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Which MBA program offers the best networking opportunities?
We’re hoping everyone had a joyous holiday season and wishing everyone a prosperous and healthy 2016. Let’s take a look at our first news stories of 2016, from MBA program rankings focused on networking, to starting your startup too soon, to the art of talking to journalists.
MBA program networking rankings
There are many factors to consider when deciding on which business schools to apply and where to ultimately enroll. It’s important to focus on outcomes—which means finding a business schools that will help you land the job you want. To do so, you’ll want to join a community with a rock solid alumni network. Connecting with other MBAs is your keys to landing internships and career opportunities. Some publications actually offer special rankings aimed at just this aspect of an MBA program. But are some rankings better than others? (Poets & Quants)
Study now, startup later
Stanford’s Graduate School of Business is a huge proponent of its students becoming successful entrepreneurs…but all in good time. With its prime location near Silicon Valley, it’s no wonder so many of them have startup fever. But school leaders are concerned that they may be spending too much time on starting new businesses and missing out on important lessons that they should be learning in the classroom. “What gives me pause is when students get so engaged in the start-up itself in the second year that they devote their energy to it at the expense of their second year,” said the school’s outgoing dean in a recent interview. “That’s a lost opportunity.” (CNBC)
East vs. west
For decades, Western Europe has been home to some of the world’s best business schools, including London Business School, INSEAD, and IMD. But Eastern Europe has lagged in this area for several reasons. One major reason being that much of this region was under the Soviet thumb for 50 years, making Western-style business education just about non-existent. That’s changing. Innovative MBA programs are sprouting up across former communist countries like Poland and the Baltic states. “People were used to lectures: the professor was the one who was speaking. A talking head,” said a teacher at one Polish MBA program. (The Financial Times)
Learn from rejection
The business school admissions process remains a highly competitive one. Not every applicant can get into every MBA program to which he or she applies. Rejection can be harsh. The silver lining is that now some business schools actually offer constructive feedback to applicants who didn’t make the cut. This serves a couple of purposes: First, it allows applicants to improve their skills. It also encourages them to reapply. While not all the feedback will be helpful, some of it may actually be informative. (U.S. News & World Report)
What they might not teach in business school
As a future business leader, there is some chance that you’ll have contact with the media. In speaking with the press, there are certain rules to live by: Don’t tell a reporter anything that you’re not 100% sure about. That means if you THINK sales went up 20%, but can’t exactly remember, it’s better to tell them something like, “Let me check and I’ll get back to you.” Reporters want accurate information. Another thing: Unless it’s explicitly stated, everything thing you say is on the record. (Forbes)
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The post Ranking MBA Program Alumni Networks appeared first on Business School Insider.
