MIT Sloan students are upbeat about the future

A sampling of students beginning their studies at MIT Sloan School of Management is hopeful that the election of a new president will translate into "fresh career opportunities" for MBA graduates, the school's news office said today.

The school's news release included quotes from several new students, including Hassani Turner from Los Angeles, who worked on Capitol Hill and in investment banking before entering MIT Sloan.

"Compared to the current political atmosphere, the future appears to be more hopeful with both candidates," Turner said. "As someone who is interested in sustainability and economic development in poor countries, my career ideals are mostly aligned with Barack Obama's policies. Still, John McCain has proven to be a progressive Republican in terms of clean technology, climate change, and other issues pertaining to sustainability."

The hard-hit financial sector could also benefit from the election, said Murali Govindaswamy, a native of India who held engineering, system design, and project management roles with Ericsson in Boulder, Col., for seven years before coming to MIT Sloan.

"The election may stimulate much needed confidence in the financial markets, which would grow the amount of traditional and alternative finance career routes and potentially allow for a softer venture funding environment," Govindaswamy said in quote included with Sloan's news release.

Sloan added in the release: "India is one of 43 nations represented in this year's incoming MIT Sloan class, 36 percent of which are international students. At 34 percent, the percent of incoming women is the highest ever, as is the percentage of incoming students from underrepresented minorities at 10 percent. Applications were up by 28 percent over last year."
(By Chris Reidy, Globe staff)