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Santa Clara University is an amazing university filled with very smart and outgoing students. I transferred from another university to Santa Clara during my junior year. I decided to major in Environmental Science when I was there because I really enjoyed being around nature at that time and wanted to do everything I could to learn more about our environment. I developed great relationships with my professors and still keep in touch with some of them to this day. Overall, I recommend going to this... Read More university because there is always something fun to do on campus and the lectures are small enough that every professor can focus one on one with their students.

Even though my freshman year was online (2020), throughout my four years the teachers at SCU never failed to support and enrich my learning process and did their best to accommodate students during and after COVID. The campus itself is beautiful and the faculty are top tier. My CS major was accompanied by a data science emphasis and I took some of the coolest classes ever such as Web and data mining, AI, operating systems and even some painting classes to fulfill my art requirement! SCU also has... Read More a great alumni network - especially within the business and real estate worlds.

This review provides an overview of the Santa Clara University’s, Leavey School of Business MBA. An MBA is essential for professionals seeking leadership roles and career growth, but with so many options available, selecting the right program can be challenging. In 2011, during my Environmental Engineering Undergraduate(NUST- Pakistan), my team reached the semi-finals of the GIST International Competition, where we pitched a renewable energy business plan involving biodiesel at a conference hosted... Read More by Vice President Joe Biden and Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdoğan. After graduating in 2012, I attempted to commercialize my research but the venture failed. Over the next seven years, I worked across various companies and researched U.S. business schools, seeking one that would leverage my engineering background and provide insights into finance and the evolving tech-driven business landscape. Eventually, I was accepted into the Leavey School of Business at Santa Clara University in 2019 and would like to share my experiences to help prospective international students make informed decisions.

The class at Leavey School of Business was primarily composed of Silicon Valley professionals, mostly working in tech companies. This diverse group was helpful and supportive, which made settling in easier. I gained valuable insights into Silicon Valley's venture capital culture, startup business models, and how to solve business problems with available resources. The personalized teaching approach, small class sizes, and a mix of traditional and innovative methods made the learning experience highly effective. Courses on entrepreneurship and AI provided a practical understanding of business operations, while the focus on financial models deepened my financial literacy. Throughout my studies, I completed 85 units over 9 quarters, majoring in finance and marketing.

When I began the MBA program at Santa Clara University in March 2019, my goal was to gain the knowledge needed to enter the business world. However, the COVID-19 pandemic and its resulting social and political changes disrupted my plans. The university housing department kindly allowed international students to stay on campus throughout the pandemic. Securing an internship became a significant challenge, and despite my initial hopes of entering finance, I couldn’t land a role at my target firms. COVID-19 also limited networking opportunities, and discrimination emerged as a concern. I had expected more support in securing a job, particularly given my education and work experience. During my studies, I worked with a student team to advocate for the STEM designation for the MBA program, which was eventually granted. I now highly recommend the Leavey MBA for its rigorous academics, supportive environment, and beautiful campus, though I hope future policies offer better support for international students seeking to work in the U.S. post-graduation.

SCU IS JUST PERFECT OVERALL. Santa Clara University is the dream school of thousands of students worldwide. More than the favorable rankings that speak amazingly about SC it is the community that makes it unique. It is #6 in best catholic universities, #18 in best college dorms, and top 20 in Business and Finance. It is top 50 in best value, campuses, and university as a whole. Students are always happy and ready to help another BRONCO, and this is what makes the university unique. There is a strong... Read More sense of community, and everyone is proud to be a BRONCO. It has very strong alumni, and it is easier con get a really good job because many owners of big companies studied at Santa Clara and want more SCU students to work with them. It is a top 50 university in the country overall. Also, it is top 20 in Finance and Business. It is top 10 for starting salary for graduates around $90,000 and in the top 1% across the planet. The location could not be better since it is in the middle of Silicon Valley - the most innovative place in the WORLD, where Google, Facebook, Apple, and Wells Fargo just to name a few. It is 1 hour away from San Francisco and 30 minutes away from the nicest beaches in California. The campus is in the top 20 in the country, and it is better than a country club. It is just perfect. The weather all year long is amazing, and it is sunny 300 days a year. There are approximately 6,000 undergraduates, and the class size is small (1 to 10 on the student-to-professor ratio), so you can have better interactions with your professors and classmates. The best thing about Santa Clara is the community - it is such a friendly campus. There are so many opportunities to get involved on campus through clubs or sports, which opens up doors to meeting so many new people. Developing friendships is such a valuable experience in the college years, and Santa Clara's great sense of community only helps to make that easier.

Overall, I think the MA in Counseling program is wonderful! Here are my key takeaways: 1) The professors are supportive, knowledgable, and flexible, 2) classmates are encouraging, 3) curriculum is sublime and incorporates modern issues, but is very challenging, 4) be prepared to do some counseling (e.g. taking on a counselor role w/ a student), & 5) all classes overlap w/ the 90 unit licensing program. Because of this, I often felt like "the other" because I plan to pursue a career in higher ed,... Read More rather than in mental health. If you're in the same boat, this may mean not being able to form a professional network while in the program and also taking some classes that may not be relevant to your future career. However, this program really teaches you how to think critically, helps you develop counseling skills, and provides you with resources that you can use with various clientele in the future.