The Twittering B-School Profs

Incubators Help Business School Students Become Entrepreneurs

 

“You got your chocolate in my peanut butter!”

“No, you got peanut butter on my chocolate.”

“Delicious!”

Chocolate and peanut butter may be “two great tastes that taste together,” but business school grads and entrepreneurs show little love for each other. The two camps have been sniping at each other for years. And their animosity only seems to be growing. But what if there was a way to take the best of both worlds? What if you could mix the two to create something even better?

It’s happening now and it’s called an incubator. Charlie Baecker, who operates the Don Beall Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at The University of California at Irvine, likens incubators to “learning to ride a bike with training wheels.” Here, MBA candidates can build a business with the help of professors, alumni, and fellow students, along with university assets like space and equipment.

According to US News and World Report, there are roughly 80 incubators being sponsored by academic institutions, including the University of Virginia, Wake Forest University, and the University of Missouri. However, there are differences between the various incubators. For example, The University of Missouri focuses heavily on developing technology products with the potential to generate $20 million annually. Conversely, the University of California at Irvine’s incubation program accepts all models and markets.

Generally, students participate in incubators during their second year, though some schools allow students to stay after graduation to build their businesses. What’s more, incubators teach students lessons in a lower risk environment. For example, Baecker’s program emphasizes that entrepreneurship is a “team sport,” noting that working alone is “…probably the best way to ensure that you will fail.” Similarly, The University of Missouri focuses on getting students from different backgrounds, such as marketing, technical, and financing, to work together. However, all incubators expose students to a harsh reality. In the words of Jake Halliday, President and CEO of the Missouri Innovation Center, “New ventures consume every minute and every ounce of energy.” And that may be the biggest lesson of all.

Source: US News and World Report

How to Get Hired By Microsoft…From a Microsoft Recruiter

 

So where do most MBA students want to intern next summer? If Apple, Microsoft, McKinsey, or Amazon came to mind, you’d be correct. But here’s the real question: How do you get those companies to notice and hire you?

Well, we have some answers, courtesy of Erwin Chan, an MBA Staffing Consultant in University Recruiting for Microsoft. In 2007, Chan was a Fuqua graduate just starting out at Microsoft. Today, he spends each fall meeting with students who were once like him. So what advice does Chan have for students who want to work for Microsoft?

First, Chan encourages students to develop a clear career path. He also emphasizes that students must do their research to get Microsoft’s attention. In his view, the recruiting cycle is two years long and begins when you set foot on campus. In other words, Microsoft is evaluating your growth…and whether you’re moving in a direction that has a career at Microsoft in mind. Finally, Chan notes that first years shouldn’t just focus on an internship at Microsoft, adding that work at other technology firms can open doors at Microsoft too (as can reaching out to alumni with Microsoft connections).

Source: Business Because

(Editor’s Note: For more insights, check out Confessions of an MBA Recruiter)

Blast from the Past:

 

Business Schools with the Best MBA Teaching Faculty

You have so many variables to weigh when choosing an MBA program. What are the schools’ fields of expertise? How high are they ranked? Where are they located? What is the average starting salary for their graduates? Sadly, there is one area that prospective students often overlook. And it goes to the heart of education itself: What is the quality of the teaching?

Believe it or not, a business school’s ranking isn’t predicated on its teaching. Since 1988, Bloomberg Businessweek has measured teaching quality through its student satisfaction surveys. Would you believe that Wharton has never been ranked in the top twentieth percentile? Columbia? Just once. Fuqua? They’ve only reached it twice in 25 years (You can bet Mike Krzyzewski would be out of work with that track record).

In fact, only one school has been ranked in the top twentieth percentile every year since Bloomberg Businessweek started keeping tabs. Who is it, you ask? Survey says: The Darden School at The University of Virginia.

So what is Darden’s secret? Last year, John Byrne, Editor-in-Chief of Poets and Quants, asked that same question. And he came away with a few surprising answers. Check out his article below to see why Darden has been so good for so long (and where your school’s teaching stacks up against everyone else)”

Source: Poets&Quants