by Jenn Yee, guest blogger

I arrived at business school without a shred of background in economics, statistics, or higher-level mathematics. Kellogg called me a non-traditional student, but most of my pre-business-school friends just said I was flat-out crazy.

With a background almost exclusively in media and education, I went into business school a little naïve about how much would be expected of me academically, socially, and emotionally. It took a little while for me to adjust; I felt uncertain about the strength of my background. Additionally, everyone looked so shiny and happy in the halls “ I wasn’t sure if anyone else was having this experience.

It turns out that quite a few of them were.

Here are some things I learned while attending business school with a non-traditional background, and how to cope. Read more

Historically, business has always been a boys club – picture spiffy suits, cigar clubs, and golf course negotiations. That was back in the day, of course, and recently women have become much greater players (think Indra Nooyi at PepsiCo).  Even so, gender equality – or inequality –  remains a hot-button issue, and some recent press has us taking a second look at women’s status in the business world.

When The Harbus reported recently on the academic gender gap at Harvard Business School, it stated that women were shocked by a marked historical difference between men and women’s academic performance at business school. The article goes on to detail how the women (the article’s authors in particular) combated their surprise by researching the causes of the achievement gap, looking to understand how personal, social, and demographic characteristics affect the academic experience.

After reviewing several possibilities, the researchers found that the most substantiated cause for women’s underperformance at HBS was their feeling of discomfort towards speaking in class.  The women reported feeling less comfortable participating due to their perceived difference in academic and professional backgrounds.  They also found themselves self-editing in class in order to manage their image outside the classroom.

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by Jenn Yee, guest blogger

We hate and love to admit it, but business school is like a weird marriage-making commune.

Relationships bloom here (some in secret, at first). When we were at Kellogg, three couples that met at business school were already engaged by graduation. In the next six months, four more couples followed. It was like love dominoes.

So what’s with this phenomenon?

As one of my [married] friends exclaimed over Indian dinner during our first quarter of classes to our fellow sectionmates, “Business school is your last best chance to find a man.” Around the table, my single friends looked both panicked and enlightened.

Why is business school such good hunting grounds for a husband or wife? MBA Social has some theories: Read more

With the growing popularity of tablet computers, speculation about the integration of this technology into education has begun to grow. The Consumer Electronics Show proclaimed 2011 to be the Year of the Tablet PC, and others have gone on to declare it the Year of the Student Tablet PC. But even while sales are soaring (tablet computer unit sales will see a 1,571% increase between 2010 and 2013, says Businessweek), students and educators are still debating the hardware’s classroom value.

According to a January press release from International Data Corporation, the worldwide tablet market grew by a little over 45% in the third quarter of 2010, with the sales being driven almost exclusively by global demand for the Apple iPad. Indeed, the iPad represented almost 90% of the tablet market at the close of 2010.

Even so, The Chronicle of Higher Education suggests that the iPad is not the best tablet for classroom learning. In a recent article, The Chronicle presented the findings of several universities who had begun implementing tablet use into classes. Testing at the University of Notre Dame demonstrated that the finger-based interface and the glassy surface of the iPad made it difficult to take in-class notes or mark up readings, while Chatham University found that it actually made written course work more difficult. Other stated drawbacks included the lack of textbooks available on the iPad, as well as the flaws with current stylus inputs.

Still, while The Chronicle article toted the educational flaws in the Apple iPad, it also pointed out several benefits. From a pedagogical standpoint, professors at Notre Dame and at Reed College found that articles and required readings were more readily available to students in class via the iPad. Furthermore, students who used iPads were better capable of collaboration, being more in sync with one another and at greater ease to share the content on their screens. Add to that the fact that the iPad is smaller in size than traditional laptops or tablet PCs, with an extended battery life and a competitive price, and the scales seem to be weighing even.

Ultimately, though, the argument, both in The Chronicle and in the educational market as a whole, boils down to one major determining factor: student preference. If the 90% market share offers any indication, that decision has already been handed down. Not to mention, with educational iPad use extending to younger age groups (iPads for kindergarteners), the potential for building brand loyalty is endless.

