Babson College

I had a really positive experience at Babson. The academic environment is very practical and business-focused, which helped me build a strong foundation in real-world skills. Nearly all professors are supportive and knowledgeable, and many classes are discussion-based, which makes learning more engaging. I also appreciated the emphasis on entrepreneurship and global perspective (many study abroad opportunities with scholarships available). I believe my time at Babson prepared me well for both further... Read More studies and future career opportunities. However, one con might be that Babson is not that famous, so sometimes it’s hard to explain to people outside the Greater Boston area what Babson is.

Babson College is a great place and has a great MBA program, but as many people said, it's specific enough and may leave you unsatisfied if you're coming with wrong expectations. I'll do the pros/cons thing, which is, certainly, highly subjective. A byline for international students to follow in the end. Pros: - Beautiful suburban campus. Might feel detached from the outside world at first, but walking around beautifully appointed grounds is a huge relief, given the intensity of the learning process... Read More - They DO take you out of comfort zone, from day one. Group placements, ambiguous tasks, unpredictable dynamics of groupwork and classwork. Crazy pace. It's a full-time, 100immersion, especially in the first semester. And it's GOOD! - Focus on entrepreneurship. It doesn't mean they expect you to build a startup by the end of the first month (although the first half-semester project is essentially startup prototyping), it's more about the mindset Babson actively promotes. Push boundaries, fail fast, 'neither failure, nor success is final', etc. That's pretty cool! - Many will disagree, but career services. It's all about relationship. They won't find you jobs right away. But if you build the right relationship with your advisor (don't lock yourself to the one who is assigned to you based on industry preference - explore others) you have a priceless career coaching experience. Cons: - Cost. Yes, the program is expensive, about 110K. They do give out scholarships, but the process is very selective. It's not need-based. They do give out scholarships to students who align with their value prop, usually those who are already entrepreneurs, have aspiring business ideas, or belong to protected minority groups. Add more costs for coursepacks, software, and textbooks. But you won't usually need the textbooks. - Peers. The people makeup is very specific. Given the high international component, students tend to form diasporas. This is also true for domestic students. It was hard to make genuine connections, although there were some great individuals at the program. Seems like that at least 50of people got their MBAs for the matter of family business prestige, and many others just won scholarships and took a break to reconsider their lives. Little to no corporate-minded crowd. - Group work. I met a few people who gave up Babson because of group dynamics. First semester puts people of different backgrounds into mini-groups. There's no individual homework. There's no individual time. After the classes are over, and it's about 12:30 pm, you're bound with your group, and it's usually up until 8 pm. or until midnight. The efficiency of group work is very low. Hours are wasted to find common language. I heard of physical conflicts - never experienced it myself though... - Value? This is the biggest con. I can clearly say only good things about the BCAP - capstone consulting project, and Marketing Analytics course by prof. Abdul Ali (passed away in late 2018). Other than that - not so much. Yes, I've got a job. Career services were very helpful. But, just as all other job-searching students, I got my job because of my previous experience and qualifications. Babson brand is an icing on the cake, but the cake itself is what I did before Babson. I don't know people for whom Babson was a career changer. I also know a lot of brilliant people who are still jobless. Finally. For international students: Please, seriously reconsider coming to the US for a degree. The immigration climate leaves a lot to be desired. The OPT work authorizations are universally delayed ( taking up to 5 months or more instead of 3). H1B visa success rate is very low, and rejection rate for those who passed the lottery increased to 30 Most of the visas are annually taken by outsourcing companies. And something nobody will tell you - usually, companies don't sponsor H1B visas for non-tech professions. Check the official USCIS stats. If you're in marketing, sales, project management, and you're international, your chances to get the offer and then get sponsored are very low. Some companies to openly sponsor, but only in tech occupations. There are always exceptions, but the risk level is high. Consider countries that have a pipeline to retain international talent.

The Babson MBA program is a wonderful place to come to if you already have a very good sense of what you want to do but not for serious career changers. Lacking in students of color and/or LGBT students. In terms of career services, the office is helpful but the graduate school does not have much clout with employers. In the 1 year MBA program core, some professors are terrible but others are wonderful- it could well be that good professors dont work during the summer. During the normal course of... Read More the semester, the classes are fun and relaxed. Nothing too heavy duty!

The best part of any graduate program is the networking opportunity. The opportunity is vast and includes your peers, faculty and previous alums. I thought my experience would only grow from what I learned from my professors. I quickly learned that I would value my peers insights and expertise as much as my professor's. I truly value the diversity and community at Babson. Like most, the work-life and school balance can be challenging. On the other hand, you can be a better well rounded individual.... Read More Not only that, but it prepares you for what is yet to come in your career and life . I am not sure it can ever be mastered but a good balance is essential in most working professional's career.

I've recently initiated my pursuit for an MBA at the Babson F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business - Blended learning program. The program is a mix of online and face to face meetings on campus. This is a great program for working professionals who would still like to get an on campus experience. Students are assigned into cohorts, so it creates a great opportunity to develop strong relationships and build out networks. It is a very well regarded business school for curriculum, teaching quality, and... Read More consistently ranks #1 in the Entrepreneurship field of study. The school also has excellent career services, exceptional alumni network across the world. As of the current year, this is one of the most highly ranked 'online' category programs by financial times and was ranked the #1 program for salary increase after graduation. As for the cons, there is very little financial assistance provided by the school for the MBA Blended Learning Program, only a one time merit scholarship in the amount of $5000 is available. The cost of the program is on the higher end, approx $80,000 + cost of travel & course material expenses. It is, however, in line with the cost of most highly regarded private business school names in the top 100 MBA programs and most importantly, it is an investment that will pay off.