Today’s WSJ has an interesting piece on how MBA programs are adapting to deal with the “Millenial Generation” - a generational term loosely identified with those of us young enough to have essentially grown up with the Internet at our disposal.

Millenial’s have somehow become stigmatized by our sense of entitlement, career expectations, chronic ADD, mutli-tasking abilities, sense of social justice, and our incredible interconnectedness.

An interesting association that I’ve stumbled upon numerous times relates to the obtrusive involvement of parents in our lives. Today’s WSJ piece is no exception:

WSJ: As hovering “helicopter parents” become more active in the admission process, how should schools deal with them?

Ms. Atkinson: The schools have been quite surprised because they weren’t accustomed to seeing parents at admission events at the graduate level. We were all wondering why the parents couldn’t simply advise from the sidelines. But we have come to understand that parents are there because they are investors who hold their children’s schools accountable for a proper return on time and money. Clearly, parents are trusted advisers to the millennial generation, and their presence and influence can’t be wished away. We can either reach out in a calculated way to provide them with good information or let them find the information on their own, which may or may not be accurate.

While not completely out of left field, I find this comment startling - graduate level candidates bringing their parents to admissions events?? A word of advice to parents - DO NOT GO TO THESE EVENTS WITH YOUR CHILDREN! It is great to be involved in your child’s life, but going to a graduate level recruiting event conveys the wrong message. Graduate level students are adults who are expected to be capable of making independent adult decisions. Prospective students who walk into events holding their parents hand (so to speak) present a poor impression of their independence and decision making capacities.

Please don’t misread this advice - it is great to be involved and offer invaluable advice and guidance, just please give your child enough space to become an adult.

Oh yeah, try to avoid tagging along for job interviews as well!

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