University of Maryland - College Park

Overwall the RH Smith School of Business's online MBA program is challenging and well designed. However, the work of many can be brought down by a select few. One of Maryland's professors, Gaurav Bhalla, who teaches customer experience is a truly offensive person. His instructions are unclear at best, he is outright disrespectful towards students, and his class average grades for students in their last several terms is around a 68%. Professor Bhalla doesn't actually teach anything and he grades on... Read More material that is supposed to be self researched but doesn't actually introduce a topic to research. The truly offensive part was when Professor Bhalla used the recent Charlottesville events to sell his own leadership book. This man has a complete lack of ethical and moral integrity and is a stain on the reputation of the University of Maryland.

My name is Gillian Marime and I am currently enrolled at Robert H. Smith MBA program for the University of Maryland College Park. I can honestly say that I couldn't be more happy my decision to join Smith for my MBA as they have exceeded my expectations in terms of what I was looking for in an MBA program. I chose the Smith School because it has a very flexible program and the professors are willing to work with students to address what they need. I opted for the weekend MBA program because it is... Read More a blended program that utilizes both in-class and online modes of learning. The weekend program fits perfectly well with my current lifestyle because I am able work full time and study at the same time. Therefore having class every other Saturday works well for me. Smith school has top notch professors who are alumni of top Ivy League schools in the US and are also leaders in the industry. They bring their knowledge, experience and use real-world case studies to teach. This has enabled me to learn how to analyze and understand real business issues and challenges that face businesses globally and come up with ways to resolve them. The University of Maryland College Park community is diverse with both students and staff being from various nationalities, race, and backgrounds. The University has created an environment that is collaborative, diverse, and respectful and students are able to learn from each other and thrive. I also like that the University has campuses that are conveniently located in various places in the DMV area both in Washington DC and Maryland. The convenient locations enables students to leverage the various opportunities for learning and jobs in Washington DC given that its the capital city of our country. Smith MBA program offers many options that one can choose to specialize through the wide variety of electives that they offer. They school offers many specializations including finance, marketing, entrepreneurship and strategic management. The school also offers the option to take to take dual degree programs Pursuing and MBA in Smith has enhanced my career prospects in so many ways. It provides opportunities for networking with fellow students in my class, who are professionals working for various organizations. The school also works with various top employers to give talks to students about their organizations, offer internships and place the Smith alumni jobs in their organizations. In addition, Smith school offers career guidance and counseling to students. I have benefited from career guidance immensely as they helped me to revamp my resume and helped me practice my job interviewing skills. But I think more importantly, Smith has given me the confidence to be able to approach something thoughtfully and critically.

The University of Maryland Online MBA Program has received high marks in the past few years as one of the best in the nation. It was for this reason, university location, online flexibility, and specialization in Supply Chain Management that I chose to attend this school and pursue this degree. I have only just begun, but the office of student services has been extremely helpful in making sure this process has been as painless as possible. So far, my classes and professors have been very straight... Read More forward in what they require from me as a student. That being said, the work load is pretty heavy and I spend about 20-25 hours a week on readings, assignments, and class discussions. It has been a bit of a tough transition back into student life while working full-time, but I will be able to manage more as I get settled into the new routine. I do wish I got more support and guidance from the financial aid office on which scholarships I qualify for or where to look for them, especially since my financial assistance is not enough to cover such high tuition costs. When speaking with the career services office, they were not directly able to tell me which companies recruit at the school. I was hoping for more information to confirm that companies I would enjoy working for will be looking for students like me at Maryland recruiting events. In my experience, I have come to find that these events are the most successful in looking for a job. Also, this I hoped to help settle my nerves about ensuring a good ROI from my degree, something that often turns students off from furthering their education.

Having never taken an online class before, the learning curve to get acclimated to the online system was steep. We attended a 4 day residency to get us up to speed on the content of the course load and I don't think I've ever been more excited to learn and study with a group of driven, hardworking individuals. This program is one of the best in the nation and this is reflected in the passion the professors and administrators have for it. The course load is very demanding but the amount of value and... Read More knowledge you get out the of the 21 month program is extremely valuable. The courses all have a real life aspect to them to help you relate what you're learning to your job or real life situations.

The core component of the program is rigorous and requires strong dedication and skillful time management to keep up with the workload. The nature of in class discussions reflect a learning environment elevated by peer review and analysis, in other woods be prepared to defend your opinion in a highly rational, data driven, and articulate manner. The professors are top caliber academics from renowned universities and they hold their students to high performance standards and expectations. Assuming... Read More you are willing to put in the time and work to accelerate your career, in short the program will quickly get you in gear with the skill set and knowledge needed to succeed in the modern business world .