Dear Puys, I am a current student at BYU’s MBA program , its also referred to often as the Marriott School. I am starting this thread as there have been many Indians who have asked questions , many of which are similar about BYU’s MBA pr…
Dear Puys,
I am a current student at BYU's MBA program , its also referred to often as the Marriott School.
I am starting this thread as there have been many Indians who have asked questions , many of which are similar about BYU's MBA program . So, I believe
that this will be a good place where answers to similar questions can be read by many students from India.
I am briefing some of the facts given as answers. Feel free to ask additional questions.
BYU as many of us can see in various publications such as businessweek and US news is a top-30 MBA program in US. As per Wall Street Journal its ranked no.1 amongst regional schools.
The companies which regularly come to BYU and recruit are Dell, Honeywell, Cisco, Intel, Symantec ,WalMart , PwC, Western Union , Bank of America , Credit Suisse , Goldman Sachs and many others.
The tuition at BYU is amongst the lowest of any top-30 MBA as its heavily subsidised by the LDS church towards all students irrespective of religion.
People have asked questions about honor code of BYU in the past . Honor code is easy to follow especially for Indians as our culture is very similar to honor code ie staying away from tobacco ,alcohol on college premises and also not indulging in any inappropriate sexual conduct . The honor code is in place because the college is mainly supported by LDS church and they want
some standards in place.
The Indians students who have studied here often found funny when students
asked if you had to be a church member to come here. The answer is obviously no. Most Indians who have come here in past have not been church members. They were Hindu , Muslim and all religions. But, anyone who is here is expected to follow the honor code.
I guess I spoke a lot :)
I throw it to you all for questions
Wasatch,that was a nice insight you gave.No offense but I wanted to ask that what action is taken if we are caught breaking the honor code.
Hi Aviator,
Thanks for the response. You should be determined enough not to break the honor code. many Indians have come here and no had problem with the honor code irrespective of their religion.
I personally feel that the honor code is not very unreasonable given our Indian culture.
Can you give up on little things to get a top class education at a very low price( as I said
its the least expensive and one of the highest quality MBAs in US)?
I think you can do it.
But if you are caught breaking the honor code it will not be good for you.
thanks again.
feel free to ask any questions,
Wasatch
The choice
Dear Wasatch
1) Going by the stats, the school has high acceptance rate of more than 50% but the % of international students is very low i.e. 16%. So what should I read from this? Is it very difficult for international students to get through? Can you share your pre MBA profile with us & also the no. of Indian Students in your class?
2) According to my knowledge, all the top notch companies recruit at BYU. But overall the location is a dampener (thats what I have heard). So is it difficult to find jobs outside the campus?
3) I am particularly interested in marketing. So what are the marketing strengths of the college. I see all the big CPG industry names on the recruiters list. Do they also hire international students?
Anticipating your positive response.
Jatin Rai
Coming to number of students being accepted or students being international boils to if the students are ok with the honor code or not . BYU is a great place as I said . But, you should be ready to comply with the honor code. So, there will be many who will not apply as they are not comfortable with the honor code.But, being Indian , keeping a culture in mind , I think honor code is a breeze for us. I leave it to your interpretation after that.If the people in admissions believe that you can add value , nothing can stop you from getting in here. The statistics might show more Americans. But, what I like about BYU is the admissions process is very fair. You merit in terms of what one can add to the class plays a bigger role than nationality here.
When it comes to international exposure , most BYU sudents can speak a second language such as Koran ,Japanese, French..etc, not very usual amongst Americans. So even if you want to learn a language you have enormous resources here.
Atleast I am proud of the quality of my classmates and professors , some who choose to come to BYU despite getting offers from ivy leagues due to their affliation with the university some of which can be religious. But, it benefits both ways if you are good despite your religious affiliation.
. Talk to the people who had the expereince first hand . I encourage you to meet with students , alumni of any college before you make a decision.
I donot think location is a dampener as you make it sound. All those companies , I talked above fly from the east coast or west coast or other states ..Most of those companies I talked above donot recruit for Utah based positions thoughBYu is in Utah.I think that answers your questions.Most of the top-30 colleges are in places like Ithaca (Cornell), Charlottesville(Darden) , Bloomington(Kelley) etc are not in the best locations. But , if companies like the college they will ffly anywhere.
Coming to CPG companies. some hire and some donot for US positions.
If you like J&J.; BYu is a tier-1 school in the list of J&J.But;,they hire for positions where you have work-authorisation.
Wal Mart took interns just last week for marketing and some of them are international students.
there will some companies which donot sponsor H1-B.But, that will not be unique to BYU as you made it sound.
