Road Trip: “Aha! Moments” at Bentley University

/

My tour of universities in the Boston area included Bentley University in Waltham, MA, a suburb nine miles outside of Boston.  Bentley is known as a business school, which has become increasingly well regarded.  And, by far, the majority of undergraduate students at Bentley major in business.  That said, Aha! the arts and sciences are an integral part of Bentley’s education.

There are two core curriculums at Bentley — both required — a general business core and a general education core. A Bachelors of Science program encompasses 14 business majors and a Bachelors of Arts covers the breadth of ten majors. About 20% of students double major and are able to combine a BS business degree with a Liberal Studies Major or a BA degree with a Business Studies Major.  90% of students do at least one internship before graduating and 47% study abroad. 

Another Aha! is the meaningful role of technology at Bentley. There are seven unique technology labs on campus for students to use across a wide spectrum — from the Trading Room to the User Experience Lab to the CIS Sandbox where students build apps and design video games or check out the latest technology innovations.  The Trading Room is one of a few in the nation with live feeds of financial data (I felt like I was standing inside Charles Schwab if not the NYSE).  Apart from the labs, Bentley’s routine use of technology is extensive — one example, an electronic scheduling board for study areas in the library.

Some Miscellaneous Facts

  • Over 95% of students are either in grad school or working full time with an average starting salary of $53,000, within six months of graduation — Bentley’s Career Services ranked #5 by Princeton Review;
  • Bentley’s crossover schools include Northeastern, Boston University, Boston College, University of Massachusetts and Babson — with Bentley’s 46% acceptance rate being at the higher end of the group;
  • The top 8-10% of applicants are invited to join an Honors Program, which has its own dorm space, honors courses, networking and internship opportunities, and access to research as well as a required senior research capstone project. 

Consider Bentley University if you are interested in business though looking for a more typical four year small-midsize college experience than Northeastern’s coop opportunity.