7 reasons why we chose byu's mba program

Yep, we are BYU bound.  The Marriott School of Business is a respected, reputable program with some awesome perks.  Here are some of the reasons we are totally excited about BYU.

1-cost
Forbes recently ranked BYU's MBA program 17th in the nation for return on investment.  Because the university is mostly funded through tithes paid by members of the LDS Church, it is a relatively inexpensive private university.  The program cost is $45,120 for non-LDS students, and $22,560 for LDS students (much like in-state versus out-of-state tuition).  That's a smokin' deal for an MBA from a respected university.

Provo's cost of living is 7.9% below the national average, which makes those two years in grad school a little more affordable.  We also looked into Northwestern, UCLA, & UC-Berkeley, where the cost of living is almost twice the national average.  California would have ben a fun place to live for two years, but saying goodbye to the additional debt is a relief.

2-rankings (check out more rankings for BYU's MBA program here)
1st--Princeton Review Most Family Friendly
17th--Forbes
27th--U.S. News & World Report
32nd--BusinessWeek
Impressive numbers.  They speak for themselves.

3-strong alumni network
BYU grads are very supportive of each other and willing to help out a fellow Cougar.  We've experienced the strength of the alumni network directly; each of Kirk's jobs have come as a result of alumni connections.

4-placement of grads in west
41% of BYU MBA grads accept a job in the western United States, which is where we hope to settle down.  They have great connections with tech companies like Adobe, Amazon, & Hewlett-Packard.  They have a "TechTrek" to visit companies like Google and Apple.  But going back to the last point, if you are willing to leverage the strength of the alumni network and reach out to people, you can make things happen anywhere.  24% settled in the southwestern U.S. and 20% in the Midwest.

5-100% of grads had a job offer within 3 months after graduation.  Boom baby.

6-proximity to extended family
Both of our families live in Utah and Idaho, and we are so looking forward to being close to grandparents, siblings, and cousins.  Yay for free babysitters! :)

7-#1 most family friendly program in the nation (Princeton Review)
People, let me tell you something.  When selecting an MBA program, check out the spouse's association/joint venture clubs if you are married with kids.  These programs offer support, friendship, and growth opportunities for your family as they support you in school.  I am beyond excited to participate in MBASA, BYU's MBA spouse association.  MBASA plays a large part in creating experiences that earn BYU's #1 rating as the most family friendly MBA program.  Check out some of the activities they offer in any given month...

• BBQ's, date nights for students and spouses with free babysitting, socials 
• kids soccer teams, play dates
• service opportunities galore
• sports teams for the adults, hiking groups
• education classes & craft classes for spouses

This is just a sampling of the activities offered by MBASA.  With multiple activities each week, the kids and I will have plenty of experiences to make our experience at grad school enriching and fun.

Impressive, right?  BYU offers so many great opportunities to both students and their families at a much lower cost than most similarly ranked universities.  I'm glad that Kirk will be attending a top notch program, and I'm grateful that I will have a great support network to ease our transition at home.

If you have questions about BYU, MBASA, grad school, etc., please comment!  I can definitely address questions in future posts or individually in the comment section.