Stanford

Stanford is one of the leading programs that offer an MBA. Stanford is consistently recognized for the academic excellence as well as their dedication to making the educational process rewarding.

Courses

Stanford recognizes the difference between the classroom and the real world and tries to offer students the opportunity to engage themselves in course work that accurately reflects real world situations that they will encounter. This is done by coursework that involves theoretical overviews, discussions, case studies, simulation, role playing, team projects, as well as independent study. Courses in marketing and strategy typically involve case studies and courses focusing on negotiation require students to role play in an attempt to familiarize students with what they will actually be facing in the professional world.

Grades

Stanford views grades as a measuring tool that can help students find their weak and strong points. Stanford does not make a student’s grades public which allows students the freedom of experimenting and trying new ideas without having to worry about making an embarrassing grade if the result is not quite as good as hoped. Students are also assigned a study group consisting of approximately four to five students during their first year in the program. After their first year, students are expected to arrange their own study groups as Stanford believes that these groups help students learn from each other and create a team-oriented environment that can often be found in the professional realm.

Class Overview

Prospective students can often learn whether Stanford is right for them based on recent class statistics. The Stanford MBA class of 2006 is made of 371 students that were selected from the 4,696 applications that Stanford received. Of these 371 students, 35 percent are women, 29 percent are international, and 24 percent are from a Unites States minority. Their GMAT scores ranged from 530 to 790 with the class mean being 711. 52 percent of the class graduated with an undergraduate degree in the humanities/social sciences field. 32 percent have an undergraduate degree in the studies of engineering, mathematics, or natural sciences. 16 percent have an undergraduate degree in business.