Day: December 3, 2022

Smith School of Business at University of Maryland: Ranking, Programs, Career opportunities, and more

Smith School of Business at University of Maryland: Ranking, Programs, Career opportunities, and more

Students say that they find Smith School’s location its biggest perks. But there’s so much more to love about this business school.

  • Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland is one of 12 colleges and schools in College Park.
  • The school is fully integrated into the business, government, nonprofit and professional networks of the Washington, D.C., metroplex.
  • You will be surrounded by multiple opportunities and experiences beyond just your school.

At Smith School of Business, you can elevate your career with strategic knowledge of business and become an industry expert.

Graduate programs at Smith School of Business go beyond the typical essentials of a business program. With world-class faculty, you will learn how to upgrade your skills in a dynamic, fast-paced industry.

In this article, we will cover:

  • Smith School of Business at University of Maryland 4 MBA programs
  • Business Master’s at Smith School of Business at University of Maryland.
  • University of Maryland college park ranking
  • Smith School of Business ranking
  • Smith School of Business acceptance rate
  • Eligibility Criteria
  • Options after Graduation
  • Increasing your chances of getting in with SelectRight

Smith School of Business at University of Maryland Overview

Here is some basic information about Smith School.

CriteriaFigure
University of Maryland college park ranking

#60

US World and News Report

Smith School of Business acceptance rateVaries based on the program but 51% on average
Popular Programs MBA programs and Business Master’s
Application fees$75
Alumni number68,000 alums across the globe

The school also has a local alumni network that extends throughout the region. You can make connections, network, get internships and gain valuable experience.

Smith School of Business at University of Maryland Graduate Programs

Smith School of Business at University of Maryland offers three kinds of Graduate programs.

  • 4 different types of MBA programs
  • Business Master’s with different pathways
  • Executive education
1.   Full-time MBA

You will develop sophisticated analytical skills and a thorough understanding of how business functions like marketing, finance, and operations interact in the highly regarded. This full-time MBA programme at the Smith School of Business at University of Maryland trains you to become a future leader in the industry.

2.   Flex MBA

If you don’t have the time for a rigorous full-time MBA, opt for a flex MBA.

The Smith Flex MBA program combines the quality you want with the options you need to deliver one of the best, most versatile MBA programs.

You have the freedom to select the pace and location that best suits your career goals. You will benefit from a robust network of alumni, top-ranked faculty, and advisers — all passionate about your success.

You can also opt for elective courses earned entirely online with other part-time students, or by participating in global learning experiences and deepening your learning experience.

3.   Executive MBA

The Executive MBA program begins in January. The program is designed to provide you with personalized executive coaching to hone the leadership skills you need.

Such personalized training will help you grow in your career or transition into a different field by giving you the required skill set.

4.   Online MBA

If you have an average of eight years of work experience in business, government, science, or engineering, you will fit right in Smith School’s online MBA.

The student body is composed of people with similar experience providing you the opportunity to learn in a diverse collection of real-world experiences. It will broaden your perspective and crave out the leader you want to be.

Business Master’s Program at Smith School

For students who want to become a specialized business expert, the Business Master’s program offers a variety of specializations helping you create actual impact in the workplace.

You can take this Quiz to find out which program will be suited to you.

Here are the available paths.

  1. Accounting – Learn how large companies manage and report their finances. You’ll gain specialized skills for managing and analyzing financial and tax data while adhering to the accounting standards of the present.
  2. Business analytics – Learn the role of big data in today’s competitive business world. The path uses real-life cases to teach you how you can use quantitative modeling skills to analyze large amounts of data and then recommend fact-based, innovative solutions to business problems.
  3. Business and Management – If you want to rise through the ranks, learn the foundational knowledge of business.
  4. Finance – With this path, you will be able to master the latest tools in corporate investment, risk management and asset allocation in a global context.
  5. Information systems – Learn how to use the latest web technology to analyze, organize and manage valuable business information, preserve privacy and lead complex projects.
  6. Marketing Analytics – Learn how businesses use big data to connect with customers who will expand their business. You’ll examine ways to improve marketing campaigns, analyze vast amounts of data, and forecast consumer interests.
  7. Quantitative finance – With advanced programming and quantitative skills, you can advance your finance career more quickly. You’ll learn in-depth information about financial markets, institutions, and cutting-edge analytics methods.
  8. Supply chain management- Get practical instruction from supply chain professionals from a variety of industries. Learn about international trade, how to negotiate business agreements, and how to solve complex problems with confidence as you enter this fascinating global industry.

