B-School Buzz: Lack of Loans and Recruiting Really Blows; Start Your Own Biz Already; Stern Says We Love TV Ads
Stacy Blackman's Weekly Roundup of B-School Intelligence
Where'd the money go? Int'l students in a frenzy over lack of loans -- Ever since CitiAssist and Sallie Mae dumped their no-cosigner loan programs for foreign students last fall, b-school applicants abroad have been freaking out over how to pay for their U.S. education. Many of the top schools --Wharton, Harvard, Cornell's Johnson School -- used these two loan programs and are now scrambling to help incoming students fund their studies come autumn.
Fewer open doors for graduates as recruiting plunges -- Career offices at business schools across the country can't recall a more dismal recruiting season, with prospects worse than initially predicted as recently as October, Wall Street Journal reports. Internship and job postings have dwindled so much that students have been forced to get creative with their job searches...or start businesses with their classmates in the same boat.
But wait...Some companies still want MBAs! -- Two days prior to the above WSJ piece, another article makes the case for executive education. Rochelle Weichman, executive director of MIT Sloan Executive Education, spoke to WSJ about how b-school programs have adapted to the crisis to become more relevant than ever.
Don't wait for the recruiters--start your own company already, Indian b-schools advise -- Mumbai-based SP Jain Institute of Management and Research (SPJIMR) plans to promote entrepreneurship among its students by providing them with initial capital and becoming partners in the ventures. The Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore, (IIM-B), meanwhile, is banking on its deferred placement policy by encouraging students to float their own venture. If it fails, they can come back to the campus for placement after two years. (Business Standard-India)
Commercials make you love TV more, says NYU Stern study -- It defies all logic, but apparently researchers from Stern School of Business have discovered that people find their TV shows more interesting when they're interrupted by advertisements. Viewers may say they hate commercials, but apparently they rated the overall watching experience higher when ads were included. Go figure!