For those who are not familiar, Random Walk is the deliciously nerdy name that Booth uses for our pre-orientation travel bonding experience. Groups of 10-12 incoming first years are led by 4 second years in a week-long trip to a foreign country. Through Random Walk, I’ve had the experience of snowboarding down the Andes in Chile and rappelling down a waterfall in Panama. Not only did I experience new ways to descend mountains, but I also developed a tight-knit network of friends who helped me navigate the intimidating transition of starting at a new school. In fact, I felt so close with my first year trip-mates that we decided to go on Random Walk again this year as the leaders of RW Panama. I couldn’t imagine my Booth Experience without Random Walk, and it seems like this year’s first years feel the same way:
“The best part about Random Walk are the relationships you form. If you travel with someone for nine days while experiencing things that get you both out of your comfort zones, strong bonds are formed. This paid dividends during the first few months at Booth: I never found myself in a room where I didn’t have a close friend.”
– Ben Wackerlin, RW Vietnam
“The friends I made on RW are some of my favorite people at Booth and are the first people I went to in the first month when I needed a break from the mandatory fun and meeting over 500 new classmates.”
– Andrew Janiszewski, RW Sri Lanka
“Going to a Random Walk was the best way to start business school. I had the chance to have fun and build close relationships with 14 incoming students and 4 awesome 2Y trip leaders that showed to us the pay it forward culture of Booth. With the start of classes, our group remains close, as we organize many get-togethers and help each other in classes.”
– Laura Gontijo de Vasconcellos, RW Vietnam
“Random Walk is about as close as you’ll get to being on The Real World. You share unique experiences with diverse strangers and return as a family. It’s nice to have that support when you get to campus and meet the other 550 members of your class.”
– Taylor Carson, RW Belize
“Taking part in Random Walk Panama was a fantastic way to kick off my Booth experience. It provided a brilliant opportunity to unwind before diving fully into MBA life, as well as some solid friendships to make the whole thing a bit less daunting.”
– Daniel Amure, RW Panama
“Starting business school can be exciting but also anxiety-provoking. Fortunately, my many close friends from RW Vietnam have helped make the transition a very easy one. Second year trip leaders have offered me invaluable advice about classes, bidding, and career research, while a solid group of first-year friends has made it easier to integrate into the Booth social sphere. Overall, RW Vietnam was the most beneficial thing that I’ve done since coming to Booth.”
– Ken Perkins, RW Vietnam
