What a year!
Last January, deans and employers alike were asking the same question: Is the full-time MBA dying? After all, applications had been down, thanks to a turbo-charged economy and a wave of new graduate degree options. Come summer, applications surged as prospective students sought shelter from a pandemic that wreaked havoc on retail, real estate, and recreation.
It was surreal year, as professionals ditched their downtowns to huddle behind their laptops. Recognizing the risk – and sizing up an opportunity – business schools did the unthinkable. Some waived GMAT and GRE requirements. Others opened up to LSATs and MCATs. Many extended deadlines or offered deferrals. Northwestern University’s Kellogg School added 85 students to their usual class size; Harvard Business School shrunk by nearly 200 students. As always, a few brave institutions stepped forward to boost scholarships or hold the line on tuition.
A Harvard Business School classroom Pre- and Post-COVID
A YEAR NO ONE WILL FORGET
What was the biggest change? Online learning became a powerful tool available to all. A year ago, the virtual platform was relegated to online MBA programs or MOOCs. Come March, business schools scurried to get their full-time MBAs online. A decade ago, business schools were plotting out $200 million dollar buildings that were rendered empty by the pandemic. As COVID spread, administrators were forced to rethink their priorities and allocations top-to-bottom.
In 2020, responsiveness and functionality became the differentiators.
It wasn’t always an easy transition for students, either. Online or hybrid – or even separated by plexiglass dividers – MBAs warily navigated a new normal, ever conscious of the shifting rules of engagement. Many worked overtime to forge bonds, supporting those who were separated by time zones or struggling to adapt. There was dissension, no doubt, as some students questioned the value of paying full tuition for an online experiment. A few times, groups took risks that inevitably boomeranged back on their classmates. In the end, MBA learned about disruption by experiencing its impact first-hand. That gives these classes a decided advantage. Come graduation, they’ll bring those rare tools – grit, empathy, and ingenuity – to proactively tackle the big problems and make an impact.
When 2020 began, COVID was just another virus plaguing a province across the world. A STEM designation was an innovation. Now, it is a prerequisite. Before George Floyd’s passing, social justice was an area where MBAs dabbled. Now, it is a business building block – a mission to pursue greater diversity and equity. In 2020, analytics and sustainability continued to gain traction, as data-driven models and long-term considerations increasingly guided decision-making. It was a year of contrasts: higher MBA pay undercut by lower placement and cancelled excursions smoothed by greater alumni engagement. In 2020, everyone worked harder and lived in the moment. Here, MBAs learned the most profound of lessons: nothing – health, loved ones, opportunities – can ever be taken for granted.
What happened in 2020 at your target schools? From Arizona State to Yale, here is a school-by-school breakdown of the biggest stories at the top MBA programs.
10 Business Schools To Watch In 2020
100 Best & Brightest MBAs From The Class of 2020
MBAs To Watch In The Class of 2020
Meet The Most MBA Disruptive Startups Of 2020
Meet McKinsey’s MBA Class of 2019
Biggest Myths About Your Favorite Business Schools
Best MBA Traditions At Top Business Schools
2020 First Generation MBAs: The Bold, Brilliant, and Big-Hearted
Who Wants To Be An MBA Billionaire? Here’s The Schools With The Most Super-Rich Alums
