By Dhanshri Ankur Bhagwat
1. Coping with Culture Shock: Culture shock is real, but it’s also an opportunity for growth. Be patient with yourself, and embrace the chance to learn a new culture. A few tips:
- Be gracious and open-minded.
- Small talk goes a long way—don’t be afraid to engage.
- Ask questions if you’re uncertain about something.
2. Understanding Academics
- Academic Integrity: Plagiarism is taken very seriously in the U.S. Always use proper citations, and avoid copying others’ work.
- AI & Academics: While it might be tempting, avoid using AI for your assignments unless explicitly allowed by your professor.
- Class Participation: Engage actively in class. Unlike in some countries, U.S. professors encourage participation and discussion with peers.
- Stay on Track: Keep an eye on your GPA and assignments. Many professors assign pre-class tasks that help you prepare for exams. Meeting deadlines is key to success.
3. Building Connections & Beating Homesickness: It’s normal to feel homesick and miss your family, friends, and familiar comforts. While staying connected through calls is important, invest time in building new relationships here.
- Tip: Join student organizations to make friends, share experiences, and build meaningful connections with others who are in the same boat.
4. Stay Updated on Immigration & Visa Rules Regularly: Consult with your ISS (International Student and Scholar Services) advisor and academic advisor to stay informed about your visa status. They will guide you on F-1 or J-1 visa requirements, work restrictions, and travel regulations.
5. Follow Legal & Safety Guidelines: Stay aware of basic traffic and pedestrian rules—always follow signals and public regulations, including legal drinking and smoking ages. In case of an emergency, dial 911 for medical, fire, police, or any life-threatening situations.
When Weam Abdalla moved to Chicago to start her MBA at Kellstadt, she already had experience in building a robust professional network from the ground up. Born in Saudi Arabia and educated in Sudan, where her family has roots, Abdalla launched her career in the United Arab Emirates. Abdalla’s experience is in human capital; she worked in recruitment consultancies for multinational firms, including a boutique consultancy that specializes in executive searches, leadership assessments and board appointments.
For Abdalla, earning an MBA was a natural next step. Kellstadt’s program stood out because it would allow her to focus on business strategy and decision-making. Abdalla started the program in fall 2023.
She arrived excited to take her career to the next level – and unsure about what building a professional network in a new cultural context would look like.
Now that she’s in her second quarter of the MBA, here are five of Abdalla’s key takeaways about networking:
1. Understand the Chicago Market
I kicked off with diving into market research, identifying the key industries and sectors in Chicago. I looked at the startup scene, hedge funds, consulting firms: at their employees and their backgrounds and the exciting job opportunities advertised. Thanks to “LinkedIn stalking,” as they call it, I gained a comprehensive view of professionals in these sectors. This gave me a solid idea of where I’d like to target after the MBA.
2. Utilize Alumni Networks
One of the networking events Abdalla attended.
Alumni! We already have one thing in common; a shared educational experience! Engaging with fellow graduates helped me gain valuable insights into Chicago’s vibrant business scene. I also reached out to DePaul alumni currently based in the UAE, and they responded positively to my inquires.
Additionally, I leveraged the incredible alumni network at DePaul University. There are so many opportunities here. We have Kellstadt Career Management Center events; Kellstadt Women in Business; graduate business students mixers; and more. As full-time MBA students, we really have a demanding schedule with case studies and assignments. But attending these events — even for a short period — is still time spent wisely.
3. Conduct Informational Interviews
Luckily, this activity was emphasized by two of my MBA professors at DePaul. I proactively reached out to professionals in my industry with careers I’d like to emulate. I used these conversations to delve deeper into the local market, gain advice, and expand my network organically. One way I implemented this was by reaching out to Chicago-based individuals at Michael Page, one of the companies I’d worked for in the UAE that also has a global presence.
4. Be Inquisitive
It can be easy to feel anxious or worry about how you come across. It can also be easy to overly focus on cultural differences and fail to notice underlying similarities. But as Dr. Rubin highlighted in Management 500, “we are more the same than we are different.” Finding common ground is easier than you think it will be! Approach conversations with curiosity, and, more often than not, people will be happy to share important aspects of themselves and their careers.
