Reasons students choose Principia's "Bus Ad" major vary
Some students arrive on campus already knowing that business administration is a direction they want to take. Some choose business administration after taking a course or two, saying they like the subject matter or the caliber of "Bus Ad" faculty. Many like the breadth of offerings—from economics and accounting courses to management and marketing—which provide both a broad perspective and opportunities to prepare for specific careers. "Bus Ad" students discover fairly quickly that what they are learning about business administration applies to virtually any career direction they wish to follow.

Emphasis on thinking clearly
"One of the best aspects of the 'Bus Ad' major," says a senior who also has a major in German, "is that it helps you to think clearly and quickly, to make decisions, to think objectively, and to be very productive and time-efficient." How business administration students plan to apply what they're learning varies too. Half, for example, have a complementary second major or minor, such as economics, international relations, computer science, mass communication, biology, art, or a foreign language.

Hands-on experience
A highlight for most business administration students is the biennial San Francisco program, a group experience for 12 to 18 students under the directorship of a Principia business administration professor. For nine weeks, four days a week, each student takes part in an academic internship working for a San Francisco-area company. On the fifth day, plus one evening a week, the students study entrepreneurship with their Principia professor. A valuable part of this course, they say, is the field trips they take to three or four companies each week to talk with the presidents and CEOs who started those companies.

Demanding workload
While students say they like the fact that business administration is a practical major, many will tell you—as one junior who also majors in international relations put it—"Some of the higher level courses have an especially demanding workload." Based on the popularity of those courses, though, it is a demand most "Bus Ad" students appreciate. "The workload forces you to become efficient and organized in order to get everything done," says a business administration senior with a minor in biology. "You're also required to give presentations using research that you've done. So, for a lot of people, one of the challenges is learning to speak fluently and easily in front of a class." A "Bus Ad" senior with a minor in international relations adds, "While your professors demand a lot of you and expect you to do well, they're also really supportive and help you with plans for after graduation."

Preparing for life after college
Asked how the business administration major has helped them to prepare for life after college, students respond: "I've developed a lot of analytical skills" . . . "I'm able to write well" . . . "Working with other students on group projects has given me practice in working with others in an office setting" . . . "I'm going out into the business world feeling more confident." According to recent graduates, these student comments are not wishful thinking but reflect the way it is. To begin with, it is not unusual for "Bus Ad" grads to take jobs right after graduation with companies that got to know them during their internship programs. Some "Bus Ad" grads choose to go straight to graduate school or to enroll after sampling the business world for a couple of years. Recent Principia grads are currently enrolled at Harvard, Wharton, Northwestern, the University of Chicago, and Cornell.

A broad perspective on business
"I have a broader perspective on business, in general, than my peers," says a recent grad who joined Arthur Anderson, a management-consulting firm, right after college. As a "Bus Ad" student at Principia, he also minored in economics and art history. Another recent grad, who became a management consultant with Ernst and Young right after graduation, credits her Principia business administration education with her success today "in thinking through and solving business issues."

Practice in working closely with others
"For me," says a recent grad, also a consultant with Ernst and Young, "the greatest factor in my success since Prin has been the interpersonal skills I've been able to apply in my work—in particular, the emphasis on making presentations and being able to talk in front of a group." This same grad attributes his success in working with others to the emphasis in some business administration courses on working in teams. "I work a lot in teams, and Prin helped me learn to communicate effectively with different kinds of people, to know what their objectives are and how to work with them."