All The New Professors At The Top 25 U.S. Business Schools
Meet The Top European MiM Programs
All The STEM Programs At Major U.S. Business Schools
Best 40 Under 40 Professors
Meet The MiM Entrepreneurs Of 2020
2020 Ultimate Guide To Business Masters Programs In The U.S.
Meet Arizona State’s MBA Class Of 2022
ASU W. P. Carey School Launches Fast Track MBA
Babson Entrepreneurship Hub Launches $300M Campaign
Lecturer Robert Strand, executive director of the Center for Responsible Business, demonstrates one of the four new Berkeley Haas virtual classrooms. UC-Berkeley photo
Meet The Berkeley Haas MBA Class Of 2022
The Future Of the MBA Is Happening Right Now At UC Berkeley
UC Berkeley Haas MBA Programs Are All STEM-Designated
Berkeley Haas Launches Deferred Admission Program
For This Young Couple, A Haas MBA Is A Two-Year Honeymoon
Haas Plans To Open This Fall With Hybrid Formats
Haas MBAs Startups Looks To Shake Up Credit Card System
Despite COVID, The Incoming MBA Class At Berkeley Haas Has Already Bonded
At Berkeley Haas, The Hard Work To Balance B-School Cases Is Underway
At 20, He’s The Youngest MBA Ever At Berkeley Haas
Applications Are Up At UC-Berkeley Haas, But Acceptance Rate Jumps, Too
UC-Berkeley Haas Launches Black Venture Program
Berkeley Haas Dean: We’ve Doubled Scholarships, Made The School More Inclusive
‘It Was A Tough Year’: Berkeley Haas Releases 2020 MBA Jobs Report
UC-Berkeley Haas Wants To Be The Top B-School For Sustainability
Cambridge Judge Will Welcome Students To Campus After All
Entrance to the Tepper School
Meet Carnegie Mellon Tepper’s MBA Class Of 2022
What Carnegie Mellon Tepper Is Looking For
Tepper’s Back To The Future Move Toward Management Science
Tepper Class Of 2019 MBAs Urgently Call For Retroactive STEM
Carnegie Mellon Finds A New Dean In Canada: Isabelle Bajeux-Besnainou
Amazon’s ‘Bulge Bracket’ Based On Tepper MBA’s Experience
The Tepper Take: My Long Path to Business School
Another Top-25 B-School Won’t Require The GMAT This Cycle
The Tepper Take: Community Makes All The Difference
2020 MBA Jobs Report: Tech Takes 2nd At Tepper As Consulting Surges
Looking for your favorite schools? You’ll find news collections on the following pages:
Page 2: C-G (CEIBS-Georgia Tech)
Page 3: H-I (Harvard Business School – Ivey)
Page 4: L-N (London Business School – New York University)
Page 5: O-W (Oxford-Washington University)
Page 6: W-Y (Wharton-Yale + Centre Court Admissions Director Interviews and Master’s Degree Guides)
Booth faculty member heading to class
Meet The CEIBS MBA Class Of 2021
Coronavirus Tangles Plans At China’s Premier B-School
Meet Chicago Booth’s MBA Class Of 2022
Kellogg vs. Booth: The Ultimate Smackdown
Nonprofit-Bound? This Elite B-School May Pay Your Tuition
Insider Tips For The Chicago Booth Application
Huge Leap In MBA Applications & Class Size At Chicago Booth
Booth Report Offers A Window On The 2020 MBA Jobs Landscape
Party Pushes Chicago Booth To Remote Learning
Consulting Widens Gap In Chicago Booth’s Final 2020 MBA Jobs Report
How To Tackle Chicago Booth’s New Essay Question
Columbia Business School classroom
Columbia Is Latest M7 School To Embrace STEM
Columbia Business School Sets 2020-2021 Application Deadlines
How To Get Into Columbia Business School
Personal MBA Coach Interview With Columbia Business School Associate Director Of Admissions, Nicole Shay
Columbia Sets New MBA Application Record: Nearly 7,000
Columbia To Expand J-Term For MBAs By 20%
Columbia MBAs See Drop In 2020 Compensation
Meet Cornell Johnson’s MBA Class Of 2022
For Cornell MBAs, A Boom In Finance, Consulting Jobs
The Cornell Connection: Finding Your Own Campfire — Why I Chose Cornell Johnson
The Cornell Connection: Why I’m Thankful To Get An MBA During The Pandemic
Tuck Campus
Meet Dartmouth Tuck’s MBA Class Of 2022
Tuck Resume Tips From The Experts
Dartmouth Tuck To Add STEM Track To MBA Program
Dartmouth Tuck Plans To Open As Scheduled In The Fall
Tuck Got Hundreds Of New MBA Applicants In Its New R4 Deadline
Dartmouth Tuck Stands On The Precipice of Gender Parity
Virus Can’t Slow Rise Of Dartmouth Tuck MBA Salaries
Duke Adds Two New Online Business Analytics Degrees
Why This Dean Is Optimistic About An On-Campus Start In The Fall
Another Top School Joins The 2020 Reversal-Of-Fortune Party: Apps Climb At Duke
How To Tackle Duke’s 25 Random Things Q + Example Essay
Tech Bounces Back In New Duke MBA Jobs Report
Emory Goizueta Exterior View
Meet Emory Goizueta’s MBA Class Of 2022
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