In the second part of the Interview Series, we look at the popularity of Military MBA applicants, diversity of the class, impact of Visa Rules on placements, and the latest Post-MBA placement trends.
The % of Military MBA candidates in the class is 11%. What encourages applicants from the military background to join Vanderbilt MBA?
I have made a concerted effort to reach out to military candidates through various events and resources. We value the discipline, leadership, maturity, and humility that veterans bring to the classroom and their study groups. So do our corporate recruiters. Veterans often need a little extra coaching on translating their military experience to the civilian world. We have a very strong support system that helps them in any way necessary. That, plus word of mouth from our current students, seems to attract more veterans to the program each year.
Is there any conscious effort to maintain diversity in the Full-time MBA class?
Absolutely. We value diversity in all its aspects. We have one recruiter dedicated to international recruiting, another who focuses on underrepresented minorities, all of us work to bring in more women, and I personally oversee the military recruiting.
But that is too simplified.
In reality, we all work to bring in a diversified class, whether this is ethnicity, religion, sexual preference, educational background, and professional background. To support this, we introduced a required session on Diversity and Inclusion in our Orientation so that students can begin to think about things that they may not be aware of – or that they take for granted, such as the privilege of being in the majority group and how that can affect others. In addition, we are a member of Management Leadership for Tomorrow (MLT), the Forte Foundation for Women, MBA Veterans, National Association of Women MBAs, Reaching Out MBA, and Prospanica.
Among the international candidates, which country is represented the most?
We have 33 countries represented in our recent class, with the top 3 countries being India, China & Canada (tied for 2nd place) and Japan.
Nashville has a rich heritage in Music. How do Management Education and post-MBA placements fit with the City?
That is an interesting question. Surprisingly, there are very few MBA jobs in the music industry. It is one of those areas where there are more people who want to work in music than there are jobs, so the companies have their pick – and they rarely pick MBAs because they are too expensive! That said, there are positions to be had in the finance or marketing area with the larger entertainment names, although this is a very specialized and individual job search. Our career management office is very active in providing contacts with alumni in any field a student can imagine, and the alumni are very happy to talk to students.
Who are the top recruiters? How does the career service team match Employers with the candidates?
Overall, the top hiring companies are Deloitte, Amazon, North Highland, Proctor & Gamble, KPMG, McKesson, DaVita, Johnson & Johnson.
The career management office does not so much match employers with candidates as they help the students learn about what opportunities are out there, where they would likely be successful, what alumni to connect with to learn more about particular companies, and what skill sets they will need to obtain the job they want. It is part of the MBA education to figure out what you are good at and what you really like, then put the two together to find the perfect job.
Base Salary $110,357
Signing Bonus $25,082
Vanderbilt MBA (Industry)
Consulting 25%
Healthcare 24%
Financial
Services 15%
Technology 13%
Vanderbilt MBA (Function)
Consulting 28%
Finance 24%
General
Management 18%
Marketing 10%
Will the call for visa reforms impact post-MBA placements for International students?
Anecdotally, there seem to be more companies that are reluctant to make an offer to international students, yet on the other hand, there are companies that recognize the value of international students and they will do what is necessary - by offering to help with the Visa or green card in some instances and if that fails, to send the student to an office abroad while they try a second time for the H1B visa. But I do not see this as affecting only international students. Companies are sensitive to the political and economic climate, and if they get nervous, they may reduce hiring overall. We hope that this will not happen.
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