<p>Go crazy when you say your in the business school!! I dunno why ppl go crazy over getting in, the recruiting here is just terrible. (I'm in the business school btw).</p>
<p>leo, can you tell us why you say that? What specifically has been your experience? What is your major? Which year are you in? Thanks for your help.</p>
<p>sorry to butt into the conversation! :) i typically have nothing but good things to say about UMD. but i relatively agree with leo on this one... recruiting is NOT umd's strong point. that said, if you put forth even the tiniest bit of effort you can get interviews without any trouble. the smith school has an online recruiting site, SOURCE, where companies list positions (internships, full-time jobs, and part-time jobs) and you can look at the list and apply to ones that you'd like. however, there is nobody holding your hand and walking you through the process. UMD's lack of readily available face-to-face recruiting opportunites means that if you aren't motivated, you're pretty screwed.</p>
<p>if you're a finance major, i feel like there are a lot more recruiting opportunities, as many financial firms have ties with UMD. (i'm a marketing major.)</p>
<p>to answer your question, leo, i think people get excited because business is an LEP, so getting in freshman year means you're one of the 'better' applicants.</p>
<p>I got into the business school, but i havent heard a lot about it. The businessweek website had a lot of negetive feedback from students, especially ones that were majoring in business marketing. I am confused because I am deciding between many colleges, and although I was accepted into UMD honors and the business school, it seems that other schools such as penn state do a better job at keeping the business students happy, and finding them better jobs. It is very confusing!</p>
<p>I don't think the opportunities at Penn State and UMD will be that much different. To put it bluntly, business school rankings, especially for undergrad, is pretty much worthless. Unless your school is a target, your chances at IB or consulting at a reputable firm are pretty much close to zero. I would say that unless your an accounting major, the career opportunities right out of the Smith School aren't that good (even for finance majors; companies usually only recruit for back office operations-very taboo in the world of finance). The best opportunities available are probably jobs with the big 4. Have big 4 on your resume and you will have plenty of nice exit opps.</p>
<p>awkaplan, i'm a marketing major and i love it. i checked out the businessweek webpage and couldn't find anything relating to marketing at all... i found some comments, but i'm not sure where you saw those particular student comments. can you direct me to that?</p>
<p>also please keep in mind that it is NOT the business school's role to "find them better jobs". your job search is YOUR responsibility! i agree that this is one of UMD's weak points, but it shouldn't factor into an enrollment decision.</p>
<p>
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also please keep in mind that it is NOT the business school's role to "find them better jobs". your job search is YOUR responsibility! i agree that this is one of UMD's weak points, but it shouldn't factor into an enrollment decision.
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What are you talking about?? The whole point of attendng business school should be to take advantage of the alumni network/career office and find a good job. There is very little "intellectual stimulation" in business, and a lot of graduate schools (including MBA programs) look down at students who studied business during undergrad (exceptions are those that studied at prestigious programs: Wharton, Stern, Ross, etc). So unless you want to work big4 after graduation, I would look elsewhere. And here is the student comments from BW:
<a href="http://www.businessweek.com/bschools/07/undergrad/profiles/maryland4.htm%5B/url%5D">http://www.businessweek.com/bschools/07/undergrad/profiles/maryland4.htm</a></p>
<p>
[quote]
leo, can you tell us why you say that? What specifically has been your experience? What is your major? Which year are you in? Thanks for your help.
[/quote]
I am currently a sophomore double majoring in finance/accounting. The main reason I attend UMD is because I am able to come here for free. When I enrolled my freshman year, I still didn't know what I wanted to do after I graduate so my advisor told me I should major in business because UMD has a good program. Right after my first year here, I researched a bunch of careers and got interested in IB and consulting as possible careers post graduation. Later, when I found out about this site, I was browsing through the threads and found out the importance of being at a "target school." No matter how exceptional you are, unless your a minority, your chances of landing a top banking or consulnting job is slim to none if your not at a target. It's kind of sad, because I know some very bright kids in the business school (and some dumb ones as well). So, in conclusion, if your trying to land a investment banking or a consulting job, you should look elsewhere, but if your not, the Smith school should be able to land you a job given that you do alright.</p>
<p>leo187-- i agree that you should take full advantage of the alumni network/career office; my point was the key word is "you", not "they" [career staff/recruiters]. people can't go into a business school expecting to walk out with a job never having made any effort. you have to network, look up things online, attend info sessions, make the effort.</p>
<p>i'm surprised that MBA programs look down at students who studied undergrad business, since you'd think that's what the majority of their students did study. (although i understand what you mean; econ majors have likely had more "thinking-involved" classes). i would think that this negativity dissipates when you're talking about MBA students who have had some work experience, as well.</p>
<p>thanks for the BW link; i had found the general UMD one but not the business school one. i agree with some of the comments (in fact i feel like "There are many opportunities for finance and accounting majors, but not as many for marketing majors who want to go into advertising" could have been written by me.) </p>
<p>i also agree with the comment that we (business majors) don't know how good we have it. van munching hall is amazing; and from what i've heard from friends, our advisors and deans are some of the friendliest and most involved at the university. the person who commented that the dean "sees students as the enemy" is, IMO, completely off-base. dean cleveland (who i assume they're talking about) is great. she knows many students by name and is always around during the day.</p>