Even those CPGs which donot sponsor h1-b, have taken some whom they felt were exceptional.
Companies do come here and location is not a 'dampner' as you make it sound. But , a lot also depends on how good the candidate is when
companies hire
I am loving every second of my experience here in classes , the relations I am able to build with alumni and people from various companies I get to meet everyday
Thanks for detailed reply.
I was browsing through the admission formalities & they were quite different from the normal schools.
Can you shed some light on:
1) Interview with a religious leader.
2) Answering not so usual essays (especially the second one). I'd appreciate if you could provide some tips on it.
3) Sending transcripts through WES. Is it compulsory or a recommendation?
4) Providing Financial details at the time of application. I have my funding options ready but the figures & contributors might vary by the time I actually start the course. So I'm a bit skeptical about declaring the numbers so early.
I actually admire a place with honor code & would love to be in a place like this.
Anticipating your positive response.
Thanks for your response.
Coming to an interview with a religious leader , if you are a hindu ,you can
take it from any temple's pundit/pujari or anyone whom you feel represents it.
The questions in the interview , which you can download are not religious at all.
If you see it for non-LDs, the questions will be like:
Are you willing not to consume alcohol , tobbaco etc. Are you willing not to indulge in inappropraite sexual conduct etc, which are not religious in nature at all. But, just ask your comitment towards the honor code.
Coming to the second essay question , as I said earlier , the tuition at BYU is very heavily subsidised by the LDS church irrespective of religion as I said earlier.So , the question asks how are you willing to serve socity, mankind after your MBA ,given that you are getting support financialy now. This is how you are supposed to interpret it.
WES makes sure that your % is converted to the CGPA system.The admissions wants to be fair to everyone.So, they compare your perfoamce against a guy from another college through CGPA as 70% in college X maynot be as good as 70% at college Y. WES has detailed info about all colleges even in India to make it fair for all who apply.
Financial certification islike that of any college. You will only be required to show finances like any other college asks you after you get admitted.Before that you just need to give an estimate not a proof with bank docs on how much of the education you can afford.
I forgot to mentions something about aditional scholarships. If they like your profile, BYU is also very fair in giving additional scholarships to people who deserve.
Thats why I love this place. I do feel that administration has a genuine care for me or for that matter anyone.The culture is very collaborative here.
How many Indians you have in the current batch?
Also if you could share your pre-application profile & general profiles of Indians in the batch.
HI Wasatch,
thanks for starting this thread and giving us valuable info, and yes your right the BYU is the most reasonable top 30 MBA program, and I am definitely interested in coming there.
What I would like to ask you is
1) How is the student life out there, both in and off capmus?
2) What are the % International students that get hired from campus?
3) I am inclined towards consulting, but BYU doesnt offer that major, so ill probably go with my second choice Org Behaviour or Supply Chain
4) What do u plan to major in? and what are the international interns paid on an avg?
Thanks again!
Hi Jasku,
Last year almost all the international students who wanted internships/jobs in US got one.
I plan to major in Finance.
If you want to work for consulting firms, they hire from all majors. For eg when PwC came for hiring this year , there were posting for Human Capital Mgmt(HR) , Financial Advisory(Fin) and there was also one for Supply chain majors.
How much you get paid for an internship depends on the company.
Most internships internship can pay you anywhere between 3000-9000 usd a month. Some students also take unpaid internships at times due to an opportunity and in a bad economy like this those who are unlucky would rather do an unpaid internship than not doing anything because if you donot
do an internship after first year , you do not make a good impression in minds of recruiters when you look for fulltime after/during 2nd year.
thanks
Hi Wasatch,
great to see a forum with info and focus on a specific school.
I have few questions.
Could you please share your personal profile and acads with us?
I am planning to give my GMAT in March'2010. So, I am searching for schools i can apply/rely on.
I am BE grad passout in 2005, working in an IT firm and i am in Canada for the past 2years.
Thanks,
Bala
Hi,
I am LDS member.I Just wanted to know whether 3 years of work experience is mandatory.
Can you please go through the inline comments along with the requirements and could you please let me know whether my profile is eligible for BYU Marriott MBA Program.
I am able to meet the requirements such as:
- Semesters of entry and application deadlines: fall, December 1 (Round 1); January 15 (recommended international, Round 2 domestic); March 1 (Round 3); May 1 (final domestic).---Planning to complete my application by December 1st
- Application requirements: entrance examination is the GMAT.--- Planning to take the test by December ending, Is it Fine if we give the GMAT lately or should I Have to be done withe the GMAT too before applying.
