|
| Female Appeal: B-Schools Get Up to Speed | If you have traveled around the campus and classrooms of a business school, you may have noticed something: an average, roughly 70 percent of any given MBA program's students are male. Though it may make a nice pool of dating prospects for the women who are enrolled, it's not something business schools are happy with - far from it! Indeed, this is something they are working to change as quickly as they can.
Typically top schools see higher female enrollment, in part because of all they offer, but also because, just as males do, women want to benefit from the status of an elite school. As 38 percent may not match the 50 percent male-to-female ratio at other grad schools, closing the MBA gap is only a matter of time.
• School Initiatives
How to be sure? One motivation is that getting women inspired with a career in business is a sky-high priority at business schools across the country these days. Many business schools have launched their own women-only outreach and recruiting events. Sessions are commonly held in the fall in cities nationwide and are offered through the admissions offices. Receptions aim to dispel myths, address the perceived lack of role models, and help women make informed decisions.
Concentrate on the educational experience, but also on the unique types of issues women have, such as: how does getting the MBA fit in with having a family or having a spouse? How can I make this experience fit in with my life?
When it sounds like good public relations, it is. Schools crave for getting the word out: MBAs offer women viable opportunities. Though, in a way if the business schools are talking the talk, they're also walking the walk. There is nothing apparent about this campaign. Gradually, the MBA landscape for women is changing.
Prospects begin even before the first day of class.
At Stanford University, admitted women are treated to one-on-one admit-lunches with female alum. After an admit gets to campus, they find MBA life is chock-full of student-run women and management programs, support groups, retreats, executive conferences, mentoring programs, and other dedicated resources for women-only.
Now after many years, most business programs have had an on-campus Partners Club for spouses and significant others-a benefit to both female and male students. Beginners to the business-school scene now include groups like The Biz Kids and Parents Club where students can find family-oriented classmates and activities. Possibly, the most symbolic gesture of the increasing influence of women in business school is Stanford's provision of a private nursing room for MBA-moms and their babies in their main classroom facility.
|
|