Executive Education at Smith School

This program offers a variety of courses, including open enrollment and custom programs. It is designed to meet the needs of individuals and organizations.
As a working professional or executive, you can develop your leadership skills and gain a competitive edge in today’s global business environment.

The program is offered in various formats, such as on-campus, online, and hybrid, to suit the busy schedules of working professionals.

Smith School of Business: How does it rank?

Smith School of Business is under the University of Maryland. Here are some important university of Maryland college park rankings.

  • Ranked No. 20 among public universities
  • Ranked No. 25 for Most Innovative School
  • Ranked No. 60 globally by US News & World Report

Here are some relevant Smith School of Business ranking

  • Ranked No. 23 nationally and No. 13 among public university business programs.
  • Entrepreneurship: No. 21 overall, No. 7 among publics
  • Management: No. 22 overall, No. 13 among publics
  • Management information systems: No. 9 overall, No. 7 among publics
  • Marketing: No. 25 overall, No. 14 among publics
  • Supply chain management/logistics: No. 18 overall, No. 14 among publics

Here are some Smith School of Business ranking in the MBA programs

  • #26 Full-Time MBA by Fortune, 2021
  • #8 Faculty (U.S.) by Economist, 2021
  • #18 EMBA (U.S) by Financial Times, 2021
  • #9 Online MBA by U.S. News, 2021

Smith School of Business acceptance rate and application process

The University of Maryland acceptance rate is 51%. Smith School of Business acceptance rate will vary depending on the program you choose. The acceptance rate for full-time MBA is 43.2%.

Eligibility criteria

The eligibility criteria will vary depending on the program and path you pick. Here is what is generally expected from applicants.

  • If you have a 3-year bachelor’s, you are only eligible if you will be awarded a master’s degree by the time you begin graduate study at the University of Maryland or if the 3-year bachelor’s degree has already been earned at the time of application.
  • You usually don’t have to submit your GRE/GMAT scores, unless you are applying for a dual degree, the GMAT/GRE may be required by the second program. Specifically, Smith requires a GMAT if you are pursuing a dual degree in Business Analytics, Information Systems, Finance, or Marketing Analytics.
  • One referee
  • Proof of English language proficiency (TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE official test scores)

The average full-time student at Smith’s has:

  • 23 Undergrad GPA
  • 640 GMAT score
  • 6 years of professional work experience

Options after graduating

Smith School of Business at University of Maryland is paired with great companies.

MBA recruitment partners:

  • Deloitte
  • Citi
  • IBM
  • Northrop Grumman
  • com
  • PepsiCo

After MBA, you can go into: Technology, Consulting, Financial Services, Consumer Packaged Goods, Business Master’s recruitment partners

  • PwC
  • EY
  • KPMG
  • Deloitte
  • Capital One
  • Amazon Web Services

After your Master’s you can go into: Technology, Financial Services, Consulting

Increase your chances with SelectRight

SelectRight is an AI-based platform that helps you find programs and colleges that are best for you. And after that it will help you get into your dream university.

SelectRight will support you all throughout your journey of getting into Smith School of Business at University of Maryland. The platform has a carefully curated directory of unbiased industry experts who can help you with various aspects of your application. You can ask the experts to review your application, Statement of Purpose (SOP), Letters of Recommendation (LoR) or anything else you need.

 

The platform will also help you calculate your chances of getting into Smith School of Business at University of Maryland. The platform combs through the past admission data of candidates with profiles similar to yours and gives you a number which reflects the acceptance rate.

This will help you understand your likelihood of getting into Smith School of Business and you don’t have to rely on the general Smith School of Business acceptance rate.

