With Chicago Booth shifting to dual-modality instruction this Fall, some Boothies made the decision to spend part or all of the quarter in locations outside of Chicago. How did they manage to stay connected? What insights do they have for those curious about what life as an MBA student is like in our “new normal”? The Booth Experience Team presents to you it’s very own, virtual panel of individuals who are maximizing the remote learning experience!
Gabriel Frassi, Class of 2022
Briefly introduce yourself and share where you have been located during the Autumn Quarter
I am Gabriel, a first year MBA student from Sao Paulo, Brazil, which is where I have been pursuing my MBA remotely from this quarter. Prior to Booth, I have worked in digital marketing at a startup and then in consulting. At Booth, I am focusing my studies on Entrepreneurship and Marketing. I have a dog and enjoy running (it would be nice to run my first Marathon in Chicago, if possible).
What motivated your decision not to move to Chicago yet?
As the US consulates were closed in Brazil, it was not possible to get my visa here. As many other Brazilian students, I could have traveled to London to apply for the visa there. However, by that time, I didn’t feel that the experience of staying in Brazil would be so different, as most classes/events were planned to be virtual. Additionally, since I will be moving to the US with my wife and dog, I didn’t think that traveling to another country at that point was worth the cost and risk given the circumstances.
How did you stay connected and involved with the Booth Community while remote learning?
At the beginning, I tried to participate in as many virtual events as possible (small group dinners, trivia nights, etc.), but it was difficult to keep the same pace as the quarter progressed. I wouldn’t say that I got as connected/involved as an in-person student, but that was also due to the choices I made in terms of focusing on my studies.
How did you meet and get to know other students? What have you found the most beneficial in connecting with fellow Boothies?
By participating in the events, I got to know a lot of people. I will say that it is really difficult to start a connection after only one hour of virtual meeting with a group. In the end, the people that I connected with the most were the ones that I started connecting with before Booth (for example, the other Brazilian students) or the ones that I met recurrently as part of the program (my LEAD squad, group projects).
What do you think the school could do to enhance your experience while remote learning?
There were a lot of different methods used by the professors: things like pre-recorded classes, virtual written discussions, etc. Some of these approaches worked better than others. I think it is part of the process to share the learning of the most successful ones and that things will continue to evolve over time.
Words of wisdom to those who are navigating the hybrid model?
Use the flexibility of the curriculum in your favor. In my case, I thought it would be difficult to do group projects remotely (as I thought that the groups would like to meet in-person) and that the experience of the virtual setting (for all students, not just the remote ones) would impact some courses more than others. So, I specifically picked courses that were remote only and that had a small component of group work (or that didn’t have at all). In addition, I decided to take four courses this quarter, so that I will have less demanding quarters when I am in Chicago, and I also didn’t choose courses that I am really interested in doing, because I’m optimistic I’ll be able to have the full in-person experience for them.
Huibing Zhuang, Class of 2022
Briefly introduce yourself and where you have been located during the Autumn Quarter?
I am Huibing, a 1Y full-time MBA student. I am originally from Guangzhou, the city of flowers and one of the most important ports in China. I have been staying in my hometown during the Autumn Quarter.
What motivated your decision not to move to Chicago yet?
The first and primary reason was the difficulty to obtain a visa due to the service suspension of embassies in mainland China. The second reason is health considerations for the prevailing pandemic.
How did you meet and get to know other students? What have you found the most beneficial in connecting with fellow Boothies?
I stayed connected to the Booth community via classes, student groups, Slack, social media and recruiting events. I have joined several WeChat and WhatsApp groups to keep in touch with 1Y and 2Y Chinese Boothies, Hong Kong Boothies, and other international students. I got to know other students through my LEAD cohort and stayed connected with them via Slack channels as well. In the classes I’ve taken, I teamed up with some students from the Evening Part-Time program. And, most surprisingly to me, I got to know many Boothies from recruiting groups and events and got a lot of help from them (million thanks to CMG co-chairs and recruiting family)! The most helpful way to me in connecting with other Boothies is signing up for as many events as possible!