That’s not to say that competition isn’t out there, but as All Things Digital notes: Apple has delivered its second generation tablet while most of its competitors have yet to ship their first. Whether these competitors can close in on Apple has yet to be seen, but whether they will be able to better serve educational needs will be something to look out for.

There is an ongoing debate in the business world about the perfect age for an MBA candidate.  While the average age for first year business school classes is usually in the 27-28 range, some schools are beginning to trend younger (HBS and Stanford among them), raising questions about the best qualities for an MBA applicant to possess, and whether wisdom can only come with age.

Interestingly enough, recent data from the GMAC shows that GMAT test-takers (a.k.a. MBA prospects) under 24 represent the fastest growing age group. At 13.9%, their annual growth rate is nearly double that of test takers aged 24-30, and it hugely outpaces any older age groups.

Does this mean that younger students make better MBA applicants? Not necessarily, says Eric Caballero, a Manhattan GMAT instructor and Sloan graduate. In business school, he argues, you are graded mainly on participation. If you have little to no actual business experience, you might not have as much to contribute to the discussion as your peers, which could ultimately affect your grades.  In addition, a lack of hands-on experience can also affect the size of your rolodex. B-school reputations begin in the classroom, and the better insight you have, the more people will be interested in networking with you. If you are going to be paying for the rolodex, you want to be sure that you can make the connections.

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Imagine it’s five, ten, twenty years ago…

Congratulations, you just got into college! You are super excited, and your parents are so proud.  The time they spent reading to you, checking your homework, and quizzing you on vocabulary was well worth it, and they are excited to send you off to face your next adventure.  But first, they will leave you with a few parting words of wisdom: Join a club. Don’t drink anything green. Be sure to manage your time well. They’ll send you care packages, and be there for you when you need advice so that, while you may be on your own, you still have someone to turn to.

Now speed ahead five, ten, twenty years…

Congratulations, you just got into business school! You are super excited, and your Manhattan GMAT instructors are so proud. The time they spent drilling you, checking your quant problems, and quizzing you on sentence correction has been well worth it, and they are excited to send you off to face your next adventure.

But, of course, they have their worries. Will you know that you are supposed to pronounce all the letters in ROI? Will you remember your excel shortcuts? Will you be able to work well with your learning teams? What if you have questions about supply chains or microeconomics or how to balance wine and cheese in one hand? Who will you turn to?

Well, GMATers, we have you covered.  Carrie Shuchart and Chris Ryan, two former Manhattan GMAT instructors and successful MBAs, have written you the perfect care package. Case Studies and Cocktails: The Now What? Guide to Business School is both a handbook for the social side of school and an academic primer on the material you’ll have to master.

From the day you receive your first acceptance letter in the mail, Case Studies and Cocktails will prove to be an invaluable guide to the ins and outs of business school.  Whether you are stressed about paying tuition, valuing bonds, repairing a dysfunctional team, or mastering the recruiting process, the solutions are in this comprehensive guide. Filled with the advice of students and staff from over a dozen top business schools, numerous dowloadable calendars and worksheets, and a glossary of need-to-know b-school jargon, Case Studies & Cocktails will provide you with all the tools you need for living and working as a business school student.

For more information, check out the Case Studies & Cocktails website.  Want a sneak peek? Read an excerpt on Poets & Quants or on Fortune.

This article was originally written for and posted on www.casestudiesandcocktails.com by Chris Ryan

Recently, U.S. News & World Report released its 2012 Business School rankings. The energy and commentary surrounding this perennial event is noteworthy. Stanford GSB muscled HBS out of the top spot, while my alma mater Duke Fuqua rose to No. 12.

While many MBA applicants revere the U.S. News & World Report rankings, others stand apart. The Tipping Point author Malcolm Gladwell lambasted the criteria used in the rankings, calling the criteria flimsy proxies for educational quality.