5. Be Patient
Abdalla with one of her classmates in the MBA program.
Building a new network is a gradual process, so don’t rush it – be patient and persistent. Give yourself the time needed to make meaningful connections, and don’t be discouraged by temporary setbacks, such as not getting responses on LinkedIn. Keep your focus on the long-term benefits of having an established network.
Making the decision to pursue your MBA is one of the biggest investments you can make in yourself. Whether you’re on a specific career path or thinking about pivoting, pursuing your MBA degree at the Kellstadt Graduate School of Business can help you accomplish your career goals. Here’s why:
Networking is crucial
…to professional growth and success in business. The problem is, a person’s network is typically limited to their place of work. Sure, you can attend conferences. But conferences only last a weekend or at most a week. When you enroll in an MBA program, however, you have the potential to expand your network exponentially. At Kellstadt, there are many ways to do this:
- In class, you’re sitting with people from many different companies that have many different connections and experiences. Class sizes are small too, which makes creating those connections easier.
- You have access to student organizations and the Kellstadt Career Management Center, both of which provide a plethora of opportunities to learn and grow your network outside the classroom.
- Want to go even further? You can take an international business seminar trip to really expand your horizons and build connections overseas.
Kellstadt faculty are also an excellent resource for making connections, getting advice and learning about opportunities. Faculty bring students face-to-face with industry experts, whether that’s through guest lecturers or a class visit to an organization. They’re known for their real-world connections and expertise and are always eager to support students if you connect with them about your goals.
Even after you graduate, you’re forever connected to a vast alumni network of DePaul business alumni, including DePaul’s Alumni Sharing Knowledge Network (ASK).
Adding to your skills & knowledge opens more doors
There are many opportunities in the job market right now, but there have also been many layoffs happening at companies. You can’t control external factors, but you can control what you bring to the table by adding to your skills and knowledge with an MBA.
Doing this makes you more marketable as a job candidate and more valuable as an employee.
At work, it’s not always possible to take on new projects that will expand your skills and experiences. But as an MBA student, you can experiment and take risks with class projects that will help you learn in a supportive environment. Many courses at Kellstadt incorporate data analytics, which gives you experience working with and analyzing data to make decisions. This is a skillset that companies increasingly want to see in their employees.
Employers notice when you’re investing in yourself. Why? Because when you have more skills and knowledge, you bring more value to the company. Dedicating yourself to an MBA shows that you’re not just coming in to do a job, but that you’re willing to go that extra mile. This can open up opportunities for career advancement and promotions.
Kellstadt will help you execute
Okay, so you’re working on adding new skills and making the effort to network—that’s great. But having a plan for what you want to do with your MBA is what makes everything come together. Being a student at Kellstadt means you have access to career advisors to help you chart your path forward. This guidance from advisors coupled with guidance from faculty will help you determine where to focus your energies so that you’re being strategic.
At Kellstadt, you have a support system, resources, peers and a solid foundation from which to launch the next chapter of your career. All these elements are important when it comes to carving out your future. Because even if you have a specific goal in mind, everybody needs a little help along the way.
Ready to get started?
Schedule a 1:1 appointment with a member of our Kellstadt team.
Attend our (virtual) graduate open house on Thursday, Feb. 16.
Learn more about the DePaul MBA at Kellstadt.
by George Brigandi
Compared to most established sectors, like finance, accounting, real-estate, chemistry and even web services, sustainability is very young. Sure, it can be argued that it’s been around since the dawn of humankind – whenever someone tried to reuse a piece of old clothing or regrow a tree they cut down could certainly count as “sustainable efforts” – but the global movement that we see today did not really take hold until the early 2010s. As a result, most university programs that are sustainability-focused are some of the newer ones on a campus, like the Master of Science in Sustainable Management program at DePaul, which I direct.
