Welcome to F1GMAT’s #askAtulJose. I am Atul Jose. Most of you might wonder how Stanford MBA has slowly pulled ahead of Harvard, Wharton and other top programs? The carefully curated learning experiences is a big part of building the skills of the incoming class. The International learning experience is an integral part of the differentiation.
Q) Can you offer a brief overview of the International Learning experiences at Stanford MBA?
Stanford MBA program offers international exposure through four initiatives: Global Management Immersion Experience (GMIX), Global Study Trips, Social Innovation Study Trips, and Stanford-Tsinghua Exchange Program.
The program also supports a self-directed internship opportunity either in your Business or through a partnership outside the school network.
Four Weeks of the summer is scheduled for International experiences.
The opportunities are sponsored either by the companies or coordinated through non-profits around the world. For students interested in Doing Business in China, the exchange program with Tsinghua University School of Economics and Management is an opportunity worth pursuing.
Global Management Immersion Experience (GMIX)
Before hands-on learning became common vocabulary in MBA programs, Stanford GSB Graduate School of Business realized the importance of taking MBA students out of their comfort zones to regions outside the United States. After the program began in 1997 with the project in China, GMIX (the 4-week International immersion program) has offered students the opportunity to work in 50 countries. The industries are as diverse as Energy, International Development, Finance, Healthcare, Consumer Products, Media and Entertainment, Technology, and Telecommunications. The problems are even more diverse, affecting government, non-profits, and corporates.
Stanford-Tsinghua Exchange Program (STEP)
Those who are interested in learning about doing business in China, the Stanford-Tsinghua Exchange program is ideal where students from Tsinghua University visit the Stanford campus, and the GSB MBA students visit China for the weeklong course. As a requirement for the exchange program, students must attend lectures for the China visit. Upon return, MBAs are required to create reports on the companies they visited, and the projects they worked. Students should attend the lecture in Tsinghua and partner with one or more local students to create a comprehensive joint report on the working project.
Global Study Trip
The Global Study Trips are 10-day trips that will cost the students somewhere between $1500 and $4000, and all Stanford MBA Students are required to participate in at least one global tour (GMIX, Global Study Trip, or Social Innovation Study Trips). Global Study trips have a smaller class size (22 students), compared to Social Innovation trips. Similar to GMIX, study trips cater to solving problems, mostly in the corporate sector.
The Global Study trips included countries as diverse as Brazil, China, Ecuador, Iceland, Sweden, India, Israel, Kenya, Rwanda, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Singapore, Thailand, South Africa, and South Korea. By working with professionals from different cultures, Stanford MBA students will learn the art of communicating and teamwork in a multicultural environment with varying motivations and values.
Social Innovation Study Trips
Similar to Study tours, the Social Innovation Study Trips is a 10-day trip planned to solve a specific social or environmental issue, mostly in education, healthcare, climate change, or economic development in emerging or underdeveloped countries. The class of 30 students, partner with social entrepreneurs, philanthropists, community leaders, government, and non-profit organizations to develop processes and systems to solve complex local issues. The exposure will equip Stanford MBAs with functional knowledge in a wide range of industries. A Stanford MBA faculty will accompany your journey and support the learning goals for the short trip.
The Social Innovation Study trips are opportunities for aspiring Social Entrepreneurs to apply new ideas on real projects, and see the impact through a post-project review, either offshore or by revisiting the location. The Center for Social Innovation offers financial support for implementing the ideas and developing the expertise.
Shorter study tours – Global Study Trips and Social Innovation Study Trips are popular among Stanford MBA Students.
Want to know which MBA program is the right fit for your profile and post-MBA goals? Subscribe to F1GMAT’s Career Planning Service. I will guide you through our exploratory sessions and consulting service.
