Many people feel like politics doesn’t really impact their lives — or conversely, some people feel that presidents have power over markets and the economy.
Contrary to popular belief and to the assertions of many politicians, the president doesn’t really have that much influence on the economy, which you will learn about in bschool if you haven’t had to study economics before. If the economy tanks in the next four years, then it’s highly unlikely that the occupant of the Oval Office will be to blame. There are a lot of headwinds lurking on the horizon that could cause such a downturn, and those headwinds don’t care who is president.
Yes, elections and especially expectations for who will be in power can swing stock markets, and affect financial planning on the executive team of major corporations, but the stock market is not the economy, especially not right now where the major stock indices are quite detached from underlying economic metrics that track broad-based growth and strength of consumer finances.
Basically, we’re in a weird time, economically, financially, politically, socially, all across the board.
Things are always hard to predict, that’s the nature of predictions. Things are especially hard to predict now.
In terms of what can you expect now that the United States has decided on a president for the next four years, in the context of your plans for getting an MBA:
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We’re probably going to be proven wrong on at least some of that! But we’ve been pretty accurate so far in 2020 in our predictions on impact of coronavirus on society and school, so we’re going with these ideas for now.
Mostly we’re hoping that America can get back in gear and resume some sense of normalcy, now that the anxieties of an uncertain election outcome are over.
Unfortunately we’re in for a cresting wave of coronavirus cases that has only just begun, so the challenges that America is struggling with right now are far from over. It’s likely to be a tough winter here, and elsewhere as well.
If you had hoped that the election had turned out differently, you may be feeling the effects of that disappointment, and the overall uncertainty that all of us are grappling with based on the pandemic is still very real. As we try to do frequently, we’ll put out a call to encourage all of you to continue seeking support, looking for adaptive ways to feel better like getting some exercise or sitting in the sun, staying off social media if you can, and talking to friends on the phone or doing a careful socially-distanced get-together within your pod, as healthier reactions to the stress of this ongoing moment. Try not to indulge too much in whatever your favorite numbing substance is, whether that’s alcohol or weed or gummi worms or anything else that gives a short-time shift in mood but isn’t so great as a regular or long-term solution.
Starting tomorrow, we’ll pick up the practical advice on applying to bschool again, since we’re still in that all-important cycle of MBA admissions, and there are steps you could be taking now to improve your chances and make yourself ready for what’s coming next in your life.
Thanks for continuing to come back to this here admissions blahg!
We hope you’re staying healthy and that your family is doing okay during this ongoing weirdness of a year.
Tell us what you think.