Virginia Tech MBA Featured in the Princeton Review’s “Best 296 Business Schools: 2013 Edition”
Tuesday, October 23, 2012 / Bookmark & Share
[Blacksburg, Virginia (October 9, 2012)] – Virginia Tech MBA is an outstanding MBA program, according to the education services company, The Princeton Review (http://www.PrincetonReview.com). The Company features the MBA program in the new 2013 edition of its annual guidebook, "The Best 296 Business Schools" (Random House / Princeton Review, published October 9, 2012, $22.99).
According to Robert Franek, Princeton Review Senior VP-Publisher, "We consider Virginia Tech one of the best institutions a student could attend to earn an MBA. We selected the schools we profile in this book – 280 of which are in the U.S.A. and 16 are international -- based on our high regard for their academic programs and our reviews of institutional data we collect from the schools. We also solicit and greatly respect the opinions of students attending these schools who rate and report on their experiences at them on our 80-question survey for the book."
The Princeton Review's survey asked 19,000 students at the 296 schools their opinions of their school's academics, student body and campus life as well as about themselves and their career plans. The student surveys analyzed for this edition were all completed online at http://survey.review.com and conducted during the 2011-12, 2010-11, and 2009-10 academic years.
“The Virginia Tech MBA program is very proud to be included in the Princeton Review list,” said Steve Skripak, associate dean for graduate programs. “Because this survey relies primarily on student feedback, it is one that has a great deal of meaning to us. Being included in this listing is a strong sign that students are happy with both the academic and student services aspects of our program.”
"The Best 296 Business Schools" has two-page profiles of the schools. They include write-ups on academics, career and placement, student life and environment, and admissions. The profiles also have ratings (scores from 60 to 99) for academic experience, admissions selectivity, and career services. In the profile on Virginia Tech MBA, the Princeton Review editors describe the school as: “offering a number of MBA programs in an intimate atmosphere and at a reasonable cost." Some of the comments from students attending Virginia Tech MBA in the profile are: "Professors also provide connections to leading business people and alumni who can offer advice, mentorship, and their own network to you;" "The sense of community is very strong;" "Look around the room of a Virginia Tech MBA class,” and you’ll see “people from countries around the world, and not just in the ‘we’re trying to meet our quotes’ sense.”
Among the rating scores The Princeton Review gave to Virginia Tech MBA in this edition of the book: Admissions Selectivity Rating: 82, Career Rating: 82, and Academic Experience Rating: 82.
The Princeton Review does not rank the schools in the book on a single hierarchical list from 1 to 296, or name one business school best overall. Instead, the book has 11 ranking lists of the top 10 business schools in various categories. Ten lists are based entirely or partly on The Princeton Review's surveys of students attending the schools in the book. A few lists, such as "Best Career Prospects," use both student survey and institutional data. One list, "Toughest to Get Into," is based solely on institutional data. The lists in the book are posted at www.princetonreview.com/business-school-rankings.aspx.
Virginia Tech’s nationally ranked Pamplin College of Business offers undergraduate and graduate programs in accounting and information systems, business information technology, economics, finance, hospitality and tourism management, management, and marketing. The college emphasizes the development of leadership, technology, multicultural, and international business knowledge and skills and is committed to serving business and society through the expertise of its faculty, alumni, and students. It is named in honor of two alumni: the late Robert B. Pamplin, retired CEO of Georgia-Pacific, and businessman and philanthropist Robert B. Pamplin Jr.
"The Best 296 Business Schools" is one of more than 150 Princeton Review books published by Random House, Inc. The line includes "The Best 168 Law Schools" (also published in October 2012 and also featuring 11 ranking lists primarily based on surveys of students attending the schools in the book). Other Princeton Review books include "The Best 168 Medical Schools," plus guides to graduate school admission exams and application essays. Among them: "Business School Essays That Made a Difference."
The Princeton Review is also known for its many categories of college rankings, its classroom and online test-prep courses, tutoring, and its other education services. Headquartered in Framingham, MA, The Princeton Review is not affiliated with Princeton University, and it is not a magazine.