by Karin Ash, Accepted

I’d like to share some conference “takeaways” from the Association of International Graduate Admissions Consultants (AIGAC) meeting in Cambridge, Massachusetts earlier this month.

Held at MIT Sloan with visits to HBS, Tuck, and Babson and with presentations by representatives of Wharton, INSEAD, Georgetown, Carnegie Mellon, Haas, Vanderbilt, Darden, Rotman, Yale, UCLA, Columbia, McCombs, IESE, LBS, and Stanford, there were many information highlights.

• An MIT professor has coined the current student population as Generation “S.” One-third of MIT students take three or more electives in sustainability.
• Another MIT professor describes true entrepreneurs as innovation drivers – their companies interact with global markets, they produce products for export, and they have a sustainable competitive advantage. It is these companies that can transform an economy.
• MIT experienced a 35% increase in applications last year.
• MIT’s Master of Finance Program currently has 120 students, 40% women, 80% International, and 80% directly from undergrad. In contrast, the MBA program has 400 students of which 40% are women, 40% international, and students have an average of five years of full-time experience.