Decent Business School

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