An advisor from the University of Utah's David Eccles School of Business shared some good advice with BYU-Hawaii students while trying to interest them in an MBA program.
Richard Kaufusi, a BYU in Provo, Utah graduate who played two seasons of football for the Cougars, stressed students don't need an undergraduate business degree to qualify for a master's of business administration or other business-related graduate programs.
"I have no background in business. I have a graduate degree in education," said Kaufusi, who was born in Tonga but raised in Salt Lake City. His father-in-law, John Reeves, teaches social work at BYU-Hawaii, and he has relatives in the surrounding community. He has also previously taught Tongan language classes in Utah and has collaborated with President Shumway, who's "a good friend of mine," he said.
"Non-business undergraduate majors have done very well," Kaufusi told the small group of interested students on May 25. "You can get into the MBA program with whatever major. The core classes will get anybody up to speed with where they need to be."
"If you finish a bachelor's degree and do well on the GMAT [Graduate Management Admissions Test], that's all you have to worry about. If you were a business major, however, you will probably be able to start on your electives sooner."
Kaufusi added the Utah business school prefers its day students have at least two years of work experience.
"We would be doing you a disservice if we didn't require this. That experience enhances the classes. All the top programs require this," he said, noting they might "waive this for people who score high on the GMAT. Normally, we expect about a 600 score to get in."
Asked why BYU-Hawaii students should consider going to the University of Utah rather than BYU's graduate Marriott School of Management, Kaufusi replied, "They've got a great program and their facilities are incredible, but their requirements are getting higher and higher. Some of the students they reject end up getting in at Utah."
He said he recently visited the Marriott School's career services offices. "I was very impressed. You felt like you were in the business world. They have rooms that were bought by the recruiters. We want to learn from that; but we also feel we provide a lot more opportunities and diversity than they do, especially for those going into international business."
"We have a lot of international students...and housing is available in the former Olympic village, where the athletes used to be housed," he added.
Kaufusi also recognized that "there's a good tie between the University of Utah, the Church and this area."
"They thought it was a good idea for me to come over here," he said. "Utah has the same number of returned missionaries with foreign language skills as BYU. Their international experience works well. There's a strong LDS influence."