Uris Hall is seen at Columbia University during the outbreak of coronavirus disease in Manhattan, New York, US. [Reuters]
Business
With the coronavirus still spreading, social gatherings like the sailing trip organised by students are
on hold
This summer, dozens of incoming students at New York’s Columbia Business
School had planned to sail around the coast of Croatia for a week to
get to know each other. Instead, they are chatting online and playing
icebreaker games on Zoom.
With the coronavirus still spreading, social gatherings like the sailing
trip organised by students are on hold, and there is a good chance that
when school starts in September, many classes and events will be held
online.
Columbia and other elite US business schools like Harvard Business
School and the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania have
said they will likely move to a “hybrid” model of virtual and in-person
learning.
It is a far cry from the typical MBA experience which features close
contact with fellow students, in-person networking events, trips
overseas and lunch sessions with CEOs.
The changes have some students reconsidering the value of a degree that
can cost upwards of $100,000 (Sh10 million) a year in tuition, housing
and other fees.
International students, who make up roughly 35 per cent of the student
body at most elite US business schools, are particularly unsure about
the decision.
“The virtual environment might take away a chunk of the MBA experience,”
said a 27-year-old student from China who was admitted to Wharton and
is considering whether to defer for a year.
“That’s what a lot of people including myself are thinking through now,”
said the student, who declined to be identified because of concerns
about his visa status and employment prospects.
Education upended
The United States has been hard hit by the coronavirus outbreak, with
more than 1.7 million cases and over 100,000 deaths. Higher education
has been upended with most schools sending students home in the spring
and moving classes online.
The US hosts over a million international students at its higher
education institutions, according to the State Department data.
International candidates account for 36 per cent of people who enroll in
full-time US MBA programmes, according to Graduate Management Admission
Council, an association of business schools.
If institutions do not resume in-person learning, enrollment,
particularly among international students, is likely to take a hit,
according to a GMAC survey.
Only 43 per cent of the international MBA candidates surveyed said they
planned to enroll if programmes begin online. Forty-eight per cent of
them indicated they would defer in that scenario.
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