Walton College Graduate Students Named in Top Most Competitive Group

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Students in the Graduate School of Business at the University of Arkansas have been ranked ninth most-competitive by The Princeton Review “The Best 300 Business Schools: 2011 edition.”

“We are thrilled to be recognized again this year as having some of the most competitive students in business schools across the country,” said Marion Dunagan, assistant dean for graduate programs in the Sam M. Walton College of Business. “The Princeton Review bases its evaluation on how competitive classmates are, the size of the academic workload and the perceived academic pressure on our M.B.A. students. Clearly, we have some of the most motivated and ambitious M.B.A. students in the U.S.”

The profile includes such statements as, “being very near to the world’s largest retailer makes certain business fields both relevant and accessible, such as the school’s spectacular supply chain management programs. Even so, Arkansas students say it isn’t all Wal-Mart, all the time. On the contrary, the school has taken advantage of its propitious location and tapped into the many vendors and Fortune 500 companies located in the region.”

On the faculty, the profile says, “The professors are extremely knowledgeable in their fields and effectively tie theory to real case studies and actions.”

The Walton College profile also highlights Willard J. Walker Hall, the graduate school facility, which “offers plenty of small case rooms for a small group or individual use. All of these rooms have flat-screen televisions and sound systems to accompany. A student enthuses, ‘We have everything we need at our disposal. Study rooms are available to grad students, as well as state-of-the art classrooms and technology.’”

The business school edition of The Princeton Review contains two-page profiles of schools with information on their academics, student life and admissions, plus rating for the academics, selectivity and career placement services. The publication does not rank the business schools in a single hierarchical list. Instead, the book has 11 ranking lists of the top 10 business schools in various categories. These lists are based on The Princeton Review’s survey of 19,000 students attending the 300 schools profiled in the book, conducted during the 2007-08, 2008-09, and 2009-10 academic years. The lists include such categories as best professors, best career prospects, best classroom experience and toughest to get into.