- GPA: minimum 3.0 on 4.0 scale. --- I do not know how this is calculated
- Prerequisite: baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution and strong computer skills.--- I have completed my 4 years BTech in Information Technology with 69.35%. After my graduation I have worked with a Multi National Company in India M/S Infosys Technologies Limited as Software Developer for 16 months
- The MBA program recommends a minimal two years of postbaccalaureate full-time work experience--- After my graduation I have worked with a Multi National Company in India M/S Infosys Technologies Limited as Software Developer for 16 months.
- Semesters of entry and application deadlines: fall, December 1 (Round 1); January 15 (recommended international, Round 2 domestic); March 1 (Round 3); May 1 (final domestic).---Planning to complete my application by December 1st
Thanks & Regards
Hi Bala,
Thanks for your email.
My profile is above the averages , you see for BYU on the website.
I will not be comfortable to share my exact profile.Also , thats not of
much use, because having same numbers in all is a bad way to benchmark
oneself.If you are above the averages for BYU for GMAT , then it boils down to the seriousness and also convincing as to why the school is a good fir for you and vice versa. They will be more concerned about what you can contribute as a member to the class with your expereince ,knowledge and skills.
I have seen people below 630s getting in and people above 750s getting rejected as as experience shows sometimes a guy with 630 can potentially contribute more to the class and school than a 750. So,keep that in mind.
It may sound generic.But, it is true.But again, if you are the same person who
can get a higher score , it only helps to have a higher score.
In midst of this, to make it simple for you, I will say shoot for something above the average if you are too concerned about GMAT.
Do the best you can and good luck!
Hi Wasatch,
great to see a forum with info and focus on a specific school.
I have few questions.
Could you please share your personal profile and acads with us?
I am planning to give my GMAT in March'2010. So, I am searching for schools i can apply/rely on.
I am BE grad passout in 2005, working in an IT firm and i am in Canada for the past 2years.
Thanks,
Bala
Hi,I answered in italics below
Hi,
I am LDS member.I Just wanted to know whether 3 years of work experience is mandatory.
I wouldn't say mandatory.But,if your experience is less, they may see if you possess the maturity of a person with higher work-ex.There have been a few with less than 3 years who made it.
Can you please go through the inline comments along with the requirements and could you please let me know whether my profile is eligible for BYU Marriott MBA Program.
I am able to meet the requirements such as:
- Semesters of entry and application deadlines: fall, December 1 (Round 1); January 15 (recommended international, Round 2 domestic); March 1 (Round 3); May 1 (final domestic).---Planning to complete my application by December 1st
Thats good if you can apply early- Application requirements: entrance examination is the GMAT.--- Planning to take the test by December ending, Is it Fine if we give the GMAT lately or should I Have to be done withe the GMAT too before applying.
I think you can apply.But,I believe that you have to have everything in place before they start considering you.Because it will be fair to compare you against others only if everthing is complete.- GPA: minimum 3.0 on 4.0 scale. --- I do not know how this is calculated
That actually varies with schools.For BYU you need to provide your transcripts to 1 of 2 external agencies mentioned on website.(WES& IERF I beleive)- Prerequisite: baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution and strong computer skills.--- I have completed my 4 years BTech in Information Technology with 69.35%. After my graduation I have worked with a Multi National Company in India M/S Infosys Technologies Limited as Software Developer for 16 months
Ok- The MBA program recommends a minimal two years of postbaccalaureate full-time work experience--- After my graduation I have worked with a Multi National Company in India M/S Infosys Technologies Limited as Software Developer for 16 months.
I think , you will have 2 years before you take classes, incase you get admitted.But again as I said, I think they will look at overall maturity and
be too cought up on if its 2,3 or 7 years.If you have more doubts on years of work-ex etc, clarify it with Kristin Adair,whose email can be found on the website of the Marriott school.
Thanks & Regards
One of the past students from India, Akshay created a blog ,which answered many of the commonly asked questions beautifully.
Feel free to ask me any further questions any of you might face after going through the blog.Here it is :
BYU MBA Admissions & Beyond: Q&A;: Financial Responsibility
Dear Puys,
I am a current student at BYU's MBA program , its also referred to often as the Marriott School.
I am starting this thread as there have been many Indians who have asked questions , many of which are similar about BYU's MBA program . So, I believe
that this will be a good place where answers to similar questions can be read by many students from India.
I am briefing some of the facts given as answers. Feel free to ask additional questions.
BYU as many of us can see in various publications such as businessweek and US news is a top-30 MBA program in US. As per Wall Street Journal its ranked no.1 amongst regional schools.
