The Chosen

All this talk about submitting applications inevitably gets one thinking about results…

Last week’s edition of the New Yorker had an article by Malcom Gladwell about the history of the admissions process at the leading Ivy League schools in America. The article, which is essentially a book review of “The Chosen” by Jerome Karabel, primarily focuses on the efforts that Harvard, Yale and Princeton have put forth over the years to protect their status as luxury brands in the world of higher education. Classic debates over race, religion, raw intelligence, charisma and athleticism are all brought out into the open in this stunning piece. While the article hones in on the undergraduate admissions process, much of it is relevant to the rules of MBA admissions. The article is also somewhat related to the current debate in the BW Forums about the pros and cons of being smart.

For those of you who fear that the Ivy League programs may not open their doors for your candidacy, Ronald Alsop has just penned a piece for the Wall Street Journal’s ‘Career Journal’ site in which he highlights the efforts of the top European MBA programs to attract American students. While schools like INSEAD and IMD aren’t simply looking for Americans “with wanderlust,” they are still spending serious dollars on recruiting in the US market.

Finally, as follow up to yesterday’s Wharton news, it looks as though the admissions committee is hoping to have the recommendations module back up and running as soon as today. Stay tuned to their admissions blog for details.