Gregory Broussard and Cary Miller, director of the MBA Program, examining a model of the new Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Management building

After Gregory Broussard graduated with a dual major from Baylor University in 1993, he spent three years in Houston working as a consultant for Arthur Andersen and another three years trading commodities. He remembers, "A lot of the people I worked with in trading had MBAs, and I had many good mentors. One in particular helped me realize how important an MBA was to furthering my career. He even promised to pay my entire tuition if, at the end of two years, I didn’t think I’d gotten my money’s worth from going to graduate school."

Mr. Broussard wasn’t sure which school to attend, but he knew he wanted to end up on Wall Street. He admits, "I was a little apprehensive because I’d been out of school for six years and was making about as much money as people make when they graduate from MBA programs. It was a huge decision for me.

"A lot of people told me if I wanted to get to Wall Street, I needed to go to a Wharton or a Stanford. I just knew in my heart that that wasn’t necessarily true. I felt I could accomplish what I needed to accomplish right here at home."

Mr. Broussard entered Rice University’s Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Management in 1999 not just because it was close to home, but also because it offered excellent faculty and programs and was a small, personal and growing school. "The new facility, the director of career planning and the new dean, who is a legend on Wall Street, show how the school is growing. Even now as an admissions counselor, I see the caliber of the classes increasing. I’ve interviewed 30 people since this admissions process started, and almost all of them are phenomenal."

Soon after he began the MBA program, Mr. Broussard realized he was getting everything he had hoped for – plus more. He says, "Rice has given me more than knowledge from books. I’ve really gained a lot from the interaction with my peers and professors, who all have different perspectives and backgrounds, especially those from other nations. The ability to be flexible and understand other people’s views is what makes a great manager. The exposure to accomplished, interesting people has far exceeded my expectations."

So has Mr. Broussard’s reception on Wall Street. He says, "When I went to New York last year to apply for summer internships, I got three offers, which is unheard of. I got very good feedback from the firms about Rice University."

After he graduates, Mr. Broussard will realize his ambition to work on Wall Street when he assumes his new position with JPMorganChase in New York City. He says, "My education has more than paid for itself, and my decision to attend Rice was perfect. As I go to Wall Street, I hope to make my university proud. If I do a good enough job, then they’ll come down here and recruit more of my colleagues." He concludes, "Rice has a tremendous reputation outside of this region. Everyone’s going to be very surprised when they wake up one day and see that Rice has become one of the top ten business schools in the country."

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