The Anti-MBA Business School: Johns Hopkins

THE CHARTER CLASS HAS AN AVERAGE GMAT OF 660 AND AN AVERAGE GPA OF 3.2

The first class of 88 students, divided into two cohorts, was culled from some 300 applicants. A quarter of the students were given partial scholarships by Carey, and five of them are on full scholarships. Nearly five percent of the class is without full-time work experience, coming direct from their undergraduate schools. The charter group has an average GMAT score of 660, and an undergraduate grade point average of 3.2, stats that put the students in a competitive arena with such business schools as the University of Maryland (average GMAT of 658), Vanderbilt University (653), and Penn State (652). “I think there may be brighter students at other schools, but the attitude and motivations here are much better,” says assistant professor Chester Chambers, who has an MBA from the University of Virginia’s Darden School, a Ph.D. from Duke University and who had taught at Southern Methodist University. “There’s far more of a service and global component to the students.” The average age of the incoming student is 26, with 36% of the class female. The school hopes to double the incoming class to about 160 students as soon as the application pool and the quality of applicants allows.

If they do travel the less-worn MBA path away from consulting and investment banking as many here expect, many of the students are likely to seek jobs in social entrepreneurship, NGOs, health care services, pharmaceuticals, technology, environmental services, and alternative energy, predicts Phil Phan, vice dean for the school.

What does success look like? Not surprisingly, perhaps, Gupta defines success somewhat differently than many business schools. “I’m not going to tell you it’s about compensation for our students. To me, success is not quantifiable in the short run. I want our students to be able to go into organizations and to be able to exercise a new kind of management style,” he says firmly, “a style that cares deeply about people and community. Our objective is to become the model of what a future management school should look like.”