Queen Agboye is a second-year MBA student at the Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics. As a graduate intern for the Lerner College Communications Office, Agboye will be writing about her firsthand experiences with the Lerner College MBA Program.
After making the decision to pursue an MBA degree, I had another decision to make that was just as important: Selecting which university would best prepare me to achieve my degree.
Reputation, quality, the value of the degree and return on investment were my top factors for choosing an institution. After an intentional and exhaustive search, I learned that the University of Delaware is home to thousands of international students and scholars from almost 100 different countries studying at the postgraduate, graduate and undergraduate levels. While doing my research, I found that UD was committed to advancing a cross-cultural understanding and bringing unique and valued perspectives to the classroom. I also recognized and valued its diversity, beauty and, most importantly, safety.
It only took a few minutes of candid conversation about UD’s MBA program at the Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics and its options with Bishakha Choudhuri, admissions coordinator for Lerner’s Graduate and MBA Programs, for me to decide that Lerner College was my top choice. No other program came close. So I left my home in Lagos, Nigeria to pursue an MBA in business analytics, at UD in Newark, Delaware.
Choudhuri talked to me about the Lerner MBA’s high-quality education and specialized management track, and its myriad electives, which allow me to customize my degree. She also explained that the program promotes collaboration, with cross-functional teams of students working to complete projects and analyzing real-life business cases. This, for me, was a major advantage and a unique opportunity.
Now that I am one among hundreds of international students studying at the Lerner College, I’ve come to understand that it is much more than a place to earn an MBA degree. It is a global community where students lift each other up and are motivated to succeed. We are part of the UD community from the first day we arrive on campus.
I also feel that the campus life experience is fantastic, as international students have access to everything UD offers. Students can make full use of the University’s resources, facilities, health centers, etc., or join sports and business clubs, student associations, and attend business conferences.
There are dozens of reasons why international students like me choose the Lerner College for their MBA degree, but these are the nine factors that figured heavily into my decision to choose Lerner:
- Quality Education and Reputation: I chose the Lerner College because it is a highly respected, world-class institution at the forefront of business and technology. The unique curriculum offers an interdisciplinary approach which has helped me to gain hands-on, interactive exposure to diverse fields of study and the curriculum has fully prepared me for professional, internationally-focused positions both in the U.S. and abroad.
- Quality Offerings: Since joining Lerner, I have been receiving an experience-driven business education across multiple disciplines. The seasoned faculty, innovative programs, hands-on experience and career-changing opportunities of the Lerner College have been invaluable.
- Flexible Courses: With Lerner’s choice of majors and concentrations, I have the freedom to design my degree in a way that best supports my academic and career goals. The fact that I have the option of taking classes in the evening with working professional students means a world of connections for me. The Lerner MBA is offered in different course delivery formats: on-campus, online or a hybrid of both.
- Diversity: I study alongside students from more than 20 countries and the U.S. This provides a rich opportunity for sharing perspectives and debating about international matters. I have found that the Lerner classroom is an accurate reflection of the world’s diversity, with a large number of international students and faculty. In fact, international students make up almost 44 percent of the Lerner College population!
- A Variety of Educational Opportunities: Another reason why I chose the Lerner master’s program is that it is experiential. Since starting my program at Lerner, I have discovered that students don’t just earn an MBA, they gain the hands-on experience needed through case competitions and projects with area companies to advance in their current industry or break into new, desired fields.
- Research, Innovation and Cutting-Edge Technology: As a student, I have the opportunity to become skilled in using the latest technology to conduct research, as well as obtaining and processing information.
- Prime Location: On the very first day I arrived at UD, I was completely awed by the expansive and breathtakingly beautiful campus. Further, Delaware is an international business hub, located in the center of the New York, Philadelphia and Washington D.C. triangle, and serves as home to many multinational corporations.
- Funding Opportunities and Exceptional Support Services: In addition to the privileges that come with scholarships, international students like me can also benefit from internships and job opportunities both on-campus and from UD’s partnering companies while earning stipends to help support themselves. After the first year of Optional Practical Training (OPT), students in STEM designated programs can stay an additional two years in the U.S. to gain valuable work experience.
- Alumni Network, Executive Mentoring Program and Networking Events: Lerner provides many opportunities to international students to go on company site visits and connect with business professionals and hundreds of employers through career fairs, interviews and networking events that take place on campus.
These were my reasons for choosing Lerner for my MBA degree. Whatever your reasons are, the Lerner MBA program has a lot to offer international students.