The BYU Marriott School of Business welcomes a number of international students into the MBA program each year. The program is recognized both domestically and abroad for the quality of education it provides.
International students accepted into the program develop their knowledge and skills through an outstanding education and valuable experience that will prepare them to make an impact wherever they go in the world.
Around 70 percent of BYU Marriott students are bilingual having lived, studied, and served in multicultural communities and other countries.
International Alumni Profiles
You Will Survive and It’s Awesome
Lina Zheng
From:
Sichuan Province, China
Undergrad:
BS, environmental science; MS, biochemistry and molecular biology
Pre-MBA:
MBA track:
Global Supply Chain
Full-time role/company:
Hobbies:
Hiking, traveling, singing, cooking and baking, visiting museums and exhibitions
After working in the healthcare industry for several years, I had the chance to interact with colleagues from cross-functional teams and became interested in supply chain. I chose BYU Marriott’s MBA program because I had friends in the program who told me the benefits of studying at BYU.
Preparing for the GMAT and TOEFL was the most challenging part for me, because I was still working full-time and had to do the preparation after work and on weekends.
I sacrificed a lot of my free time to study and practice English and prayed a lot to obtain wisdom, patience, and courage to overcome the challenge. The tempo in the first year was intense, and the teaching and learning style was challenging for me because English is my second language. This was my first time studying abroad and in English. I spent a lot of time preparing before class, was very focused during classes, and asked for help from professors and colleagues a lot. To improve my English quickly, I pushed myself to talk to others, including doing informational interviews with professionals.
My advice is to try your best. You will finally survive this intense but awesome MBA program.
You will find yourself learning and growing a lot!
Should Have Done It Sooner
Marcus Cortez
From:
São Paulo, Brazil
Undergrad:
BS, civil engineering
Pre-MBA:
MBA track:
Global Supply Chain
Full-time role/company:
Dell Technologies
Hobbies:
Tennis, RPG video games, hiking, photography, learning about astrophysics, reading sci-fi novels
I learned about the program through some alumni friends and a few info sessions held in Brazil.
I decided to pursue an MBA at BYU Marriott because I felt like I was stuck in my career doing something that I didn’t enjoy much. The GMAT was by far the biggest challenge, mainly because it is a difficult test in another language. I carefully planned my studies to spend every single day (except Sundays) studying for it. I also networked with other folks preparing for the test and organized a virtual study group that helped me a lot to improve my score. I also started reading books in English to improve my verbal skills, a habit that I am happy to have developed. I am an extremely extroverted person, and this is my first time living abroad. I wanted to make fun comments and participate more in class, but I wasn’t there yet in my speaking skills.
With time, I developed enough confidence and realized people are so nice and understanding that there was no reason for me to hold back my comments.
I just started actively participating more in class and in school.
Joining the BYU Marriott MBA program is a no-brainer.
Is it difficult and challenging to get there? Yes, of course. Is the investment worth the return? A resounding YES. I am so glad I decided to pay the price to be here: the friendships, the learning, and the opportunities that came with the MBA program are priceless for me and for my family. I would come back and do it again a thousand times.
My only regret? Not to do it sooner!