of a doubt that I am smart, resourceful and highly qualified for the job.

About job placement process

Regardless of whichever MBA program you select in the US, be prepared to adjust your expectation of job placement if you need visa sponsorship.

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

Strengths of the program:

Alumni Network
Career opportunities provided by school
Culture & Student Support

Best fit at this program:

Consulting
Tech

Can be improved:

Curriculum, Classes, Professors
Brand/Ranking

Read More

Experience during the program

I had a great experience during my MBA.

The curriculum was great and I got the opportunity to immerse myself in different areas including Strategy, Operations etc. which helped build my profile for Consulting. The Capstone program was just amazing and allowed me to get a real life experience by working with the A.T. Kearney group.

Since the class size was small, I got the opportunity to build a great network. Unfortunately, since the class size was small, the down side was a smaller alumni group to tap as well.

Since the school is heavily technology focused, I did feel that the recruiters were biased during the recruitment and assumed that we were usually more aligned to the technology roles.

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

Strengths of the program:

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

Best fit at this program:

Consulting
Tech
Entrepreneurship
Management

Can be improved:

Student body, diversity
Alumni Network
Location

Read More

Experience during the program

When I was evaluating schools, I was looking for a school that had the following characteristics.

1. Small Class Size.
2. Strong Knit Community.
3. Good focus on technology and finance

I expected Tepper to fulfil my expectations but it went above and beyond them. At ~200, Tepper has one of the smallest class sizes in the top 20 MBA schools in US. My classmates were some of the most accomplished and humble people I have ever met in my life and had the chance to work with. In addition to the same, they are always ready to help a fellow classmate in a professional or personal setting.

Academically, Tepper is one of the most rigorous MBA programs. Tepper follows the mini model so every 6 weeks we are studying new courses and learning different things. This makes the learning cycles very small and intense.

You will find that Tepper’s recruitment is heavily dominated by the Technology & Consulting industries. Small class size means that we generally have few companies hiring double digits from a single class joining them in a single year. Despite this, Tepper regularly sends its students to all top destinations for MBAS as interns and new graduates in a regular manner. Tepper's long list of faculty who earned Nobel prizes for their contributions in Finance, with the most recent in 2013 reflect the quality of professors at its disposal. As someone walking into the Business school with zero Finance background, I am very confident that I can handle any financial issues that will invariably cross my path in the future.

In short, an average Tepper student has all the following qualities
1. Humble
2. Really Smart
3. Excels in teams.

So, if you feel that you will excel in this environment, I look forward to seeing your as future members of the Tepper Community!! Welcome!

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

Strengths of the program:

Curriculum, Classes, Professors
Student body, diversity
Culture & Student Support

Best fit at this program:

Tech
Management

Can be improved:

Career opportunities provided by school
Brand/Ranking
Facilities

Read More

Experience during the program

My overall experience has been great. The classes are challenging in regards to the material and pace, as Tepper follows a mini-semester model. However, there are several resources to help in understanding course material such as office hours, recitation, study groups, etc. Recruiting is given a lot of emphasis staring from orientation, which is extremely helpful in getting prepared for interviews, conferences, and networking events. As a prospective Product Manager for a high-tech company the program does a great job attracting top hi-tech companies for corporate presentations on campus. Moreover, there are treks in between mini-semesters that allow you to visit companies in the Seattle and Silicon Valley area. The class is diverse, however only comprised of approximately a 28% female population. There is an orientation that lasts 3 weeks long and provides an introduction to the program.

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

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:

Marketing
Tech

Can be improved:

Location
Brand/Ranking
Facilities

Read More

Experience during the program

The MBA experience has been amazing so far. My classmates at Tepper are some the brightest and friendliest people I know. It has been meeting my expectations thus far. The career services here are unlike any other school. They are very passionate about finding you the job you want and are there to help whenever you need them. The curriculum is very quantitative heavy so make sure you know basic calculus. There are math prep courses at the beginning to get up-to-speed.

For future applicants, I would make sure that Tepper fits your career aspirations. This is not a core i-banking or consulting school so if that's what you want, I would look elsewhere.

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

Strengths of the program:

Alumni Network
Career opportunities provided by school
Culture & Student Support

Best fit at this program:

Tech
Entrepreneurship
Operations

Can be improved:

Student body, diversity
Facilities
Specialization in a particular area (e.g. Finance, Consulting, Healthcare, etc)

Read More

Experience during the program

The small size of Tepper allows for an extremely close knit group of friends that are willing to bend over backwards to help their fellow classmates. Everyone knows everyone, which means if you need help and aren't sure who to contact, there will always be someone that can identify that person for you. Additionally because of the small size of the program, alumni are also willing to help on any way possible. While the career services center and student body offers tremendous resources to secure students employment, alumni are equally active and engaged securing jobs and internships for each and every student.

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

Strengths of the program:

Curriculum, Classes, Professors
Career opportunities provided by school
Culture & Student Support

Best fit at this program:

Consulting
Marketing
Tech

Can be improved:

Alumni Network
Facilities

Read More