#3: Size Matters.
Wharton has 850 MBA’s. Harvard has 500+, Vanderbilt almost 400. Tulane…110.
As personal as you want to make it, you can do it at Freeman. My biggest class was around 60 kids. The smallest, 8. That’s right, 8 kids to 1 PhD. And that professor isn’t running off right after class to a high priced consulting gig in Boston or New York. These Profs are here to teach and impart their knowledge to you. They don’t view Freeman as an ancillary position to something else; it’s just not like that here. As personal as you want to make your MBA interactive experience with your professor, you can. And, believe me, it’s you who’s going to run out of free time before your Prof does!
The ability to go to your Professor before and after class for discussion represents a unique opportunity to gain additional insight. A big reason I did so well in class was because of the out of class interactions I had with my Profs. In addition, the chance to get to know your professor better (and vice-versa) doesn’t hurt in the least. I know a handful of students who received internships/job offers due in no small part to their Prof making a connection for them.
And perhaps the best thing about an MBA at a small school: Every one of my professors – every one – has said towards the end of the class, “You’re in my network now. Have a question about [insert subject matter here], email me.” This is amazing. My brain trust suddenly expanded to include a bunch of people who have been practicing/researching their field for decades! By rough estimates I’ve got a few hundred years’ worth of knowledge in my back pocket along with that rolled up piece of paper. Knowing I can call on my Freeman Team is far more valuable to me than simply graduating with an MBA from Tulane/Vandy/USC/etc. I’ve corresponded with a few professors since graduating and every one of them has gotten back to me within a few days at most.
The Tulane MBA has given me the skill set, but the faculty has enabled my learning process to continue well after graduation. This is a great dividend and not one you’re likely to find as robust at other, larger, business schools.
-Joel, joel@tulanemba.org
2 responses so far ↓
Kinshuk // Jul 2, 2008 at 10:07 am
Having one on one interaction with the profs certainly has its upside as opposed to some hi-flying guy who barely remembers ur face, let alone your name!!
Top 10 Things I Learned in Business School #2: People Matter | Tulane University Freeman School BLOG // Aug 2, 2008 at 12:34 pm
[…] People. It’s impossible to get lost at the Freeman School; there simply aren’t enough people to allow you to slip through the cracks. This in and of itself is awesome: the personal attention you get from professors and staff is above and beyond what you’ll find at a larger school. I already covered this in my #3 top things: Size Matters. […]
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