University of Maryland, College Park - Robert H. Smith School of Business

A longstanding and thriving relationship with the resources and business leaders of the nearby Washington, D.C., and Baltimore metropolitan areas and a highly collaborative environment helps elevate students of the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland, College Park to perform at their highest levels. The theme of “Terps Helping Terps” runs throughout the Smith School, which prides itself on having “a community of inclusiveness, support and encouragement, which can be seen in job search teams, clubs and professional networking events.”

The Smith Experience offers five different focus areas—consulting, global, social value creation, investing, and entrepreneurship—and “there are a ton of opportunities for both leadership and experiential learning,” some of which are available to students just weeks into the program. The New Markets Venture Capital Clinic lets students gain professional experience in venture capitalism, case competitions are hotly anticipated events, and the chance to help manage the $2 million Mayer Fund (managed by a select group of second-year MBAs) are all projects that are “unique and very enriching and allow us to really put our learnings, knowledge and skills to good use.” The school’s international study programs provide a close-up of business operations around the world (in countries such as India, China, Brazil, and Spain), and Smith is also home to one of the country’s thirty-one Centers for International Business Education and Research (CIBER).

Lots of effort is put into creating a well-rounded experience, and professors “love to talk about current events and will come to our weekly socials to do so,” according to students. They are “generous with their time,” “open to feedback,” and “continuously aim at improving all aspects for better performance as a group.” This top faculty “brings their research directly into the teaching environment” and have access to special guest speakers that add to the MBA experience and potential career networks.

Smith’s focus on Career Services is evident in its strong relationships with federal employers and firms in the DC area and its high placement within the consulting indus- try. While students have one dedicated career adviser, they are encouraged “to use all of the advisors if they are relevant to their career search”; students also can rely on each other for support in their job searches. “There has not been a single situation where a fellow student did not make time to either connect me to a contact or prep for an inter- view or exam,” says one student. The networking benefits of having over one thousand part-time students are also not to be taken lightly, and “alumni come back and give back often in form of time and support.” Top recent employers of Smith grads include Deloitte Consulting, Campbell Soup Company, IBM, iGATE, and PepsiCo.

Smith students “are very social with one another” and take an interest in each other ’s personal lives”; smaller class sizes also encourage students to become cohesive in just a short period of time, which “helps us to accomplish more in group settings such as team- based academic and consulting projects.” “We are a team and see our success as a collec- tive,” says a student. “Everyone looks at the bigger goal: having successful careers,” says another of “the most helpful and friendly group of people.” Nearly all students live off campus in Washington, DC or the surrounding suburbs, but are able to socialize outside of class at activities such as weekly socials, the annual inter-class competition between first and second years, charity poker tournaments, basketball games, football tailgates, the charity auction. After the first semester, students can guide their schedule to fit their personal lifestyle (which is “good if you need flexibility for a start-up”) and “allows each person to grow in their own rate.”