Smith School of Business at University of Maryland is dedicated to providing students with relevant knowledge. All education is conducted in an inclusive learning environment. It doesn’t matter if you are new to the field, if you want to jumpstart your career or if you want to transition careers. The diverse program options can accommodate various industry needs. Get in touch with your SelectRight mentor today and get started on your application.

Differences between academic and general IELTS: Format, difficulty, how to choose?

Differences between academic and general IELTS: Format, difficulty, how to choose?

The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is used to test one’s proficiency in English. The test is based on four criteria: listening, speaking, reading, and writing.

And, there are two types of IELTS exams: academic and general training. You should be aware of the difference between academic and general IELTS. Because chances are you will need both when studying abroad.

If you are planning to study abroad in an English-speaking country, you will need IELTS every step of the way.

You need an IELTS for:

  • Traveling overseas like going on college tours
  • Immigration
  • A visa if you want to settle into the country you are studying in or if you are seeking employment in another country
  • Higher education almost every university demands a good IELTS score
  • For securing employment, and more.

Now, you have to understand for which of these you need an academic IELTS and general IELTS and what is the difference between the two.

Overview of IELTS academic and general difference

This table only provides an overview, to know the difference in detail, keep reading.

Section

Academic IELTS

General IELTS

Writing

Explain data and respond to an argument.

Informal email and reaction to assertion or argument.

Reading

3 sections

1 big text

Scoring

Average score 5.9

Average score 6.2

When to take

For higher education abroad

For employment, continuing education or settling down abroad

Difficulty

Harder

Easier

Content

Academic in nature

Mixed content

Purpose

To gauge your ability to keep up in an academic environment

To gauge your general English proficiency

Should I take academic or general IELTS?

Which test you take mainly depends on why you are taking it. Here are some instances of when you need to take which test.

Reason

Type of test

Undergraduate level

IELTS Academic

Postgraduate level

IELTS Academic

Doctorate level

IELTS Academic

Post-Doctoral

IELTS Academic

Below degree level

IELTS General

Work or training

IELTS General

Migration

IELTS General

For professional organization

IELTS Academic

Permanent Residency

IELTS General

If you want to study in an English-speaking nation like the US or the UK, you have to take the IELTS Academic exam, especially if you are an Indian. Some countries where the majority is English speaking, students are exempt from taking the IELTS, but India does not fall into this category.

You will have to take IELTS General Training if you want to continue your education abroad or if you need a foreign country’s certification for job and work experience. It is typically requested as a prerequisite for the immigration of non-native English speakers to English-speaking nations.

Difference between academic and general IELTS

Now that you know that the two tests are taken under different conditions, we will brief you on the difference in the format.

IELTS general and academic have a very similar format. Understanding the similarities and differences will help you choose the test that best suits your needs.

IELTS academic and general similarities

There are more similarities than differences between the IELTS general and academic tests.

The two tests have the same timing and format (four sections evaluating speaking, reading, writing, and listening for two hours and 45 minutes).

IELTS Academic and IELTS General both have separate Reading and Writing sections but share a common Listening and Speaking section.

You have to take the IELTS writing, reading, and listening tests all on the same day in both instances. But you can take the speaking test up to seven days before or after.

The registration process for both tests is the same as well.

IELTS academic and general differences

Let us break down each section to understand the IELTS academic and general differences. We have also included samples from the test paper to help you understand IELTS academic and general differences with real-life examples.

 

  1. Reading difference between academic and general IELTS

The reading section of academic IELTS has 3 lengthy sections designed to evaluate your logical and analytical skills. The comprehensions are from both academic articles and newspapers and magazines.

These passages are followed by brief questions on sentence construction to matching headers. One mark is assigned to each correct response.

n comparison, the IELTS general training test only includes one big text. This is followed by a number of short pieces distributed across three sections.

In the second segment, you will encounter workplace-related questions. Job descriptions, workplace morality, staff training materials, etc. are some examples of the question types.

Compared to the Academic Test, which primarily assesses the candidate’s critical and constructive skills, the lengthy text will be slightly more challenging. One mark is awarded for correct answers.

