William & Mary - Raymond A. Mason School of Business

The College of William & Mary is “the second oldest college in the Nation.” Its “placement in the historic triangle offers students the opportunity to learn where Thomas Jefferson studied” as well as walk “the streets where the ideas of America were founded.” MBAs appreciate the “amazing history” of the Raymond A. Mason School of Business at the College of William & Mary, “the quality instructors, the scope of the courses that are taught” and “the quality connections the school has in the business community.” Many students are first dawn to the program because of its strong reputation and “high prestige” but stay because of the “strong academics,” “collaborative culture” and the “focus on leadership development.” In addition, the program is military-friendly and features a flexible schedule for part-time and non-traditional students, including weekend and night classes, as well as a newly launched online MBA program.

MBAs call the quality of professors “absolutely phenomenal” and appreciate the “small class size, collaborative environment, and opportunity for guided professional work and mentoring with professors, Executive Partners, fellow classmates, and alumni.” The faculty is “enthusiastic and easily accessible to students,” and most of them “live within walking distance.” “The college itself is perfect in size,” which leads to a “[v]ery personal program with lots of involvement from professors and staff.”

William & Mary provides excellent opportunities for advancement through programs like the MBA Executive Partners Program. The Executive Partners are “over 100 retired high ranking executives in their industry that bring a vast amount of knowledge and experience to the MBA program.” These “top-level business executives mentor students,” and give them an insight into the job market “like none other.” The program provides each student with her or his “own ‘coach’ who is a retired executive.” As one student notes these “retired executives [are] willing to meet with you at any time to help you advance in your career goals.” The program “encourages team-projects whenever possible, which creates a very collaborative atmosphere in many classes.” With its emphasis on collaboration and strong ties to the business community, it’s clear that “this program is excellent at developing leaders and team players—not just teaching subjects.”

Students also note the invaluable experience and connections gained from the “global business immersions, the student-managed investment fund[s] (Batten Fund and Dittrick Fund), field consultancies, Career Acceleration Modules (CAM),” and the “MBA Association.” Students feel “well prepared to pursue” their “entrepreneurial goals in the future as a result of the networks, the mentoring, and the lessons gained through the Entrepreneurship CAM.” Military and non-traditional students appreciate the “outstanding program” that fits their “full-time work schedule, with no online classes,” as well as the “highly competitive” and highly selective program for the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command. The flexibility of the program doesn’t diminish the quality of the education because as one student notes, “the faculty set the standards of success and the students uphold them and even surpass the expectations of the faculty.”

Students say the “program has a ‘small school’ feel but [the] degree has a ‘big school’ impact.” It is easy to see the appeal of a program that many students call a “private-school experience” without having to pay “private-school level tuition.” MBAs agree that the “price, location and reputation” make this a great program.

William & Mary is known for providing “a great career network” and students note that there are “many opportunities to build your professional network with alumni, executive partners, and fellow students.” Students appreciate the “great graduate resources,” “great career center,” and “huge alumni network.” Alumni “are positioned in great places, with good access to job networks,” but there could stand to be more “female networking with alumni” and more “recruiting specifically in marketing fields—the focus is typically finance, consulting, and operations.” Several students expressed a desire for a larger “diver- sity of potential employers.”

The base salary for full time MBA graduates averaged $77,990. Within three years of grad- uating, students averaged a 50 percent increase in salary. At least 33 percent of Executive MBAs go on to start their own business, and an additional 26 percent of graduates were offered promotions after graduating. The majority of MBAs went into consulting, followed by the financial services industry and commercial and professional services.

Students note that the “town of Williamsburg is beautiful and filled with history, as are the grounds of this amazing school.” “There is plenty to occupy yourself [with] inside and out- side the business school.” In addition, students say the community is “friendly” and note that “the town heavily supports the college.” The proximity to D.C. is also appreciated.

They find their fellow students to be “goal oriented, professional, and diverse,” as well as “eager to learn and challenge themselves, and unafraid to challenge the status quo.” “It is a wonderful learning environment,” where the “sense of community is very strong.” Since many of the Flex MBA students are working professionals they “understand the difficulty in balancing work, school, and personal responsibilities. This creates a very supportive environment where students are quick to help others and pull their own weight.” Students consider the student body a major strength and appreciate that “admissions and recruit- ment have done a phenomenal job selecting the talent entering the college.” In addition, the “large international and military enrollment provides a lot of unique perspectives.”