Experience during the program

Honestly, KF is a really great school. It opened a lot of doors for me. I wanted to pivot to either marketing or healthcare from a consulting background. I received my marketing internship and my healthcare full-time job because of the school's recruiting process with partner companies. I also had the opportunity to study abroad to multiple countries and continents due to the school's vast network. I am always grateful for everything that KF has afforded me. :) In terms of friends, I gained my best friend from the program and I am forever in awe of the caliber of students that were a part of 2023.

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

Best fit at this program:

Consulting
Finance
Marketing
Management

Can be improved:

Student body, diversity

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Experience during the program

My experience during the UNC Kenan-Flagler MBA program has been great overall. One of the highlights was the recently made free pre-MBA course, Analytical Skills Workshop (ASW), now called Business & Math Foundations. This pre-MBA summer program covers finance, financial accounting, probability and statistics, and business math. The foundation course made me more confident about the program and showed me how the curriculum is carefully designed to help us even before the MBA starts. It is a great way to refresh your skills and bolster your knowledge of these concepts in an intensive, self-paced two-month pre-MBA program.

The school culture is great. The students were happy to help when I reached out to them and greatly assisted me in preparing for the MBA and moving to the U.S. Interacting with the community, you can feel how collaborative and helpful the Tar Heel community is. For example, on the first day I reached the school, a guy from the school offered to give me a ride to collect stuff for my apartment without me even having to ask for help. Additionally, the alumni are very engaged with the program and are happy to connect with you and help you in any way possible. Although, I would love to see more alumni in more companies.

One of the things I am most excited about is the Global Immersion Elective. This elective allows students to travel to another country for an intensive experience, learning about the local business challenges, techniques, and culture. The best part is that the school provides certain fellowships to cover the expenses.

I suggest future applicants take advantage of the free pre-MBA course, Business & Math Foundations, and the Global Immersion Elective. Additionally, I would suggest they reach out to current students and alumni to understand the community and resources available at UNC Kenan-Flagler.

About professors, classes and curriculum

Google STAR at UNC Kenan-Flagler before applying to UNC

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

Strengths of the program:

Curriculum, Classes, Professors
Student body, diversity
Facilities

Best fit at this program:

Consulting
Marketing
Investment Banking
Entrepreneurship

Can be improved:

Alumni Network

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Experience during the program

UNC Chapel Hill's full-time MBA program is an underappreciated top MBA program. In my experience so far, we offer everything some of the similarly ranked programs offer and more. I received offers from several top 20 programs when I was applying for graduate programs so I took the decision process extremely seriously. In the end, it came down to "gut-feel" and UNC stood out. One criteria I placed a lot of importance on was career opportunities and diversity of career path's (that is what an MBA program should be focused on) If you look at the employment report for UNC, one thing that is underappreciated is that we send graduates to several functions. We have 2nd year's going to Consulting, Finance, Tech, Marketing, Healthcare, Real Estate, and Energy in pretty sizable proportions. In B-School, most of us will have a plan, but many of us will also switch last minute. I can say UNC provided access to a wide-array of employers from the MBB's of the world's to the Amazon/CIsco/Dell's of the world and everything in between. You want to attend a school that is solid all around, and UNC checked those boxes for me.

About professors, classes and curriculum

UNC professors are absolutely top-notch and take a backseat to no one. Our professors are leaders in teaching and research. Most of the core professors were leading research programs with some of the largest companies in the world and consulting at various other top b-schools. We have the Kenan Research Institute, which is a prime business research center that most of our professors conduct research at. They are also extremely welcoming and open to provide help. If you are struggling on anything, you simply shoot them an email, and they'll easily block out time to walk you through it. UNC's MBA program is quite difficult in the beginning, since they offload the core bushiness classes, but having supportive faculty really goes a long way.

About job placement process

We truly have a wide range of companies coming to campus. If you are recruiting consulting, most of our grads are going to Deloitte and McKinsey, however all the top firms (BCG, Bain, ATK, ZS, PwC) come on campus to recruit. We are also exceptionally strong in Finance (Barclays, Evercore, Goldman to name a few). Lastly, I think UNC is a top 3 healthcare school with potential to be THE premier healthcare school in the future. All the top pharma and provider companies recruit actively here. My one advice would be to go beyond the rankings. I placed a lot of importance on it, but sometimes rankings are deceiving. I do believe that UNC has top 15 potential and I think we'll get there. For example, we really need a new building but they are currently raising funds to build one and once that happens I think UNC will surge. For the process now, I would say go beyond the face value of rankings and really talk to current students, alumni, and faculty and I think you will be surprised at the respect of the brand and the success of the graduates. Also, do not underestimate the value of the "brand" in general. Beyond the MBA program, UNC has highly prestigious programs in Medicine, Public Health, Pharmacy, and Undergraduate. Brand equity as a whole goes a long way when recruiting. Any top MBA program will give you access to the leading professors, competitive firms, and research opportunities. Do not underestimate your fit, career aspirations, and flexibility when making a decision.

