A recent BusinessWeek article, titled "MBAs with a Social Conscience," reports that more and more MBA applicants have social enterprise, nonprofit work, and sustainability on their minds when it comes to choosing a post MBA career path.
Adcoms from top MBA programs are seeing increases in the interest applicants show for these idealistic, "nontraditional sectors." Assistant dean of admissions at Columbia Business School, Mary Miller, describes the new applicant mantra of "doing good while doing well." This attitude, she explains, reflects a new optimism that MBAs truly want to improve the world around them.
Changes in student interests and priorities will, no doubt, drastically "reshape the recruiting landscape and transform the very idea of what an MBA is for."
For one, explains Sarah Slaughter, coordinator of the Sustainability Initiative at MIT Sloan, these idealistic students are having a positive effect on potential employers—after all, working to improve a community makes good business sense. Being able to address environmental and social issues will put these new MBAs one step ahead of their less-socially conscience predecessors.
In response to the growing desire to bring about change, top MBA programs are implementing new programs and courses to reach their green-minded students. MIT Sloan, for example, offers a certificate program in sustainability and sustainability internships.
Listening to your conscience sometimes has its downside: People who commit to a career in the nonprofit sector won't make nearly as much money as, say, an investment banker. To encourage students to follow their socially conscious dreams, top b-schools, including Columbia and Emory's Goizueta, are offering to alleviate some of the financial burden that comes along with taking a job in these socially responsible, greener fields.
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