The companies which regularly come to BYU and recruit are Dell, Honeywell, Cisco, Intel, Symantec ,WalMart , PwC, Western Union , Bank of America , Credit Suisse , Goldman Sachs and many others.
The tuition at BYU is amongst the lowest of any top-30 MBA as its heavily subsidised by the LDS church towards all students irrespective of religion.
People have asked questions about honor code of BYU in the past . Honor code is easy to follow especially for Indians as our culture is very similar to honor code ie staying away from tobacco ,alcohol on college premises and also not indulging in any inappropriate sexual conduct . The honor code is in place because the college is mainly supported by LDS church and they want
some standards in place.
The Indians students who have studied here often found funny when students
asked if you had to be a church member to come here. The answer is obviously no. Most Indians who have come here in past have not been church members. They were Hindu , Muslim and all religions. But, anyone who is here is expected to follow the honor code.
I guess I spoke a lot :)
I throw it to you all for questions
Wasatch,
Thanks for starting this thread.
I have a couple of questions :
"As per Wall Street Journal its ranked no.1 amongst regional schools."
a) What is a regional school ?
b) how do you compare BYU with other top schools like Harvard, Duke etc.
regds,
Karan
Wasatch,
Thanks for starting this thread.
I have a couple of questions :
"As per Wall Street Journal its ranked no.1 amongst regional schools."
a) What is a regional school ?
b) how do you compare BYU with other top schools like Harvard, Duke etc.
regds,
Karan
Karan,
Thanks for your post.I am sorry that I got back to you late.I was on a vacation.
Regional school in the sense many recruiters would be from that part of US,
which I donot always agree becasue many recruiters here do comefrom Western US which mainly includes California,Arizona,Utah,Washington.
But many companies also come from other regions too.. to give u some examples..
American Express, Credit Suisse, AT&T; etc.But,yes I will say 50%+ are from
Western US for example..Amazon.com,Microsoft--Washington, Symantec--California.
BD Medical --Utah
BYU is ranked top 25 overall by many publications.You definately have many high calibre companies which come.Comparing it with any other school ie Harvard, Duke etc can be hard.It depends on what you want and what you want to do.
So,if you tell me what you want to do and what you expect I can answer that better.
rgds
Hi Wasatch,
Please evaluate my profile.
CGPA: 3.8/4
Gmat:610 (Retaking).
Exp: will have 21 months of IT consulting experience from big 3 by Fall 2010. Also have 6 months of intern exp from Honeywell. I have considerable community and leadership activities. (lead a school adoption program - adopted a govt school and provided hard and soft infra)
i am applying for Jan 15th deadline.
1. Do i stand atleast 50 % chance of getting into Marriott?
2. I want to work for strategy consulting. do companies like BCG recruit here?
3. Also, to get into strategy consulting, which concentration should i take in MBA?
4. How long does it take for WES to process that CGPA conversions?
5. Are there anything that we should keep in mind (insider info / key things) while writing essays?
Hi Sarvanan,
I replied to your message too.I am saying same things here.
Its tough to say from little you said.Butfrom that little,I feel that
your GMAT can hurt you in your app.
Try to improve the score as the average is around 670.
Strategy consulting is broad too.Do you want to do marketing strategy,
finance strategy , operations strategy?It depends on your interest.People
from all concentrations get in there.
It also depends on how good you are wrt to rest of applicants/competetion
to get in there.
Bain comes here.Deloitte ,PWC etc too come here.But getting in them is more
on you.Talk to people who work in the industry you want to be in.They will
be the best guides to help you understand your fit with the industry.
If you donot have direct friends..try to see the friends of your frinds..and so on.Talking with people in the industry is the best way to solve confusions.
50% or whatever chance is tough to say Sarvanan.Your whole app is a package.But as I said based on what you said below,your GMAT can be your
achilles heel.
Hi Wasatch,
Please evaluate my profile.
CGPA: 3.8/4
Gmat:610 (Retaking).
Exp: will have 21 months of IT consulting experience from big 3 by Fall 2010. Also have 6 months of intern exp from Honeywell. I have considerable community and leadership activities. (lead a school adoption program - adopted a govt school and provided hard and soft infra)
i am applying for Jan 15th deadline.
1. Do i stand atleast 50 % chance of getting into Marriott?
2. I want to work for strategy consulting. do companies like BCG recruit here?
3. Also, to get into strategy consulting, which concentration should i take in MBA?
4. How long does it take for WES to process that CGPA conversions?
5. Are there anything that we should keep in mind (insider info / key things) while writing essays?