the difference between science and the arts is not that...

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How to Pursue a Career in Business: BA, Liberal Arts, MBA Business is the most popular course of study amongst undergraduate students worldwide. In the US, majors in business and management have been the top choice by a significant margin for the past few years, and in the UK, business and management degrees consistently number in the top three choices. In France, the Netherlands, India, and China, business has also become a popular option. Studying business expands beyond designated undergraduate business programs however, and includes coursework in liberal arts programs, and studying business at a Masters level (MBA). While a formal degree in business may seem like the obvious first step, there are a variety of ways to pursue the knowledge and skills relevant to a successful career in business.

A business degree provides exposure to all the crucial elements that make an organization function well. But, degrees such as a BA or BS may also prepare students for a business career, creating multiple pathways for students. For example, students may choose to major in English or Psychology at a liberal arts college before pursuing an MBA later on. Or, students may select Economics for undergraduate study and apply directly for jobs in business, having previously done research and internships in related fields. In fact, applying to a general arts and sciences program, and majoring in Economics, may provide more flexibility than applying to specialist business programs.

To gain acceptance to an undergraduate business program applicants will need to demonstrate certain skills that are necessary for earning a degree. In particular, calculus is becoming more important at the more competitive undergraduate business programs, since any business degree will involve statistical analysis. In addition, applicants need to be able to demonstrate interest and commitment to studying business through coursework and activities.

Depending on the specialization of a student’s academic and extra-curricular background, an application to a liberal arts program may read more successfully. Admissions at Boston College, for example, show that a student may be more likely to be accepted into the School of Arts and Sciences than into the Carroll School of Management. continues on page 4. Understanding the Arts: Progressive Initiatives "The difference between science and the arts is not that they are different sides of the same coin… or even different parts of the same continuum, but rather, they are manifestations of the same thing. The arts and sciences are avatars of human creativity.”—Mae Jemison, doctor, dancer, and the first African American woman in space. As an academic undergraduate subject, the Arts are often misunderstood in terms of the variety of skills gained and applications learned by students. Art may encompass the traditional process of


painting feelings onto a canvas, or innovating sustainable materials for high fashion. The truth is that most undergraduate Art programs are not limited to the old ideals of fine arts, but reach for new ways to innovate, collaborate, and improve the lives of people around the world. The progressive mindset of Arts programs is probably best exemplified by STEAM, an initiative that calls for the collaboration between the traditional STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) and the Arts. The initiative began at the Rhode Island School of Design under the supervision of former president, John Maeda. The idea behind the initiative is that the greatest results come from the collaboration between people with backgrounds in sciences and the arts. According to the home website for STEAM, “RISD offers endless examples of how art and design education teaches the flexible thinking, risk-taking and creative problem solving needed to solve today’s most complex and pressing challenges – from healthcare to urban revitalization to global warming.” At RISD, while all students are trained as artists, they are encouraged to apply their knowledge to problems beyond the creation of art for the sake of art.

In an article he wrote for the Scientific American, Maeda outlines the reasons why, though not obvious to an outsider, the arts and sciences are quite similar. As Maeda writes, “We know that the scientist’s laboratory and the artist’s studio are two of the last places reserved for open-ended inquiry, for failure to be a welcome part of the process, for learning to occur by a continuous feedback loop between thinking and doing.” The process of trial and error and a dedication to experimentation create two subjects prepared to explore the same questions about the state of the world, its truths, and ways for improvement. Colleges and Universities Want Students with “Grit.” What does that mean? According to Angela Duckworth, professor of psychology, grit is “sticking with your future, day in, day out, not just for the week, not just for the month, but for years, and working really hard to make that future a reality.” Amongst educators and education reformers, Duckworth has inspired confidence that grit is a better indicator of educational and life-long success than standardized tests or other measures of academic achievement. Especially in light of an increasing gap in academic achievement, researchers are hoping to find ways to measure the non-cognitive skills that lead to success. College admissions officers have also caught onto the trend and communicate that grit is a quality they hope to see in applicants. There is no question that conscientiousness, optimism, self-control, and resilience are positive qualities in education and in the professional world, and thus, on the one hand, for college admissions officers, it is a punchy word to sum up desirable qualities in an applicant. But, it is important not to over-simplify the concepts behind the term. Paul Tough published an article in The Atlantic this past summer that provides an easy-to-read, but nuanced account of the factors that are at play behind the term grit. Tough first explains that there are neuro-cognitive abilities that we begin developing from infancy, which ultimately build our executive functions, including, “working memory, attentional control, and cognitive flexibility… helpful in navigating unfamiliar situations and processing new information.” For children in unstable living situations or who are exposed to a great deal of stress, it is much more likely they will develop a response system that indicates they are constantly looking for threats. Rather than letting their guard down and being curious, they respond with fighting, talking back, and acting up. As Tough writes, “calm, consistent, responsive interactions in infancy with parents and other caregivers create neural connections that lay the foundation for a healthy array of attention and concentration skills.” This


