Wharton is a beehive of human activity. Students are starting new businesses and new families, learning new languages and new industries, and literally running around Huntsman Hall like madmen trying to fit it all in. There is no sitting still here.
Don’t just take my word for it—judge for yourself. The MBA Program Office created a Facebook group for the class of 2014, which attracts hundreds of likes, posts and comments on any given day. It exemplifies the restless energy of a student body that runs off fumes, not sleep. Because the Facebook group is only accessible to students, I’ll give you a sneak peek behind the closed door (or wall).
In the past 72 hours, students have used the Wharton Class of 2014 Facebook group to form A.T. Kearney case competition teams, promote a Wharton Latin American Student Association party, recruit pianists to play Beethoven’s Triple Concerto, gather feedback on startup ideas developed during the Philly Startup Weekend, and nominate Professor Adam Grant [associate professor of management] for the EIU Business Professor of the year award. Students have also organized flights for the annual Wharton ski trip, identified potential companies to feature in the BizTech Conference and coordinated economic consulting industry chats. Keep in mind; this is just a tiny sample of some of what’s transpired the past three days.
Wharton’s Facebook activity is telling. Whether it’s online or in the classroom, intelligent people are sharing information with one another rapidly and nonstop. We’re busy, talkative bees. The Facebook stream also illustrates how academics, career development and personal life become interwoven. Wharton friends will review your resume, introduce you to your future network and, of course, accompany you to the bar afterwards. Traditional boundaries often become blurred. This connectedness makes Wharton feel like an incubator for all things—or the center of a beehive.
Editor’s note: This post first appeared on the Wharton MBA Program’s Student Diarist blog on Oct. 2, 2012.