  1. Writing difference between academic and general IELTS

On the IELTS academic writing test, you have to explain data presented in a table, chart, diagram, or graph in 150 words. The first task has a 20-minute time limit.

The next assignment is to respond to an argument in writing in 250 words or less within 40 minutes.

One important thing to keep in mind is that the response should be deliberately worded in paragraphs rather than in bullet points.

The first assignment of the IELTS general training exam requires you to write a formal or informal email in 150 words asking for any information or providing an explanation.

The second task requires the candidates to react to an assertion or argument in a 250-word essay. The opinions should be supported by examples.

  1. Scoring difference between academic and general IELTS

The main distinction between IELTS general and academic is the test scoring structure.

For both tests, the Listening, Speaking, and Writing sections are scored identically.

IELTS Reading, which makes up 25% of your overall score, is weighed differently in the general and academic versions of the test.

For the academic portion of the IELTS exam and the general training exam, the test-takers’ average band score is roughly 5.9 and 6.2, respectively.

In both tests, there is a difference between one band. If you score 30 out of 40 correctly answered questions on the IELTS Reading section, your final score will be interpreted as an absolute 30. That translates to a general training reading IELTS Band of 5.0. However, in academic reading, 30 out of 40 is regarded as 6.0.

  1. Difficulty difference between academic and general IELTS

The General Training IELTS test is probably less challenging than the Academic IELTS test.

Because the questions are more broad than specific for IELTS academics, you will find IELTS general to be simpler.

 The main reason is that the Academic test demands exceptionally strong comprehension abilities and the capacity to succinctly and succinctly summarize complex ideas.

In comparison, the General Training Test only evaluates a candidate’s proficiency in speaking and understanding English.

In fact, according to IELTS the academic test is chosen by approximately 80% of test-takers, with the remaining 20% opting for the general training test.

For the academic assessment and the general training exam, the average total band score for all test-takers is approximately 5.9 and 6.2, respectively. Numbers prove that general IELTS is easier.

The writing section with an average band score of 5.5, appears to be the academic test’s most challenging portion based on overall test-taker performance.

The reading section of the academic test appears to be the simplest, with an average score of just above 6.0.

Writing and reading also have the lowest and highest average paper scores on the general training test.

  1. Content difference between academic and general IELTS

As you have seen above, for IELTS general vs. academic, different texts are used for the writing and reading sections.

The IELTS academic test will use texts from various sources, including academic journals, textbooks, pertinent magazines, and English-language media to gauge your comprehension skills. The primary goal of the IELTS academic exam is to assess your ability to write college-level essays for use in academic and professional contexts.

On the other hand, the general IELTS will use material found in advertisements, manuals, periodicals, notifications, and employee handbooks. Your letter writing and fundamental essay writing will be used to gauge your written English proficiency.

Steps in your study abroad journey

Here are the steps you need to follow, if you are planning on studying abroad.

  1. Research colleges
  2. Take your IELTS
  3. Contact your professors/teachers for LOR
  4. Prepare your SOP and CV
  5. Submit IELTS scores
  6. Make the payment and submit your form
  7. Wait to hear back

As you can see, IELTS is but one step in the process, and it’s not very significant.

It is significant in the sense that it helps you meet the eligibility criteria for colleges, but it does not distinguish you from other students. Your IELTS is not why you secure a seat, but your SOP and CV are.

Hence, you need to find colleges and courses that you are best suited for. Find a college which needs you just as much as you need them with SelectRight.

The AI-based platform uses 6 million+ data points across 10,000+ STEM, CS & MBA programs to give you unbiased recommendations for colleges that you are best suited for.

After the platform has helped you find a university that is right for you, SelectRight will connect you with mentors and industry experts who can help you with various aspects of your application. You can ask for a review of your application, Statement of Purpose (SOP), Letters of Recommendation (LoR) or anything else you need.

You can even enquire about alternatives to IELTS, if you do not score well.

Now that you know about the difference between academic and general IELTS, it’s time to sign up for your test. No matter which test you have to take, the registration process is the same. If you have any further questions, don’t hesitate to contact a SelectRight mentor.