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

Strengths of the program:

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

Best fit at this program:

Consulting
Finance
Marketing
Investment Banking
Tech
Management
Healthcare and Real Estate

Can be improved:

Brand/Ranking
Facilities

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Experience during the program

The number one reason you are considering going to business school is to improve your career situation, get a better job, move industries maybe even move to another country.

If so, Kenan Flagler is not the school for you. Career services have issues with retaining talent, which means that the people who are supposed to help the most are inexperienced. The same is true for the administration, for example, the director of the MBA program is new, the head of career services just quit after a year in her role, her predecessor had similar time in the program. Career professionals for consulting and investment banking are also new.

About financial aid- GMAT score might get you financial aid from the school, which for many helps the decisions for ROI reasons, but i offer you not to be tempted by the money. From the top of my head, I'm thinking of at least 3 classmates with full rides and no offers meaning the very qualified people are not doing well because of the current situation at the school.

Managment: The management is currently putting its effort into it online MBA program and not in the MBA, from a financial point of view it makes sense, the program has an infinite capacity for students with no GMAT requirements which leads to incredible income from that venue but it also means less attention and investment in full-time MBA students.

What I like about KFBS: North Carolina and the Triangle generally is a pretty chill location, cost of living is pretty low and the weather is nice.
The academic staff is great and I enjoyed many of my classes.
If you enjoy sports the local sports scene is cool.

About job placement process

Many big names do not come to KF even though they do come to Duke (Apple. FB) and many others just don't come and I'm not sure about duke (Ford, GM, GE, Verizon, Chevron)

International students- the situation is even worse, only 30% of the opportunities that Americans have are open for you

Overall BSchool experience (2.0)
Schools contribution (1.0)
Classmates rating (4.0)

Strengths of the program:

Curriculum, Classes, Professors
Alumni Network

Best fit at this program:

Finance
Marketing

Can be improved:

Career opportunities provided by school
Culture & Student Support
Admissions Team

Read More

Experience during the program

Kenan Flagler easily surpassed my expectations in terms of obtaining a great education in a warm, welcoming setting. The real differentiator for K-F is the people. I made some great connections with great people, and had a lot of fun doing so. If I had to offer some constructive feedback, I’d recommend that KF tighten up their admissions a bit. The disparity in talent across the class was pretty apparent throughout the term, and sometimes made me feel like they weren’t building the brand that I want Kenan Flagler to have. Of course this is just my opinion. In terms of great people though, Kenan Flagler is unsurpassed.

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

Strengths of the program:

Alumni Network
Career opportunities provided by school
Location
Brand/Ranking
Culture & Student Support

Best fit at this program:

Consulting
Finance
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

The most important thing about UNC Kenan-Flagler is the tight community. The fact that the school is located at a place lie Chapel Hill, a college town that is all about the university, creates this small community because everyone is coming to this experience and doesn't have any other friends or occupancies in town. The university as a whole also presents many opportunities, but you have to pursue them as the business school is a bit isolated from the rest of the campus, and feels like a "bubble" sometimes. The career management center is the biggest area for improvement, but eventually, most people are able to get around, find good jobs. Most of the core classes are taking place in the first semester of the first school year, which creates a very intense time since there is also a lot of recruiting activities at the same time. After the first semester it most calms down, but it also depends on the kind of activities you choose for yourself and whether or not you are still looking for a summer internship. There are plenty of opportunities to get involved with student clubs, extra-curricular activities, volunteering, etc.

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

Strengths of the program:

Student body, diversity
Culture & Student Support

Best fit at this program:

Marketing
Management

Can be improved:

Curriculum, Classes, Professors
Career opportunities provided by school

Read More

Experience during the program

My two years at UNC was a terrific experience. Right from the beginning, the ride was smooth, from settling down) in the first couple of weeks to ramping up and prepping for internship interviews and a great 2nd year.
The most important thing to any MBA candidate is employment opportunities once you complete your MBA program and UNC definitely provides a wide array of opportunities across industries. It certainly provided that option for me as I interviewed with some of the best firms in the world - McKinsey, Google, Amazon, etc.

The only drawback I would say, is not having a great alumni network with Tech companies on the West Coast, which I think will improve over time.

About job placement process

Not enough opportunities in tech especially on the west coast. But with the RTP area growing, there should be an improvement in the number of people who get recruited into high-tech firms.