No matter whose ranking you prefer, we encourage you to embrace a comprehensive approach to selecting a business school. No doubt your school’s ranking and prestige will affect the potential for cultivating that golden MBA rolodex. However, your ability to execute on said potential will be determined chiefly by your state of mind, which demands a cultural and academic fit.  So once you’ve narrowed down your choices based upon rank, be sure to consider these other factors:

• Location and Social Life: Do you prefer lively urban campuses or smaller college towns, where almost everyone is an outsider and folks band together?
• Cost: Most business schools cost a pretty penny, but keep in mind that tuition and fees are not the only expenses you will be facing.  Be sure to take into account the cost of living in a particular location before making a decision.
• Teaching Methodologies: Harvard Business School uses the case method entirely, but that may not work for everyone.  Sit-in on courses and determine what teaching methods work best for you.
• Alumni Base: When it comes time to apply for that coveted internship or dream job, you’ll need to utilize all your connections. A large alumni base may offer more opportunities, but smaller groups of former grads are often more loyal and more likely to help an MBA from their Alma Mater.

For more advice on choosing a school and preparing for your MBA, check out our article on Poets & Quants. Need something a little more in depth? Part One of Case Studies & Cocktails is all about making the most of your time before B-school.

Our friends over at MBA Mission were excited to see the new BusinessWeek Rankings come out, although they made sure to point out that rankings aren’t nearly as important as fit when it comes to choosing the best business school for you. Check out the rest of their blog, and find the original posting of their article here: mbamission.com/blog
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Today, we’re debuting a new feature”the MBA news roundup! Aspiring business school students should know what’s going on at their target schools. So we’ll be collecting big stories from around the web on a semi-regular basis to keep you updated.

In this installment:

UVA-Darden is launching a new Global Executive MBA program. Dean Robert F. Bruner promises: This new MBA format will deliver the Darden Experience for which we are so well-known but in an international format. The program will enhance the skills of high-potential executives who need to be ready on day one to do business in any market around the globe. More info is available here and here.

Bloomberg Businessweek reports Dipak Jain”formerly the long-time dean of Kellogg”will take over in March at INSEAD.

Nitin Nohria, the incoming dean at Harvard Business School, recently spoke to the Boston Globe about his ambitious goals for his tenure. Just to start with, he expects more from the school than just bouquets and butterflies.”

Also at HBS: The alumni bulletin has an interesting update on the school’s new executive MBA program for health care administrators. It’s designed to develop the strategy, leadership, finance, and operations skills that senior health-care professionals need to transform care delivery in their organizations.

Stanford is launching a new 20-week Program in Innovation and Entrepreneurship, aimed at engineers, inventors and others working in Silicon Valley.

For the aspiring entrepreneurs out there, Ross has released a fascinating study about how Twitter can help upstarts compete with bigger firms.

And finally, the Economist has released its MBA rankings. See a breakdown here.

Did we miss anything major? Let us know in the comments!

People often associate business school degrees with a handful of traditional fields, such as consulting. But according to this piece at Page Six Magazine, the growing fashionista crowd at Harvard Business School is demonstrating you don’t have to be Michael Bloomberg to go for an MBA.

Take Olga Vidisheva, a 25-year-old model and current MBA candidate. She attended Wellesley, did two years at Goldman Sachs, and then decided finance wasn’t for her. She applied to HBS, specifically aiming to change careers to fashion. Her plan seems to be paying off, as evidenced by her summer spent interning with Chanel’s marketing department. And she’s not alone. We’ve already covered HBS alums Alexandra Wilkis Wilson and Alexis Maybank, who founded Gilt Groupe. Other startups have followed, including FashionStake, a site that allows you to invest in newbie designers; Birchbox, which sends monthly beauty samples to members; and Rent the Runway, which rents designer dresses.

Ultimately, only 3 percent of Harvard grads go on to retail careers, as opposed to 57 percent working in finance or consulting. But sartorially-inclined students report the program is becoming the place for fashion”and they ought to know what’s in vogue!