Is the "Else School of Management" at Millsaps actually respected by employers?

Okay, so I'm leaning toward business. Probably finance, maybe entrepreneurship.

Everyone tells me to go to a big state school for the alumni network. "It's who you know," they keep saying.

But then I found out about the Else School of Management at Millsaps. And now I'm confused because the numbers are weirdly impressive.

Apparently, their graduates have a 95% placement rate within six months. Ninety-five percent.

I asked around. A friend of a friend graduated from there two years ago. She works at a regional bank now, but she said during her interview, the hiring manager—who went to UT Austin—specifically mentioned that he'd hired three Millsaps grads before and they all "knew how to think, not just follow formulas."

That stuck with me.

I looked deeper. The Else School does this thing called the "Business Immersion" program. Every student, regardless of major, has to complete a real-world consulting project with an actual company. Not a simulation. Not a case study from a textbook. A real company with real money on the line.

So here's my question: does a big alumni network matter if a smaller school gives you actual experience that makes you stand out?

Because I keep hearing employers complain that college grads don't know how to work in the real world.

Maybe a place that forces you to do real work before you graduate is the smarter play.

I don't know. I'm still deciding. But the numbers don't lie.

real world experience > alumni network, and it's not even close. i go to a big state school. my "network" is 400 other kids fighting for the same internship. millsaps' immersion program sounds like actual work. do that. you'll have stories to tell in interviews.