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

Strengths of the program:

Curriculum, Classes, Professors
Brand/Ranking
Culture & Student Support

Best fit at this program:

Consulting
Finance
Marketing

Can be improved:

Student body, diversity
Alumni Network
Career opportunities provided by school

Read More

Experience during the program

My MBA experience at Kenan-Flagler was amazing. The people I met during my time there continue to be some of my closest friends and also my strongest network. Not only did it help me land my dream job but I now also have a strong network that I can rely on at all times.

Advice for future applicants: Culture fit is an important factor, make sure you fit in well with Kenan-Flagler's current students and alumni. Also, certain career opportunities are stronger at KFBS such as finance and marketing. Make sure your chosen career choice has a strong alumni base.

About professors, classes and curriculum

The Business Plan Analysis class by Randy Myer was one of the best classes I have taken. Its highly recommended! Marketing analytics and Pricing were the other two really great classes.

About job placement process

Strong in finance. Some consulting, marketing and general management opportunities. Growing tech opportunities these days. The career management center has had a overhaul since my time, hopefully its improved now.

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

Strengths of the program:

Curriculum, Classes, Professors
Alumni Network
Culture & Student Support

Best fit at this program:

Finance
Marketing
Management

Can be improved:

Career opportunities provided by school
Brand/Ranking
Admissions Team

Read More

Experience during the program

I wanted the best MBA program I could get into in terms of brand and recognition while allowing me to keep my FT job. The opportunity cost of going to a FT MBA program was much too high. My opinion is while each program offers strengths, generally speaking Accounting doesn't change much from top school to top school. I don't think Wharton and Harvard are teaching any super top secret accounting concepts that UNC or Cal aren't. That said, I was leery to start with an online MBA, but after seeing the curriculum, the quality of professors and learning nothing was "watered down" from the FT program, I quickly jumped at the opportunity when I was accepted.

And no joke, the material was tough, it was rigorous and everyone of my classmates were super smart and professionally accomplished.

On top of that, the immersions were a BIG part of my experience at UNC. I highly suggest all students to attend as many as you can afford to attend. They are truly global immersions which balance good, useful, classwork in another country and allows you to network and socialize with your classmates. That's why I truly believe this isn't an online program, it's a hybrid, bringing the best of both worlds together.

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

Strengths of the program:

Curriculum, Classes, Professors
Career opportunities provided by school
Brand/Ranking

Best fit at this program:

Consulting
Finance
Investment Banking
Tech
Entrepreneurship
Management
Operations

Can be improved:

Alumni Network

Read More

Experience during the program

As a Latin American student I was a bit scared before coming to UNC because I had heard from other latins that it was going to be difficult to land a job. Luckily, everything turned out to be perfect. Let me explain my experience from three different buckets: (a) Academics, (b) Social, (c) Recruiting.

(a) Academics: UNC is a school that has full disclosure of grades (i.e. employers can ask the school for your grades) and the grade system is the following: High Pass (25%), Pass (70%), and Low Pass (5%). The first months of the MBA you work hard to avoid getting the Low Passes, but you'll realize that grades aren't that important (they really only matter if you are pursing Investment Banking). Overall, Academics are great (professors, class content, etc.) and don't represent a problem.

(b) Social: The social life is amazing. Being a relatively small class (~300), you really get a chance to get to know your class. All the night life circles around Franklin Street, which is very convenient as it is walking distance from the school and from most housing areas. In addition, you have Duke (Durham) very close (~20 mins), and Raleigh relatively close (~35 mins). In this triangle area, you have EVERYTHING. I came here with my wife and UNC is a great place for spouses (a lot of outdoor activities to do and everything is walking distance (or your can take any bus - all of them free of charge).

(c) Recruiting: This is the bucket I invested the majority of my time. Being an international without US work permit and Coming from a corporate banking background, I wasn't exactly sure if I wanted to continue in that industry. I only did on-campus recruiting because I was very happy with the firms that came here (strong focus on banking, consulting, finance, and rotational programs). I basically applied to all of the positions that were open. After many months of networking, company presentations, etc. I got invites to interview to a lot of companies and, luckily, I received three offers (Private Banking, Consulting, and a rotational program). You will naturally have many different opinions from UNC MBA's, but I'll tell you this: if you are organized, disciplined, patient, and open minded, I can guarantee that you will land a great job.

My overall experience has been incredible. You will love it.

About professors, classes and curriculum

My only concern about UNC has to do with the CMC (Career Management Center). For some reason, I haven't seen an established team during my MBA experience. There has been a lot of turnover and, as a result, some students were very disappointed about this (but most schools have this problem). Hopefully this won't be a problem in the future.

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

Strengths of the program:

Student body, diversity
Location
Culture & Student Support

Best fit at this program:

Consulting
Finance
Investment Banking

Can be improved:

Brand/Ranking

Read More