World to U.S. B-Schools: Thanks, but No Thanks (article)

I find this claim that it is only the international students that add to the diversity of an MBA class to be a bit impetuous. Business schools do not have to put together a class that fulfills the mission of being diverse in national affiliation. If you look at the "American" students in any MBA class, you will find a significant group amongst them were either born and grew up abroad, had worked or studied abroad et cetera. So it isn't as if the international students are "rounding out" a class per se, and the argument that business schools will lose out on "diversity" if they do not take extraordinary steps to continue attracting international students sometimes just gets a rise out of me.

Business schools will obviously accept applicants who are best qualified to succeed in their program, irrespective of the citizenship they hold. How the schools make that decision, is also obviously very subjective and not based simply upon test scores or demonstrated academic excellence.

Therefore if there are schools elsewhere that offer a better ROI to international students than do U.S. schools, the international students should of course pursue those opportunities. But to suggest that by losing out on international students for reasons beyond the admissions committee's control, U.S. business schools will necessary forego cultural exposure to other parts of the world AND consequently adversely impact the "diversity" of an MBA class drastically is somewhat presumptuous.