Anderson's culture is truly the difference

Experience during the program

When I was going through my own b-school application experience a year ago, it became apparent that any and every business school was trying to position its "collaborative culture" as the selling point. Needless to say, I took the stuff I heard with a grain of salt and after hearing "collaborative culture" for one too many times started to roll my eyes at the expression.

After spending more than a quarter at Anderson, I will say this definitively: Anderson's culture is its selling point. Anderson students are collaborative and supportive beyond my expectations. They are positive, extremely hard-working, and genuine. Most of all, they are inclusive. I'll put it more bluntly- there are no assh*les here, and if you know you are one, you probably shouldn't apply here. I used to pride myself on my humility, work ethic, and intellect, but people here blow me away. I'm constantly trying to keep up- in a good way- with my classmates.

In many other schools I have attended, I have seen cliques and an atmosphere of exclusivity develop, not because people are mean or immature, but because there doesn't seem to be a strong enough bond holding together the student body in the long run.

At Anderson, it's a whole different vibe. Almost everyone here is in some ways switching or pivoting their careers. You have former financial analysts hoping to do marketing, former teachers recruiting for management consulting, former auditors looking to start their own entrepreneurial ventures. We all have a common experience that seems to be a natural glue that allows anyone to connect with everyone at anytime.

My advice to future applicants is to throw yourself into the experience when you do get here. There is so much available here for you- academic internships, case competitions, great classes, bright classmates, a supportive alumni network. Don't let your two years go to waste by not taking advantage of these things.

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

Strengths of the program:

Career opportunities provided by school
Culture & Student Support

Best fit at this program:

Consulting
Marketing
Tech
Entrepreneurship
Management

Can be improved:

Facilities