What do you think the school could do to enhance your experience while remote learning?
From my perspective, my experience would be greatly enhanced if the school could provide recording for the valuable speaker series/mini courses/etc., and arrange more flexible time slots for virtual social events to accommodate different time zones. In addition, perhaps we could have some social activities within classes to help us get to know more classmates, one of the valuable parts of the normal classroom experience which is lost in the virtual setting.
Words of wisdom to those who are navigating the hybrid model?
Self-discipline is the key to manage remote learning. Remember to keep your minds engaged and concentrated. Be bold and optimistic, everything will be alright!
Morolake Sodipe, Class of 2022
Briefly introduce yourself and where you have been located during the Autumn Quarter?
Hi everyone, I’m Morolake! I have a background in architecture and have spent the past four years in Lagos and Abuja focused on affordable housing. I spent the Autumn Quarter staying with my parents in Abuja.
What motivated your decision not to move to Chicago yet?
The US embassy and consulate in Nigeria didn’t open until October so I was only recently able to sort out my immigration status. I actually already have a place at MPP with a roommate and I’m currently subletting my room as I expected to begin the MBA experience in Chicago.
How did you stay connected and involved with the Booth Community while remote learning?
There’s a donut feature on Slack that randomly pairs people and I definitely took advantage of that up until orientation to meet people one-on-one. Between cohort squads, study groups, and recruiting I’ve met people multiple times across different events and built a rapport with them.
I can’t make many of the virtual events and happy hours, especially the evening ones as I’m working with a 7 hour time difference and I love my sleep! I was, however, able to catch a few earlier in the quarter before recruiting started up.
Words of wisdom to those who are navigating the hybrid model?
1. Get as close to Booth’s time-zone as possible. I’d say six hours is about the max you should look at to still be able join and engage with events.
2. Ruthlessly prioritize what you want out of the experience and optimize for those goals. If recruiting is your priority, then which companies, how many events per company and how late (or early) are you willing to stay awake to go to that event.
3. Mental health is so important, it will get overwhelming and you will may feel extremely fatigued. You should know your limits and keep to them. Personally, midnight is my stopping point. I’ll join events that start at midnight especially if it’s a firm I haven’t fully connected with or a social event I’m really excited about (Orientation Murder Mystery was awesome) but for the most part nothing after that.
4. Make friends in the same situation, sometimes you want to talk to someone at 9 am your time.
Sofia Araya Estivill, Class of 2021
Briefly introduce yourself and where you have been located during the Autumn and Spring Quarters?
I’m Sofia, a 2Y student in the full-time MBA program at Booth. I’m from Chile, so when classes went fully remote last Spring, I came back home to take the courses from Santiago, my home city.
What motivated your decision not to move to Chicago yet?
I’m in a long-distance relationship, so I wanted to spend more time with my boyfriend. I decided, given the pandemic, to go back home for a quarter to be closer to my family and friends. I then came back to Chicago for the hybrid classes in Fall.
How did you stay connected and involved with the Booth Community while remote learning?
I believe that remote learning has unique challenges, specifically in the social sphere (as I think academically remote classes have been great!). What I did to stay connected to my friends and get to know more classmates was to attend several remote social events through the quarter, like cohort social call, LATAM group cooking classes, among others. One event I found particularly useful to meet people and stay connected was the GBC language conversation groups, where I got to know more people interested in learning Portuguese! Although it is not the same as in-person activities, you still can stay connected to the Booth community.
What do you think the school could do to enhance your experience while remote learning?
I think the school should encourage more remote activities outside of class. Although, there is a challenge of getting oversaturated with Zoom; so I would suggest organizing events such as cooking classes and wine tastings (mixing remote and in-person experience) so that they become more appealing to students.
Words of wisdom to those who are navigating the hybrid model?
Remote learning could be a great option if you want to spend more time with family. I would not recommend spending the whole year out as there is no replacement for in-person social gatherings where you get to know people. Still, for a quarter, I think it could be a great option, as academically, you would not miss a thing, and you will still have the opportunity to stay connected with the Booth community.
