Booth is an amazing place to be and I love being a part of this community. That being said, I am somewhat the UChicago expert on the Booth Experience Team, having gone to the University of Chicago for undergrad AND having been a facilitator this year for the Kapnick Leadership Initiative at the University of Chicago Law School (aka LEAD for the Law School, as I explain to confused Boothies). So I thought it would be worth it to write a blog post about ways to get involved outside of Booth and interact with the wider University of Chicago Community. Below are some ways to do that:
Taking an interdisciplinary Booth class an easy way to get a taste of other disciplines without having to go out of your way to do it. One way to do this is to take a class like The Legal Infrastructure of Business. Taught by Randal C. Picker, a James Parker Hall Distinguished Service Professor at the Law School, Booth students can bid on it, just like any other Booth classes, and there are no special permissions required. Also, since all the students are from Booth, classes like this are geared towards a business school student’s level of understanding around legal subjects. Sample topics covered during the course include Intellectual Property, International Issues, and Antitrust law.
Another option is to take a class that is officially offered at another school at the University of Chicago. Some of the most popular classes are from–you guessed it–the Law School. What can I say, the ties between law and business run deep. From subjects such as the legal infrastructure of business, to employment law for entrepreneurs and managers, there are plenty of ways to learn more about the intersection of business and law, even if you’re not pursuing a JD/MBA. However, there are many interesting classes beyond just the law school. One Boothie I spoke to had taken two PhD level Philosophy classes, one offered through the Harris School of Public Policy and the other through the University of Chicago Divinity School. Another Boothies was planning on taking an Epidemiology course as part of her requirements for earning a Certificate in Health Administration and Policy. There are too many other examples to list here.
Moving beyond just academics, the University of Chicago Graduate Council also organizes activities aimed at bringing together the broader community of graduate students. Comprised of 17 representatives across different programs, the council is elected by the students at Booth, the Law School, the Pritzker School of Medicine, various Master’s programs, etc. What does this all mean for the typical Booth student? You’ll get regular Facebook invites for FREE FOOD AND DRINKS like the Food Truck Social, or Pub Social. There’s also the Gargoyle Gala (a semi-formal that takes place during the fall quarter), and various other events sponsored by other University of Chicago organizations but publicized to graduate students specifically by the Graduate Council.
You can also become involved with the undergraduate community by becoming a mentor. The Dougan Scholars program admits a select number of University of Chicago undergraduates, who then take classes at Booth and are matched up with mentors at Booth that can help them navigate through the business school curriculum. There are also organizations like Campus Catalyst, where undergraduates work on pro-bono consulting projects. Boothies with previous consulting experience can apply to become mentors and support and guide students as they work on projects for nonprofit organizations.
Finally, you can become a Kapnick Initiative facilitator or a Leadership Development . Many people know about Booth’s LEAD program (check out a past post on LEAD here), the experiential leadership program every Boothie experiences as a first year. Less people know about the Kapnick Initiative at the Law School (which cover similar content for law students) and the Leadership Development program (which does the same for a select group of high school students that are part of the University of Chicago’s Collegiate Scholars program. Boothies can apply to become facilitators and relive some of their LEAD memories while seeing a whole new community experience leadership development together for the first time.
This is by no means an exhaustive list, and there are plenty of other opportunities to interact with and learn from the wider University of Chicago community! Also, don’t just take my word for it. Here are some Boothies sharing about their experiences in their own words:
