Black MBA - Winter 2007/2008 - (Page 47) CAMPUS ENVIRONMENT MATTERS Nationwide, graduate business school students say that one of the key goals in making the choice of where to attend school is finding one that offers a welcoming environment and a good fit for one’s culture and career goals. Atlanta, Ga., native Brian Jones was working in the fast-paced world of finance in New York when he decided to apply to New York University’s Stern Graduate School of Business. “In my visits and in correspondence, I felt that the administrators and the faculty wanted me to be there as much as I wanted to be there,” Jones said. Stern stands at No.10 in the U.S. News and World Report’s ranking and is No. 3 when it comes to diversity, with a minority student enrollment of 24.4 percent. Graduate school recruiters and administrators at the top schools say they don’t admit students on the basis of race, but race is definitely a factor that is weighed in the total profile for prospective candidates. “Today’s business world is diverse,” said Isser Gallogly, admissions director at Stern. “We want to make sure people become strong leaders. You have to get the different points of view to bring to the table. We don’t just do lip service; we put effort toward it.” About 2,700 students are enrolled in the Stern School of Business, 24.4 percent of these minorities. Blacks account for 5.5 percent of the school’s enrollment – about 148 in all. Stern, like many predominantly white business schools, designates specific days when potential candidates from among minority populations can visit and experience the school. Though Jones missed out on these days, called the “Discover Stern” weekend, he was able to get involved in the application process and visit Stern with the help of a friend and mentor. “Every school tries to showcase its diversity,” he said. “What sets Stern apart from others is that we [Black students] all know each other and our interaction with other class members is transparent.” During his first year at Stern, Jones became active in its Association of Hispanic and Black Business Students (AHBBS), which helps with recruitment efforts while also taking on community projects and organizing professional and social events. Like many other AHBBS members, Jones soon became active in other campus leadership organizations as well. “We’re very much a part of the minority community and we are very much a part of our class and the school,” he said. When students have a positive experience in a business school, they are more likely to have a positive impact on recruitment, said Nicole Lindsay, director of career and MBA preparation for Management Leadership for Tomorrow, an organization that assists underrepresented minorities in preparing for graduate school, starting in their undergraduate years. Of the organization’s 450 alumni, about 90 percent gain admission into graduate business schools, Lindsay said. Prospective graduate students benefit from the organization’s ability to bring together business school leaders, corporate leaders and students on a variety of levels. “Our fellows take the graduate school application process seriously,” she said, and they work hard to qualify. “Last year, they had an average GPA of 3.2, and the average GMAT score was 638.” Stern’s Gallogly says Management Leadership for Tomorrow is one of two programs that Stern relies on to help build its diversity. The business school also participates in the Consortium for Graduate Study in Management. An organized effort involving both internal and external resources is necessary to continue to attract a diverse group of students, Gallogly noted. “There is a section on our Web site devoted to diversity, and we have two people out of a staff of 12 who work on diversity,” he said. “We look at each individual on the merits – it’s hard to break it into groups. We consider test scores, undergraduate majors, career goals, personal skills and “We want to make sure people become strong leaders. You have to get the different points of view to bring to the table. We don’t just do lip service; we put effort toward it.” BlackMBA • Winter 2007/2008 47
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