Since all the schools are AACSB-accredited, you should receive a similar quality of instruction at each of these schools. One thing to note is that the Willamette and UCR programs are designed for those with little or no work experience (admitted students have an average of just under a year of experience at these two programs.) That's compared to the Claremont program, which while not requiring work experience, generally admits students with between two and four years of it.

This means that at Willamette and UCR, the rest of your cohort will be made up of young people (think 23, 24 years old) who don't have a lot of practical experience. I think that this would detract from the learning experience, but maybe that's what you're looking for.

The inexperienced nature of these cohorts also means that none of the schools have great placement stats. Only 1 in 4 UCR students have job offers by graduation; it's about 1 in 5 at Claremont and 1 in 2 at Willamette. (For comparison's sake, 94% of Harvard students have offers by the time they graduate.)

Hello, ezra, thanks a lot for your kind response!

Hi Megju63,
Congratulations on your admission to multiple programs! I think it is important to select a program that is best suited to your career goals. The greater success you have during the program will likely lead to your career success after the program.

The Willamette MBA is designed for people who are seeking their first professional position in management. So, it is a great program for career changers - people who may or may not have work experience who are seeking a career in management regardless of their age. The average age of students is 25. Most students are in their 20's or 30's so their is a range of ages and experience in the program. The key is that students are seeking a change. It is actually a benefit to go to a program that has a range of ages and experiences, since that is what you will most likely experience in your future career.

In regard to experience, Willamette's program emphasizes experiential learning -- which means students do lots of projects with real clients and internships that help them build the professional experience they need. So, you get knowledge and experience you need to make a career transition. Students at Willamette also build their professional networking and communication tools through a very deliberate program of career services. Our emphasis on experiential learning and career services means success for our students. Half of our graduates typically have a job by graduation, but 85% of our students received a job offer within only 3 months of graduation!

The most important thing in any school choice is choosing the school that is going to provide the actual environment that will help you build the knowledge, experience and personal professional tools that help you achieve your goals.

Hope this is helpful and that you find the program best suited to your career goals!