Like many sustainability professionals, I transitioned into this line of work from a career in something else. For me, it was general marketing. DePaul played a critical role in helping me become who I am today. It laid the groundwork for my new career path with my MBA in sustainable management and entrepreneurship, which I earned from Kellstadt in 2018.
Sustainability at DePaul – How it was
To be frank, the transition outside of the classroom was quite difficult, but I expected that. Although this was only a few years ago, sustainability was significantly less popular and established than it is now. Like most institutions at the time, DePaul didn’t have any sustainability career fairs or sustainability-focused networking events or career development services, and the only sustainability-related student group that I was aware of, Net Impact, was on hiatus.
I had to be extremely creative and persistent in how I found networking opportunities and potential job leads, so I used the resources that were available to me and eventually found my way through a social enterprise channel at the Coleman Entrepreneurship Center. That was my experience and I’m by no means complaining about it. New efforts need to start somewhere and you can’t have it all right from the start.
Knowing this, my colleagues and I have now formed the DePaul Sustainability Group. Those colleagues come from multiple DePaul departments and colleges, including the Department of Management & Entrepreneurship at the Driehaus College of Business, the College of Communications, the Department of Environmental Science and Studies, the School of Public Service, the Department of Geography, the Kellstadt Career Management Center, and the Sustainable Urban Development Graduate Program. The group also has terrific student leaders from Net Impact, Student Government Association and the general student body. We are working hard to make sure the student experience is multitudes better moving forward.
Connecting DePaul’s Sustainability Community
One of the top priorities we’re addressing is the need to cultivate the sustainability community at DePaul. As I mentioned, the sustainability presence at the university is young, fragmented and needs robust development if we hope to positively impact industry in Chicago and beyond.
So we created the DePaul Sustainability Network on LinkedIn, which is open to anyone affiliated with the university, to better expose students to potential job opportunities, relevant news and research, and alumni working in sustainability. Additionally, we’re in the midst of building out a sustainability web platform, where visitors can learn all about DePaul’s sustainability efforts, courses and community in a singular location.
We’re also increasing the number of sustainability events on (virtual) campus, with the culmination being the Sustainability at DePaul Conference, which is happening this year on May 7-8 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. (Central Time). This inaugural event is meant to not only bolster DePaul’s sustainability community, but further intertwine it with the larger sustainability community of our city, where 80% of DePaul graduates end up working. If you are interested in sustainability and social impact, please register. This conference will connect current students, alumni and local sustainability experts, and discuss the breadth of work that is being done in the sector.
Creating a Sustainable Future
In the university’s recently updated mission statement, DePaul has committed to “promoting peaceful, just and equitable solutions to social and environmental challenges,” an admirable goal that we fully support and want to see happen. The university is heading in the right direction but needs the support of an organized community that has sustainability as its top priority. After all, it’s up to us to create the change we want to see. No single individual or even entity on their own will be able to solve the numerous problems presented by climate change.
As I often tell my students, we’re witnessing the infancy of the most important shift in business in human history. If you’d like to take advantage of this incredible opportunity to help shape the sustainability efforts at the Kellstadt Graduate School of Business and DePaul at large, we hope you’ll join us at our conference in May.
George Brigandi is the director of the Master of Science in Sustainable Management program at Kellstadt and is an instructor in the Department of Management & Entrepreneurship at the Driehaus College of Business. Additionally, he serves as the partnership and development manager at Current, Chicago’s water innovation hub, which is currently working on the first real-time water quality monitoring project in the U.S. to measure microbial pollutants in an urban waterway. Brigandi is a Kellstadt alumnus with an MBA in sustainable management and entrepreneurship, and holds a bachelor’s degree in anthropology and history from Purdue University. A sustainability evangelist, he frequently speaks at local, national and international events and conferences.
By Adam Piraino
Switching to Remote Work
Back in March, on what seemed like the last day before the world changed, everyone in the office had their eyes glued to the TV. We were watching the market react to COVID-19. Despite the worst recession since 1987, the S&P 500 surged more than 9%. Phones were ringing off the hook with clients worried about their portfolios, or wanting to take advantage of the situation and put their money to work.
