Russia and Turkey provide new highlights

The last legs of my big Oct. MBA recruiting trip took me to St. Petersburg then Istanbul then home.  In about 18 hours on the ground in SP I enjoyed a brief walk to the river and a whole new student recruiting model from the AccessMBA organizers.  Candidates are briefed on the programs attending then go on "speed-dates" from table to table with the right schools.  Some brilliant people there are clearly ready for their MBA's in America, and others were just exploring long-term options.  A variety of perspectives came out in the panel I did at lunchtime, on executive MBA's vs. full-time programs, and European vs. American MBA's.  We all agreed that students should sharpen their global thinking by taking a good look at all schools with strengths in resonant areas of interest and geography.

Istanbul was a first for me, and the sun shined brightly on the narrow Bosporus separating Europe and Asia.  Students at the QS World MBA Tour panel there asked what we hope Turkish students bring to each class.   I answered that it was just this crossroads understanding of interacting continents and cultures that is so important for all our students to hear.  Los Angeles is another crossroads, and we appreciate the social facilitation that the Turks always do so naturally.  There is plenty for us all to learn from each other on mixing modernism with tradition, religion with secularism, tolerance with hospitality.  Fortunately there was a big interest in our school there, as our gracious alumni and I spoke for hours with prospectives.  Many were college students planning for the future, which we always encourage, and also some good candidates are in this year's pipeline.  I think I saw one again later as we went out for dinner near Taksim Square, along with tens of thousands of others enjoying the warm evening in a happening city.   

Now after a long journey home I am starting to read Round 1 applications.  It's nice to meet some people again on paper.  Next month comes an even farther road to South Africa and the Mid-East, so stay tuned to this channel --

Craig Hubbell

Comments

[Mirona - MBA Admissions Work Study!]

Hi Craig,
This entry is nicely captured in such a small space - I like this part: "There is plenty for us all to learn from each other on mixing modernism with tradition, religion with secularism, tolerance with hospitality." - this is a great expansion on Anderson Schools ideal of "redefining." In terms of "progressive" business practices the balance between "modernism and tradition" is an important one.