<p>i think this person's comment summarizes my opinions pretty well:
"My experience at the Smith Business School probably reflects that of a growing business schools. Some of the programs are excellent and provide wonderful opportunties, though it sometimes lacks the infrastructure and backbone network that schools that have been top-ranked for several decades already have. The school is growing into itself and trying to catch up on finding the right way to admit an increasingly large applicant pool. The research empasis [sic] in the school's strategic plan is viable, though may impede teaching quality, especially for the undergraduate students."</p>
<p>also the last comment, about the QUEST program, made me smile. yay QUEST :)</p>
<p>I think in order for the business school to get more respect and bring in higher-caliber recruiters, it should raise the standards for entry and be more selective in the admissions process. Currently the business school has 2777+ students, and A LOT of them transferred in from community colleges (thus the reasoning behind the high avg incoming GPA). The relatively high SAT avgs are misleading because they only use stats from those that were accepted in from freshman year (which only make up around 10% of the business school population). I think classes will be much better if the business school shrinks its size by at least 1500 students. That way classes will be more interactive and recruiters will know that the ppl in the business school are top-notch. If anything, UMD should model Michigan Ross in terms of selectivity and size. The main reason Ross is so well respected is because everyone in the business school has proven that they are high caliber and some of the best in Michigan. Why can't UMD do the same thing?</p>
<p>I was wondering...</p>
<p>I got accepted to UMD(Smith) with an invitation to the scholars program. However, I also got accepted to UIUC's business school, which I've heard is more reputable. So coming down to the point, UMD will be a lot more convenient for me and it's also close to a major city(a plus in my eyes) whereas UIUC generally has better academics in terms of what I want to study. What school would you guys pick? </p>
<p>Oh and I'll probably be majoring in Finance and I'd ideally like to land a job in a top consulting firm when I graduate.</p>
<p>When you say top consulting firm, are you referring to Mckinsey, Bain, and BCG? Because if you are, your not going to have any good chance at either UIUC or UMD because they're both non-targets. In terms of employment in general, I would guess that UIUC would be better, but the difference isn't that large. Go with fit.</p>
<p>leo, i've been both agreeing and disagreeing with things you've said in this thread. you are a student (like myself), and so i'm wondering what makes you so qualified to comment on what consulting firms are worthwhile, and what schools are target schools for what firms, and even how the hiring process works at these firms at all. as a STUDENT, why should your opinion on this even matter?</p>
<p>personally, i have a few friends who work for deloitte (UMD grads, actually) and they think it's the greatest place in the world to do consulting for. i'd rather get a job that comes recommended at a firm that may be smaller, but still has a great reputation.</p>
<p>i REALLY do not mean for this to be rude, but i'm getting a little fed up with what you're telling high schoolers about the consulting hiring process--something you know nothing about. [again, not that i do either.]</p>
<p>umm I got accepted into UMD and I chose Economics major for my intended major...but lately, I've been thinking I should've chose Business(finance), but now, reading this it seems like it could be a bad move to change majors. Should I just stick to Economics or change into business?? Reason I'm asking this is that I want a good job after graduation and I wasn't sure if Economics would land me a job as good as a finance major would...</p>
<p>I'm very confused, right now. :(</p>
<p>ketchup, there's a pretty big difference between being an econ major and a business major. VERY different curriculum, different school (BSOS vs business), etc. personally, i love my business classes but i just don't have the mind or patience for econ--so i would never want to be an econ major!</p>
<p>you'll have to take 2 intro econ classes (200 & 201) whether you're an econ major or a business major (or planning to transfer into the business school). you also need 2 upper-level econ classes for the business major, so you might be able to take one or two of those also before you're eligible for a transfer into the business school. with these classes, you'll probably get a good feel for what the econ major will entail and be able to make a better decision based on your interests.</p>
<p>if you want to go into business, i don't think there's anything better than being a business major. don't let the posts here scare you off-- companies looking for businesspeople do their recruiting, however poorly/unequally you might think it's done, in the business school.</p>
<p>THANKS!! But umm if I decided to do Finance, how should I let UMD know??? Because for Orientation, its scheduled toward your school of your major and since mine is BSOS, would I let the advisor know that I'd maybe like to pursue a degree in Finance and would like to take the appropriate classes just in case I'd like to major in it, or even maybe both?</p>
<p>i don't know how that works. because business is an LEP, you might not be able to just change your major. however, as an entering freshman, the rules might be different-- i'm not sure. definitely call your advisor if you decide for sure that you want to major in finance.</p>
<p>also, at orientation you sort of have to register for certain classes based on what your advisor tells you, but you can come home and change around your entire schedule/courseload. so if you go to BSOS orientation and your advisor isn't sure about what intro classes you'd take to switch into the business school, you can come home and call a business advisor and then register for those classes if they're still open.</p>
<p>if you start out by taking, for example, econ200 and a few core classes, and then the next semester take econ201 and another couple core classes and an intro business class, you'll have an entire extra year to figure out what you want to do (and you'll only have wasted three credits with the business class if you decide to stay an econ major). remember, most freshmen no matter what their major take mostly core classes anyway. and since econ and business have some overlapping requirements, that works even better for you.</p>
<p>any feedback about the international business program, i am planning on majoring in International Business and economics so just wanted to know how good the IB degree at UMCP is</p>