provides a helpful context for the challenges researchers have faced in measuring grit and in tracking how grit may be taught. Educators have been consistently puzzled by the fact that students, especially of lower incomes and unstable home-lives, often make choices that are directly in opposition to their success. And simply telling a student to be tougher, work harder, or be “grittier” does not necessarily motivate students. Tough is particularly interested in the work of Edward L. Deci and Richard M. Ryan, professors at the University of Rochester, who have helped explain why people’s actions are actually not solely motivated by a straight-forward reward or material consequences. Rather, students are most motivated by the inherent enjoyment and meaning of certain tasks. This is often referred to as intrinsic motivation, which places an emphasis on the process of learning rather than the outcome. Deci and Ryan therefore find greater promise in an environment that fosters relatedness, autonomy, and competence, which Tough explains are the equivalent terms to belonging, independence and growth.

In an article titled “We Have an Engagement Crisis, Not a Grit Deficit,” published on his blog on Inside Higher Ed, John Warner warns that teaching toward intrinsic enjoyment is not the same as entertaining students or decreasing rigor. Students should still be expected to engage in tasks that have no inherent satisfaction, but have an extrinsic motivation or a benefit for a separate outcome. But, to return to Tough’s outline of Deci’s and Ryan’s work, it is only when students can connect perseverance with passion that they truly flourish.

Tough and other writers have been consistently warning educators, researchers, and parents that “grit” is not an inherent personality trait, in the same way that motivation is not a personality trait. Students need to find meaning in the way they make decisions. Teachers and parents can certainly help students behave in “gritty” ways, and when it comes to a college application, a student can point to decisions that demonstrate commitment, consistency, perseverance, and most of all passion. Jeffrey Selingo wrote an article for The Washington Post last spring that echoes Tough’s critique of “grit” as the new factor of success. In the article, titled “Is ‘grit’ overrated in explaining student success?” Selingo cites the research of Harvard professors Todd Rose and Ogi Ogas to make the point that a path toward success is not always as simple as Gladwell’s 10,000 hours or exuding grit. These are tempting bites of educational theory that settle nerves when we wonder if our students or children will be successful. But, as Rose points out in his book The End of Average, these simplified recipes for success are fixated on consequences rather than causes, which is misleading because they do not actually describe a process or a methodology for learning. While grit may be a positive value to live by, it is important to think about how students can apply this value to their goals in education and the professional world. When another admissions officer mentions that “grit” is what they look for in an applicant, take a step back and consider ways you can voice your motivations and demonstrate your commitment. Everybody can have grit, but you have to be aware of those behaviors in yourself that exemplify the term and you have to be prepared to give evidence of these behaviors in your applications.


How to Pursue a Career in Business (cont’d from page 1) To be clear, Economics majors study economic models and theories to analyze how business activities may be affected by factors such as taxes, interest rates, inflation, labor agreements, and even the weather. Economics also explores the wealth of nations, its origins in production and exchange, its allocation among competing uses, its distribution among individuals, and its accumulation or decline. Business majors study the buying, selling and marketing, and producing of goods and services, as well as business organization and accounting. They learn how to use the basic principles and techniques of business in a variety of workplaces. Entrepreneurial studies, hotel management, hospitality studies, international finance, fashion merchandising and real estate management are just some of the more focused degrees students may pursue and are attractive to students who are certain of their career goals. Often business programs have built in internship opportunities allowing students to apply classroom knowledge in the workplace building their networks as well as their resumes. A degree in business, therefore, takes a more applied approach that encourages students to see direct connections between what they learn in the classroom and what they might do professionally. Many selective college and universities do not have specific business programs, but are prepared to guide students toward a career in business. For perspective, Harvard, Yale, and Stanford do not have formal undergraduate degrees in business, yet students may be excellent candidates to enter the business world. The question lies with the student’s interests and motivations. For some students, it is important to find a major that they find intellectually engaging without committing to a specific career. For other students, they may wish to have a stronger link between what they study and their future goals. Bloomberg Business School Rankings Bloomberg, which has been evaluating undergraduate business programs since 2006, evaluates undergraduate business programs according to the following qualities:

