Sex & the MBA

In the interest of preparing for my marketing and strategy classes which begin on Monday, I've decided to implement the oldest marketing trick in the book. Let's see if sex sells in the blogoshpere as well it does elsewhere...thank god I still have my anonymity :)

The underdog
How is a guy supposed to get laid in the MBA? It feel likes mission impossible, given the gender mix at INSEAD, there about 3 guys chasing each girl. On top of this, you have "the heros" who go out and get more than their fair share leaving the average guy fighting it out for the scaps.

The overpriced asset
I already miss Econ god, Nikos Vettas. How would he diagnose this predicament. Well given my top marks on his quizzes, I will speak on his behalf. The INSEAD market for tail is behaving like a closed economy. In a free market, there exists a market clearing price of X representing the value a guy must bring to the table in order to walk away successful. This could be looks, personality, power, yes....money, etc. However in INSEAD's closed economy, where supply is restricted by about 66%....there is a shift in the supply curve which forces prices WELL above the efficient market price. Right, but what does that mean for everyone who hasn't had Prices & Markets....well it means that MBA chicks can expect more than they would in the open markets of say NY or London.

The bright side
(1)top quality girls: The girls at INSEAD are amazing. Most are super bright and ambitious, 5% are super beautiful, an additional 20-40% could be considered pretty by various standards, the rest are...well, smart at least:)

(2)relatively weak competition: if you're a guy of average looks on the outside...you are probably above average at INSEAD....

(3)adjusted gender split: after adjusting for seriously committed people (a category to which I belong), I think the odds become relatively better for single guys. There seems to be a much higher percentage of committed guys in the program than there are committed girls.

(4)alcohol...ok, we all know that relationships start or progress thanks to alcohol. At INSEAD and I guess all MBAs, rarely is there a night here where you can't find some sort of social event. And never is there a social event without plenty of wine or other booze. Of course this can be a good or bad thing...I've seen some super sloppy hook ups on dance floors and outside of parties this year that shouldn't have seen like a good idea under any condition.

(5)biological clocks...the single girls are LOOKING FOR A PARTNER, some have this as an explicit objective for the year...wonder if that made it into any of their application essays

The heros
There are some guys here who know how to clean up in the given marketplace. They are able to win more than their fare share and are nimble enough to elude any relationship trap that gets laid out for them. One strategy I've seen very successfully played is "the bad boy". I'm amazed how many girls this guy has drooling over him, some of them are pretty top notch. It's not that he is a great looking guy but I guess he does have a blue ocean strategy in that not too many others are playing the bad boy persona.

The fling
They happen A LOT! They happen more than any of us really know, because in general, they are pretty discrete. What I do know, however, is that of my single roomates who have had some sort of fling, I doubt many other people in the class know.

The relationship
Often elusive for those looking for it. I think as we get closer to P5, the flings will die out and be gradually replaced by these relationships. There are, however, serious couples that have developed already. One couple I know started up by the end of the first week of class and are already moving in together starting P3. I spoke to a couple on campus for a 10yr reunion...apparently there were 10 couples married from their class. I think the same will happen in our class and all others. As I mentioned before...this is an explicit goal of probably most of our single classmates.

Virtual sex
Some of those with long distance partners need to find ways to be creative. I've heard the words porno-skype used.

MBA (Married But Available?)
Yes, a lot of relationships fail in the MBA. There is A LOT that one side of the relationship is going through and it is not easy to relate this to the partner. There is the jealousy from the partner who is maybe working in a distant place and possibly feeling marginalized by the intense work and social schedule of the participant. However, for me and others who are very certain about their relationship, I think the risks are overblown. There are many "committed" people who have come into the program and were clearly looking for better. I have definitely seen it...from those dating and those married. There is more than one example of students with partners far away where the phrase "out of sight, out of mind" seems applicable.

One incredible story that I've heard about was the partner of an INSEAD student. Apparently she accompanied the student to campus and had the reputation for having A LOT of fun outside of her relationship...with other students & partners... Sounds over the top, but with so many people mentioning it, could it be true??

Blogger sex
Two of my fellow July 08 bloggers seem to be spending A LOT of time together...and have been from week 1. Seems that they hit it off so well in blogland before meeting in person...could blogging be the next big way to find dates??? Hmmm...could be the first INSEAD blogger couple ever!