The University of Chicago’s Graduate School of Business, one of the top business schools in the world, announced a new requirement today for applicants. In addition to the traditional application and essays, each applicant is required to submit up to four Powerpoint (or Keynote I presume) slides about themselves. One might think this is an attempt to judge the applicant’s ability to use Powerpoint efficiently; however, the school indicates that “[t]he slides submitted with the application will not be judged on technical ability but rather the self-expression that is revealed.” Hmm. Looks to me like creativity is rearing its head even more prominently in the business world. In 2004, the Harvard Business Review published an article by Dan Pink titled “The MFA is the new MBA” which indicated an interest from MBA programs in pursuing potential MFA (Master’s of Fine Arts) candidates. Looks like this trend is moving along. Creativity is becoming one of those essential qualities for success in the 21st century. It has the power to differentiate you from the others and the power to provide you with the ability to take risks, find innovative solutions to problems, and live a more meaningful life. So, remember, art classes aren’t just for painters anymore.

Story: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2007/7/prweb539763.htm
MBA is the new MFA http://www.michael-r-nelson.com/design_blog/images/HBR_Feb2004.pdf