I stood there with the team, on the 37th floor of 150 North Riverside in downtown Chicago, absorbing news of the virus. Unlike my colleagues in the room, I was an MBA student at the Kellstadt Graduate School of Business—and an intern. I had been interning at William Blair since January, working on investment, market and economic research for client meetings and pitches, and helping make investment calls and manage business operations.
Over the weekend of March 14, the director of administration informed us that our office would be working remotely. The only problem for me, as an intern, was that company policy allowed only full-time employees to use remote access on secure client information/accounts and financial platforms. So how was I to continue my work?
As rumors spread across the nation that companies were laying off or furloughing their employees, I figured I would soon be joining the newly declared “unemployed” and searching the web for another internship. However, the firm showed me what it means to take care of their employees. They understood it would take time to go through seven levels of corporate hoops, including approval from the CEO and president to grant remote access to interns, but they were determined to make it happen.
I soon found out that not only was the firm getting approval for us to have access but that they would continue paying us and would allow us to assist advisors with market/investment research. This showed me that William Blair did not view me as just a number or an intern and that they cared about my future growth.
My biggest takeaway from this situation was although we all want to work for the largest, most successful companies, it is important to understand how a company treats its employees not only in good times but also in terrible times (war, recessions, nationwide pandemics, etc.).
Staying Engaged
During my five years in the military prior to starting my DePaul MBA, we had this saying, “Flexibility is the key to air power.” We prided ourselves on being flexible, adapting to changes in a situation and making do with what we have to get the mission done. Without flexibility, we don’t bend—we break when faced with change.
Today, I’m still interning at William Blair and the experience continues to be remote.
While working remotely, there are moments when I don’t want to work, watch that lecture on economic stagnation or read that book. It is easy to find excuses to do other things and it can be tough to focus on a task until it is completed. Through this challenge I have had a revelation: there is nothing but myself standing in my way from accomplishing something. I’ve had to learn to reorganize my day and plan differently. Adapt or fail – that’s how I see it. That’s what we were taught in the military.
With years of experience in a disciplined military office setting that included everyone from a three-star general to government civilian right out of undergrad, I understand what “normal” business etiquette is. However, considering that we are in new territory when it comes to workplace etiquette in a remote setting, I feel like there is some leniency.
For instance, calling an experienced advisor might be viewed as taboo in a “normal” work environment. But since everyone has started working from home, it has often become necessary to call advisors/associates and speak directly with them about certain projects or for guidance. It is just as important in these situations to be respectful, professional and considerate when deciding between a phone call or an email.
At first, I was surprised at how much I was able to learn from a 10-minute phone or video call with someone. The best part of working from home has been the one-on-one time with advisors, peers and leadership via phone, Microsoft Teams and even text. With these conversations, I have been able to continue building personal relationships that will ultimately help me grow my network and build a book of clients for my future practice.
Looking Ahead
If I were to give advice to someone seeking or preparing for remote employment, I would say the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. The things you didn’t like about working in an office could become the very things you miss when working remotely. Don’t take anything for granted. And realize that personal responsibility and self-motivation are key to being able to successfully work in a remote setting.
Overall, I’ve been thankful for this experience of working remotely. It has opened doors to possibilities that I had not considered before, to the fact that I could potentially work for a company in Chicago but live anywhere in the world. Though a part of me prefers to work in an office, remote work has helped me understand where I can take my career and what the world can offer.
Life throws challenges at us every day – some bigger than others – but one thing we can all do is understand what we have control over. Focusing on that aspect, in this case our own attitude, mindset and actions toward others, will help us navigate not only the world of working remotely, but also life.
Adam Piraino graduated from Southern Illinois University Carbondale with a bachelor’s degree in aviation management. Prior to pursuing an MBA with a finance concentration from Kellstadt, he served 4.5 years in the U.S. Air Force as a project manager for the Global Positioning Systems Directorate. Today, he is a private wealth management intern at William Blair & Co.
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