The Millennials Invade the B-Schools

(page 4 of 4)

Browse Issues

Browse the BusinessWeek Archive

Related Items

• Interactive Table: Return On Investment

At No. 1 Chicago, multitasking Millen­nials are making their presence felt at the B-school Michael L. Abramson

At Harvard, social enterprise has become the most popular club on campus Porter Gifford

At Wharton, students have the option of majoring in sustainability Jennifer S. Altman

Story Tools

• post a comment
• e-mail this story
• print this story
• order a reprint
• suggest a story
• digg this
• save to del.icio.us

Of course, all these innovations and changes don't make a difference if you can't get Millennials to apply to your school. So admissions officers are shaking things up. Such schools as Stanford University's Graduate School of Business have created Facebook pages for prospective students, where they can ask questions, learn about the programs, and meet other prospective students. Other schools are regularly hosting online chats, recording podcasts, and instant-messaging potential applicants. Derrick Bolton, Stanford's assistant dean and director of admissions, says such outreach gives B-schools direct contact with Millennials on the kids' own turf. "It's important that they know you value what they value," says Bolton.

At Indiana University's Kelley School of Business (No. 15), the marketing weapon of choice to reach Millennials is the current class. Once an individual is accepted, students with similar work histories and geographic backgrounds are asked to contact the accepted student to answer any questions they may have. Dean Daniel C. Smith sees it as a way to give a big state school a small-school feel. "It's a more comfortable situation," Smith says. "They like things more personal and tailored toward them." The tailoring actually starts long before students are accepted. Events for prospective Kelley students in the New York City area are no longer held at the Four Seasons, a place that held a certain appeal for the last generation of B-school students. Now they take place at venues such as Studio 8H in Rockefeller Center, home of Saturday Night Live, or Dylan's Candy Bar on the Upper East Side. Says Jonlee Andrews, director of the Center for Brand Leadership at Kelley: "The Four Seasons is a lovely setting, but it's a bit stuffy for today's twentysomethings."

Helicopter Parents

One of the most surprising challenges for admissions departments has been the rise in parental involvement. Previously, B-schools may have seen parents on campus to visit their children once or twice over the span of a two-year MBA. But now they are involved every step of the way. Parents are going on campus visits, attending orientation events, even asking to sit in on admissions interviews. "This is new for us," says Richard P. Honack, senior lecturer in marketing at Northwestern. "We gently tell them, It's a one-on-one interview, but we have coffee and doughnuts for you while you wait.'" At the Family Weekend hosted by Duke's Fuqua School (No. 8), 90% of the participants are parents of the students. Over the span of three days, they can meet with the dean, take a campus tour, and enjoy Fuqua's weekly happy hour. One explanation for the increased parental presence may be monetary, as some schools are reporting that parents are paying for some or all of their child's MBA tuition. "It's their investment," Hori says, "not their child's."

As Millennials come to dominate the world's MBA programs, they will leave an indelible stamp. It's far too early to tell what their impact will be, but one thing's for sure. Dad may be paying for it, but it's not your father's MBA.

Back to Best Business Schools Table of Contents

Gloeckler is a staff editor for BusinessWeek in New York.