In attempts to get more "liberal-arts students," Harvard Business School has come up with a groundbreaking (in the sense that several other schools do it) program called 2+2. You can lock in a place at Harvard Business School as early as your junior year of college but you have to work for two years after school. Google is one of the 30 companies on board to help HBS attract a more diverse student body.
Translation - HBS needs more women. Figuring that its pitch to girls is already something along the lines of "You will find a husband, and we will accept you if you apply," HBS is actually attempting some subtlety. The caveat of getting in is always, "All you have to do is facilitate our well-connected, severely under-sexed male student body, and settle on one big winner after two years." The school figures those girls aren't going to work after HBS (marriage) anyway, so they might as well get a couple years in before the great B-school hubbie hunt.
As hard as HBS students are trying to get laid, Wharton students remain proudly repressed (closeted):
Some business schools see little value in aggressively marketing the M.B.A. to undergrads. "We don't necessarily support the idea of a two-year deferred admission," says Thomas Caleel, director of M.B.A. admissions and financial aid at The Wharton School at The University of Pennsylvania.
Harvard Aims to Widen M.B.A. Pool [Wall Street Journal]
Posted by CBS , Sep 13, 2007 12:21PM
Seems HBS felt threatened by Columbia having over 50% women MBA students. Oh well, they'll still turn out great management consultants, motivational speakers, and tour bus drivers.
Posted by , Sep 13, 2007 12:37PM
HBS students who graduated after 1990's suck! I can't believe such incompetent idiots get admitted to HBS. As a high school kid when I used to think HBS grads were the greatest people ever, but after working at Wall Street for 4 years, I realize they are mere mortals (just as bad as Stern MBA's)
Posted by jim young , Sep 13, 2007 12:45PM
everyone knows you aren't supposed to pitch the bitch.
Posted by anon , Sep 13, 2007 12:58PM
most mba's i've worked with are quite lacking in the most basic skills ... though they do get an A+ in arrogance!
Posted by Dykeenie , Sep 13, 2007 1:08PM
The previous iteration of this program was investment banking analyst
Posted by Some guy , Sep 13, 2007 1:22PM
HBS...whatever...people that can handle math choose MIT or the one and only Chicago GSB. Plus over there, you don't have to hear some waspy guy brag about his skull and bones loafers.
Posted by true true , Sep 13, 2007 1:30PM
true dat, some guy. but i'd take a Sloan or GSB phd student (who can speak english - important filter) over an mba student. some of their mba students are still a bit light on ability.
Posted by Ivy , Sep 13, 2007 1:37PM
Some women do go to business school for a quality education and not to find an under sexed male husband. We are talented, deserve to be there and have just as much or more quality experience than the male counter parts. As for the males who find this humorous, you will never get the respect you think you deserve in the business world until you get past such juvenile views. As to Jim- you are the bitch. (BTW - I have seen the movie- still not funny and obviously not an original comment)
Posted by , Sep 13, 2007 1:43PM
Ivy,will you marry me?
Posted by , Sep 13, 2007 1:47PM
Ivy, you must be a pretty hot MBA student to have had "more quality" experience than your male "counter parts" ...
Posted by , Sep 13, 2007 2:02PM
I picture Ivy to have short hair, arms bigger than hulk hogan and thick glasses! How much do you weigh? 250 Lbs?
Posted by , Sep 13, 2007 2:06PM
Anonymous 2:02, fat chicks don't go to HBS. Even if they somehow slip through the cracks and go to HBS, they certainly don't get finance internships.
Posted by goblin , Sep 13, 2007 2:16PM
if they like to eat sausage they do
Posted by Zippo , Sep 13, 2007 2:59PM
Ivy,
some are like you, and some are not....just like the real world
Same goes for guys.....Some want to work hard and make a difference others, want to raid the analyst pool and not come back from lunch..
Posted by guest , Jul 07, 2008 1:34PM
You know what? I applied to HBS 2+2, and I am a woman. I don't want to get married, actually. Ever. Especially not to some silver spoon jackass at HBS. I do, however, want the benefit of a great education, since I'm someone who can actually appreciate the privilege of attaining such an education. I already go to an Ivy right now for undergrad, and guess what, I've done pretty damn well for myself. I think it's good if Harvard is actively recruiting young, smart women like myself for this program. 36% women at Harvard Business School is simply a tragedy that needs to be changed.
Posted by guest , Jul 27, 2008 12:22AM
Whoa. This is the most sexist thing I've read in a long time. But, then again, most of these comments seem to be from people who weren't good enough to get into Harvard anyway, and are just looking for an excuse.
Thanks Ivy and the 2+2 applicant for helping to set the record straight. There are a ton of brilliant ambitious girls out there who will benefit from getting to do an MBA earlier, because they will have longer to break through the glass ceiling... and well, some of them still do want to have kids (which I shouldn't feel like women should have to excuse themselves for, because men should take on an equivalent part of that endeavor... but they don't do the whole childbirth and breastfeeding bit quite as well) and it helps to have a solid position in the corporate world before you take a bit of time off. I only plan to take a month like my mother did and the rest flex time with work.
But, those couple of years of a head start make a difference for women because of maternity and the glass ceiling to break through. I think it's important to remember that.
Posted by guest , Sep 18, 2008 3:30PM
The unfortunate circumstance is that it dilutes the brand. The bar is much lower for women to get into HBS. I’d say it works out to a woman with an HBS MBA being about equal to her male counterpart from Columbia or Kellogg.