Boston bound: My Decision to Attend BC

Follow along with Kevin Barry, BC MBA ’17, as he shares his experiences in our full-time program in this new monthly series.

As midterm week approaches and I reflect back on my semester so far, I am grateful that I picked Boston College’s Carroll School of Management to pursue my MBA. Here are a few of the key points that either helped me make my decision, or that I’ve benefited from thus far.

The BC MBA curriculum.

Recently, BC revamped its curriculum to focus on the development of marketable skills through industry-relevant courses, such as data analytics. In addition to the traditional core courses in accounting, finance, and marketing, BC also implemented a professional program that includes conducting case studies (through MBACase), public speaking, and Structured Query Language (SQL).

Case study training teaches us how to approach behavioral and analytical questions on interviews, while SQL provides us with the tools to read and write data from databases. Many employers are looking for candidates that can effectively manage data and convey this information, so I am especially grateful for BC’s data-driven curriculum.

The caliber of faculty and classmates.

The professors at the Carroll School are top notch. My accounting professor previously taught at Booth and Harvard Business School and brings the material to life, while my marketing professor has a ton of industry experience working for companies like Johnson & Johnson. (The administration really goes out of their way to bring in the best in the field!) I’ve also found that through an MBA program, you’ll learn a great deal from your classmates. My classmates include students who earned their undergraduate degrees from Stanford, Princeton, Columbia, Williams, Notre Dame, Michigan, and many other elite institutions. I’ve also spoken with several successful entrepreneurs who are passionate about their start-ups (one classmate is working on starting her own skydiving company!).

Why I chose BC.

Before beginning my MBA, I worked at New York City’s Office of Management and Budget where I focused on capital and expense budgets for bridge infrastructure. I completed my undergraduate coursework at Vanderbilt, where I studied political science. When I decided to broaden my skillset by pursuing a graduate degree, I was attracted to the BC MBA for its reputation of being one of the strongest finance programs in the country. I know that this program will give me the professional development, core technical skills, and access to a loyal alumni network I’ll need for a successful career.

Socially, the Graduate Student Association (GSA) does a great job organizing clubs, trivia nights, intramural sports, and football tailgates. Already, my professors and peers feel like family—and even though I am a native New Yorker, Boston is growing on me.