With two promotions in three years, Paul Asper couldn't have been happier with his job as a senior financial analyst for Spheris Operations—a $200 million provider of outsourced medical transcription services and technology solutions. But he realized he needed a better rounded skill set, especially in accounting and finance, to make a difference in the health care space, whose complexity and challenges he had come to love.

After "a ton" of research into programs all over the country, Paul concluded that the best solution was just 30 miles from Spheris's offices. "So many schools I visited just didn't have the robust combination of MBA and health care specialization that Owen offered," he says.

The program was "more academically rigorous and more fun than I could have ever imagined," says Paul, who even found time to pursue his twin passions of playing and refereeing soccer. Meanwhile, the opportunity to work in teams on real problems for real health care companies, conduct their own research and present recommendations to senior management was the most valuable form of case study an MBA can undertake.

He appreciated just how beneficial his experience had been when he began interviewing for internships against candidates from other top MBA programs. Then, says Paul, "I was truly able to put into context how great a job [the faculty] does in preparing us."