Big Business For Women Studying MBAs

In the traditionally male-dominated world of business education, women are creating a major change as around 10% more females opt to study an MBA compared to ten years ago. This new appetite for business is exciting news for industries and economies around the world as these ladies are potentially the new female leaders of our future.

In America, the Harvard Business School Class of 2016 is made up of 41% women and Stanford Graduate School of Business reported enrolment of 42% women — a record for the institution. The University of North Carolina’s Bryan School of Business and Economics also confirmed a 66% increase of female students in its 2014-15 class. These figures prove the success of business schools putting extra efforts into bringing more women on board.

Events held at the schools are a key way of networking and showing new students what promising careers an MBA can bring. Professor Lei Lei, Dean of Rutgers Business School in New Jersey, recently explained how more and more major corporations are becoming increasingly interested in recruiting future potential female leaders.

Talking about events where female students can gain mentoring and advice from top female executives, she said: ‘They help students to build a strong belief in themselves, about their future, and their success in their careers because they see the role models come to the classroom to talk to them.’

Students also shouldn’t overlook the opportunities their fellow classmates can provide either, for example, the American University or Sharjah is not only located in the UAE, which is guaranteed to be a key location for business in the future, with a burgeoning economy, it looks set for development in a major way. It also boasts a culturally diverse student body. The contacts you make during your MBA could help you secure a job post graduation anywhere in the world.

Those considering studying an MBA need to apply themselves fully from the application stage to graduating and beyond. Confidence is a key factor and you need to be able to demonstrate it at all of these stages. Admissions officers need to have no doubts about potential students raising their hand in class and challenging the status quo or defending a point of view.

Depending on your undergraduate degree you may also need a good GMAT score and extra classes in finance, statistics and/or calculus will help you stand out against the burgeoning number of applicants. Those who are worried about financial requirements should also get in touch with schools about scholarships, loans or internship options.

It’s a promising time for women who are looking to make it big in business. Take a look at the options today and you might find yourself rubbing shoulders with the big shots in a few years from now.