Purdue University - Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr. School of Business

Purdue University’s Krannert School of Management is a heavyweight in the MBA universe, especially when it comes to its “areas of strength: quantitative methods, operations, finance, and economics.” Those looking to develop a “strong analytical and quantitative background” can hardly go wrong with a Krannert MBA. Best of all, at state school prices, Krannert “provides a great return on investment.” But it’s not just the school’s low tuition that lends Krannert a kinder bottom line. As one student explains, “Many of us are actually doing this program at almost no cost thanks to the number of scholarships and assistantships [on offer]. This is very unique for a top MBA program. My friends at Wharton, MIT, Tepper, etc. are paying way more!”

Krannert excels even outside its quantitatively-focused standout disciplines. Students encounter a faculty experienced “in every aspect of management, from operations and finance to marketing and HR” here. But Krannert’s academic excellence comes with high expectations. Academics are tough; there’s a “‘no BS’ atmosphere here. Here you are expected to ‘work hard, work right, and work together.’” MBAs assure us that Krannert “will push everyone to the limits, truly creating upending experiences that develop the individual along several dimensions.” This is true not merely in terms of in-class work; the program “also provides several experiential learning opportunities through [its] consulting projects and study abroad programs.” “The experiential learning projects give us good exposure to real-world work before we actually take the plunge,” students tell us.

In terms of size, Krannert is just right. The program “is small enough for each student to stand out and become a leader if they would like to,” yet “large enough and diverse enough to really learn a lot from your classmates.” Krannert keeps class sizes small, which “means that students have greater one-on-one time with professors and they remain closely knit even years after graduation.” Krannert professors “work to continue to contribute to research and stay involved in their respective fields,” yet remain “genuinely interested in helping their students and are open and available to them any time we need.”

Students can prepare for interviews, contact employers, research companies, and com- plete career counseling through the Krannert Graduate Career Services office. The office receives mixed reviews. Some praise career services staff as attentive and “very commit- ted to the students.” Others demur, complaining that “the school should do a better job at alumni networking and improve its career services.” This problem is particularly acute, we’re told, when it comes to career services for international students, no small issue at a school with a 43 percent international student enrollment.

Recent employers of Krannert MBAs include: Bank of America, Citibank, Cummins, Discover Financial, General Electric, Guidant, IBM, Intel, Pratt & Whitney, Procter & Gamble, Raytheon, Samsung, United Technologies, and Wyeth.

Krannert “had the best building of any school I visited,” one student notes, referring to the “well-equipped facilities in ... Rawls Hall,” which “is consistently rated the best building on campus. It is in the best location on campus, next to the student union build- ing, and the main hill where all the shops and stores are, and only literally ten steps from the most popular bar in town.” The building is a nexus of activity, hosting “classes, stu- dent club activities, social gatherings, coffee [houses], call outs, company presentations, guest speakers, team assignments, study groups, etc.”

The school “really tries to make a community for all of its students,” through campus “organizations that help new students, international students, and families become accustomed to life in West Lafayette. They host many cultural events to show the diver- sity of its student body and educate everyone [on the different] cultural background[s].” Campus life offers “a huge number of activities that one can take part in or lead. Be it clubs, the entrepreneurship center (Burton D. Morgan), international trips, club trips, case competitions, taskforces, GCSMI (Supply Chain Initiative), social activities, etc.” Hometown West Lafayette has “plenty of restaurants to choose from and cost of living is very affordable.” Purdue athletics is another big attraction, of course.

The student body includes “a truly international population that provides for diversity in culture, thoughts, and work styles.” “It has truly been a melting pot experience,” one student writes. Students are also diverse in age: “There are a number of students who are married [and some with] kids,” while “at the same time, there are quite a few students that graduated from undergrad within a year of starting the MBA program.”