Looking for Love at B-School

When it comes to the business-school social scene, "supply and demand" isn't merely academic

by Alina Dizik

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As a director of student services at the University of Wisconsin Business School, Mark Matosian didn't think it was on his job description to officiate at a wedding. But a few days prior to graduation in May, 2006, an MBA couple (who had met and dated at school) asked him to do just that. Matosian got ordained online, and drove to Cincinnati for the wedding. "There's a lot of opportunity to date among the class," says Matosian of the 224 full-time MBA students. "In my nine years with the school, I've been invited to about five weddings." So far, he's officiated at only one.

Even though only a small percentage of those who date fellow B-school classmates end up in wedded bliss—there's plenty of dating throughout the program (BusinessWeek.com, 2/13/07). However, because MBA programs are often regarded as professional settings, involve heavy workloads, and usually have far fewer women than men, finding someone to date can be tricky.

So what are your chances of finding love (or a Valentine's Day date) while you're in business school? For the most part, experts say they're pretty good.

Competitive Spirit

When it comes to B-school relationships, many students treat them as another marker of success, similar to finding a good job or acing a project, and this attitude can translate into students acting as competitively as they do in the business world, says Rebecca Plante, an Ithaca College sociologist and author of The Rough Guide to Dating, to be published next year. For most graduate students, including those in B-school, "stakes are fairly high for being successful, and that approach towards one's professional life carries over to the approach that they take towards dating," explains Plante.

Ron Raychaudhuri, a second-year MBA student at the University of Chicago agrees. "I have not seen anything that people in school don't compete over—even when we go go-carting," says Raychaudhuri, who adds that since his program is 35% women, competition is usually worse for guys. Nonetheless, he says, he's managed to have an active dating life.

Indeed, experts like Batia Weisenfeld, an associate professor of management and organizations at New York University's Stern School of Business who also has sociology degree, say the business-school environment helps create a bond among students, which leads to plenty of dating throughout the programs. "Schools realize that one of the assets that we provide is a network, which is still a big part of how business gets done," explains Weisenfeld. "But they create multiple types of social networks, including personal and romantic networks."

The Perils of Coupling

But Weisenfeld, who works closely with students, warns that even when student relationships bloom it can have a negative impact on those around them, especially in business programs where some amount of group work is mandatory. "If you have a relationship that's [going well] and that pair forms a coalition, ironically that can have implications for people who have to work with the couple," says Weisenfeld. She adds that she's seen couples become less group-oriented after pairing off.