Cornell University, S.C. Johnson Graduate School of Management Admission
Cornell University, S.C. Johnson Graduate School of Management Undergraduate Program
Cornell University, S.C. Johnson Graduate School of Management Application

The Facts

Cornell University is a rather large, private institution located in the town of Ithaca in upstate New York, and has a combined graduate and undergraduate enrollment of over 19,000 students. The S.C. Johnson Graduate School of Management, however, is significantly smaller, and is home to about 560 graduate business students. All of the currently enrolled students have had an average of 5 years of full-time professional experience, a factor taken into serious consideration by the admissions committee when reviewing applications. Perhaps as a result of this fact, the average age of enrollment is around 27, however, ages range from 22 to 50. Approximately 1% of the currently enrolled students entered directly from undergraduate school, while about 7% of the students already have a graduate degree of some sort. The S.C. Johnson Graduate School of Management is perhaps best known for its emphasis on the real-world of business, and their attempt to fuse theoretical education with the careers of the students. The school offers graduate business degrees in the Master of Business Administration (MBA), as well as a doctoral program, and joint degrees in law (JD/MBA), Asian Studies (MBA/MA), engineering (MBA/ME), as well as industrial and labor relations (MBA/MILR). The school also offers several immersion learning programs, plenty of work-study and internship opportunities (including a summer internship in Silicon Valley) and foreign exchange programs in 16 different countries. Some of the most popular programs include courses in the areas of finance, accounting, marketing, manufacturing, entrepreneurship, managerial accounting, capital budgeting, as well as general management.

Admission to the university's Graduate School of Management is extremely competitive among the many students who apply; last year, over 2,434 students applied for admission to the school and approximately 540 of those students were accepted. Eventually however, only about 306 of the admitted students actually enrolled for the coming semester. The admitted students had an average undergraduate GPA of about a 3.3, as well as an average GMAT score of about 670. The admissions committee requires all applicants to have a minimum undergraduate GPA of at least a 3.0, as well as a minimum GMAT score of at least 500. Students are able to begin graduate course work in the fall only, and are notified of their admissions status at a potential 5 different dates throughout the year.

The school has 52 full-time faculty members, of whom 89% hold doctorate degrees. The school is also home to 38 part-time faculty members, of whom 80% hold a doctorate degree. The average graduate business class usually numbers around 42 students, and most faculty members teach an average of 3 courses at any given time.

Placement Services

The school has rather extensive placement services available for both current students and alumni. These services include job listings, an alumni career network, databases, career counseling, as well as networking events. The majors most in demand by companies recruiting on campus last year included finance and marketing. The average starting salary of the most recent graduating class was around $84,715, however, it ranged from $40,000 to $160,000. Approximately 77% of the same class were able to find jobs within three months of obtaining their graduate degree.

What's Good

"It seems like there are always recruiting and networking events going on."

"I really enjoy the emphasis here on the real-world; its not all theoretical dogma, but skills we can actually use beyond the classroom."

"The faculty is incredibly dedicated here, and they are almost always available to you."

What's Bad

"It can be a pretty intense atmosphere sometimes; you can't let the competition get the best of you."

"I wish some of the classes were just a bit smaller."

"Some professors seem to think that their course is the only one you have..."

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