Comments from College Admissions Officers Stefanie Niles, Dickinson College “We want to enroll students who will contribute to the life of the campus, so we are eager to see how you have contributed to your high-school community or the community in which you live.” Tim Wolfe, College of William & Mary “Essays can help an admission committee better understand the individual and how he or she will add to the campus community. They are also an opportunity for us to evaluate a student’s ability to communicate through written format. Whether you major in physics, history or business, you’ll need to write and be able to share thoughts and ideas with your professors and fellow students.” Martha Blevins Allman, Wake Forest University “Concentrate not on being the best candidate, but on being the best person. Pay attention to what is going on in the world around you. If you do those things, not only will the world be a better place because you’re in it, your greatest admissions worry will be choosing with college to choose from.” Jaime Garcia, Chicago Scholars “Generally, college admissions officers know that those who apply for early decision are those who have a higher satisfaction rate when they are on campus. Because early decision is a great indicator for this satisfaction, schools frequently have goals and benchmarks for admitting a particular percentage of students through early decision. They won’t tell you this, but early-admission acceptance rates are often high than regular acceptance rates.” Adapted from The New York Times


Bloomberg includes the following programs in their top 25 choices:

According to Bloomberg, the goal behind these rankings is to choose programs that excel in preparing students for a career. For career success, students mostly need access to internships, facilities for research, and idea development, as well as chances to build relationships with mentors, partners, and future employers. These are the qualities to evaluate in a business program or in a liberal arts program that prepares students for related careers. Sample Profiles of Undergraduate Business Programs To demonstrate the range of options for an undergraduate degree in business, the following profiles serve as examples of approaches students may take to pursue a career in business: University of Notre Dame Mendoza College of Business, Notre Dame, Indiana

On the website for Mendoza College, they state the following mission: “To build a premier Catholic business school that fosters academic excellence, professional effectiveness and personal accountability in a context that strives to be faithful to the ideals of community, human development and individual integrity.” In keeping with the University’s Catholic ethos, The College places an emphasis on ethical leadership and global perspectives. The College therefore provides a strong liberal-arts base that encourages students to think beyond the more applied courses and consider the many applications of a business degree. All first-year students apply to Notre Dame, enter the University’s First Year of Studies program, and then enroll in the Mendoza College of Business as sophomores. http://mendoza.nd.edu/

o Feedback from recruiters hiring recent business graduates on how well prepared students for jobs at their companies.

o Students’ own ratings of campus, career services department, and faculty and

administrators.

o The base compensation of students who had jobs lined up, adjusted for salary variation across industries and regions.

o Percentage of graduates who had at least one internship at any time during college.

Villanova University, School of Business Notre Dame, Mendoza College Boston College, Carroll School Indiana University, Kelley School University of Virginia, McIntire Cornell University, Dyson School University of Texas, Austin, McCombs Bentley University UNC—Chapel Hill, Kenan-Flagler New York University, Stern University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Ross The College of William & Mary, Mason


Northeastern University D’Amore McKim School of Business, Boston, Massachusetts

Northeastern is globally recognized as one of the leading experience-based business schools. The D'Amore-McKim School of Business offers both a five and four-year co-op model leading to a BS in Business Administration. Students who select the five-year program follow an established business core curriculum, including an introduction to business, accounting, finance and marketing. They are also required to take classes outside of business, providing a well-rounded education. Additionally, students may choose to take electives in other colleges at Northeastern University, giving them the opportunity to explore other areas of interest. A capstone strategy course provides a final that integrates the student's coursework and co-ops in the senior year. The program offers two six-month co-ops with an option for a third. http://www.damore-mckim.northeastern.edu/

Similar Co-op Programs: (Co-op Programs) Drexel University LeBow College of Business http://www.lebow.drexel.edu/

Lehigh University College of Business and Economics, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

In Lehigh's College of Business and Economics (the CBE), students engage in business from the start, directing them down the road toward making a positive difference. The College offers an integrated experience that balances a solid, common core with many options for specialization. Introduction to business and liberal arts studies in the first two years form a strong foundation for students to build unique and personalized junior and senior years. Students have many opportunities to engage in group work and are encouraged to explore other interests and gain perspective through course requirements beyond business, opening doors to potential minors or dual degree opportunities in the College of Arts and Sciences or the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science. In their final year, students engage in a competitive, team-based strategic management capstone. http://www4.lehigh.edu/business

Similar Programs: Elon University, Martha and Spencer Love School of Business, http://www.elon.edu/e-web/academics/business/, Skidmore College http://www.skidmore.edu/management_business/, Wake Forest School of Business http://business.wfu.edu/

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the difference between science and the arts is not that...

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