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.
As Master in Business Analytics student Suprito Biswas sees it, business analytics brings together two distinct skillsets.
“You have to be well-versed in data,” he said, “and you have to have business acumen.”
This duality drew Biswas to study at DePaul’s Kellstadt Graduate School of Business. It also encapsulates the approach Biswas and classmate Shafeeqa Syeda took to competing in – and winning – the 2023 Data 4 Good case competition.
“Suprito’s from a technical background; I’m from a managing background,” said Syeda, an interior designer who runs a nonprofit focused on empowering women in business. “I think that was the perfect blend and that made us an amazing team. We knew what our roles were; there was no clash of interests.”
Hosted by Purdue University, the Data 4 Good competition is a two-month-long national challenge with more than $45,000 in prize money at stake. The charge: Use a large language model — the form of artificial intelligence at play in tools like Chat GPT – to extract relevant information from health care records without sacrificing accuracy.
Biswas and Syeda christened their team K3. They were drawn in, they said, by the chance to apply their skills as business analysts to a real-world context. Guidance from Kellstadt faculty was key to their success.
“Professor [Sina] Ansari played a major role in guiding us through the project,” said Syeda. An associate professor in the management and entrepreneurship department, Ansari has experience in the health care sector. “He was able to help us understand things we wouldn’t have thought of otherwise.”
The team put considerable effort into ensuring their solution kept sensitive data secure.
“Understanding the importance of data security — as a business analyst, that’s the most important thing you need to know,” said Syeda. “Someone’s trusting you with information that’s dear to them. You have to be really careful.”
Project management skills were just as important — another area where Syeda credits support from Kellstadt faculty, this time Assistant Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship Khadija Ali Vakeel.
Thanks to this support and their skills, team K3 emerged as regional champions in the Midwest: a region that comprised nearly 40% of the competition as a whole.
“Once we won the region,” Biswas said, “we knew we could potentially win the entire thing.”
Win they did.
For both students, the national win — an honor that comes with $6,500 in prize money — affirmed their passion for their chosen field of study.
“No matter what field you’re in, you eventually come around to business analytics,” said Syeda. “This competition has given us massive experience when it comes to understanding a different industry altogether.”
Syeda plans to continue integrating AI into her course of study; Biswas is considering enrolling in health care-related electives.
Both students hope that their success will blaze a trail for other Kellstadt students.
“We want students to know there’s a lot of opportunities out there,” said Syeda. Sharing their story, Syeda said, “feels like our way of giving back to other students so they don’t have to reinvent the wheel.”
“We want students to understand that they can do this too,” said Syeda. “We did this alongside being full-time students and being board members of student organizations, the Kellstadt Marketing Group and the Kellstadt Business Analytics Organization. There was a lot of stage-managing; there was a lot of balancing multiple roles. But this is not something to get scared of. You do get a little overwhelmed. This shows that other students can do this too.”
As much as data analysis, business acumen and project management skills all played a role in the team’s win, the biggest takeaway for both students was the same.
“Friendship is what drove us to this competition,” said Syeda, “and what kept us going.
“The fact that Shafeeqa and I had a lot of trust in each other is extremely important,” echoed Biswas. “We each trusted that, whatever we were struggling with, the other person could solve it. We became much closer friends because of this experience.”
Meet Sam Kreft, a 2020 graduate of the Master of Science in Economics program at the Kellstadt Graduate School of Business. Kreft moved to Chicago from England six years ago. Today, she works at Ankura Consulting, a global consulting firm, as an economic litigation consultant. We sat down with Kreft and asked her about her experiences as an international student at Kellstadt, how her studies prepared her for her career, and what advice she has for others considering leaving their home country to study at DePaul.
Where is home for you?
I spent most of my life in a small town in England, but when someone asks me today where home is, the answer isn’t so simple. I moved to Chicago six years ago with my son to live with my now husband. It was a big adjustment and I wasn’t sure how much I would like city living.
Now I can’t imagine a home outside of Chicago. DePaul has been a big part of that. Having classes on both the Loop and Lincoln Park campuses really allowed me to explore different parts of the city.
What was it like for you coming to DePaul as an international student?
Coming in as an international student was intimidating. Degrees in the U.S. are structured completely differently from those back in the U.K., so I wasn’t sure how I was going to navigate selecting classes. Thankfully, DePaul had advising sessions before the quarter started and the advisors were extremely helpful. They showed me how to navigate the various online resources and helped me build a plan. Also, I absolutely adored the online interface where you search and register for classes. It made everything so much easier.
What are some challenges you faced and how did DePaul support you?
Going back into the classroom as a mature student was a bit intimidating for me. DePaul’s small class sizes helped make my transition easier because they created better opportunities for collaborating with peers and really getting to know everyone. I also liked the location of the Loop campus. I knew I wouldn’t be living downtown so it was a good opportunity to get to know the area I would hopefully be working in after graduation.
Another struggle I faced as an international student was finding internships. Many companies are looking for someone who is a potential hire when they graduate and they do not sponsor individuals for visas. DePaul was instrumental in keeping me motivated when I wasn’t hearing back from employers and giving me the skills to present myself. The DePaul Career Center was an excellent resource for résumé and cover letter preparation, career fair opportunities and interview practice.
I also had professors that took time out of their day to do mock interviews with me and many of the classes I took would emphasize the need to network. That’s what ultimately got me my first interview! I had to interview a professional for an assignment. Instead of choosing an easy route, I decided to reach out to management in a company that particularly interested me, and they agreed to meet. We kept in touch, and they offered me an internship the following summer.
What did you choose to study business?
When I started at DePaul, I was planning on going to law school after and knew that business was an excellent precursor to that. I didn’t decide on my major until I took the course, Principles of Microeconomics. It absolutely fascinated me. I enjoyed the way it taught me to think outside the box and challenged my thought processes. I am glad that being part of the business school at DePaul enables you to experience so many different classes, or I never would have even contemplated a master’s in economics.
What did you enjoy most about your DePaul experience?
DePaul was such a happy time in my life. I loved the community and wealth of opportunities. Specifically in the Economics department, I attended fortnightly seminars by visiting professionals discussing their current research, participated in the Economics student conference, where we had the opportunity to share our own research and hear other students present theirs, and I was fortunate to become a graduate assistant to professors in my final year, assisting with tutoring for econ classes and grading assignments. All of this enabled me to build a network and build different skills.
Tell us about your current job.
I graduated in June 2020, which was a tough year to graduate. I was extremely fortunate that I had been proactive with applying and interviewing for positions the prior year and got an offer from Ankura Consulting in February 2020 to be an economic litigation consultant. Most of my work involves analyzing data for various legal actions, from overdraft fee litigation to healthcare disputes.
How did your Kellstadt experience prepare you for your career?
Many of the technical skills I use on a daily basis were completely new to me when I started at Ankura, but my foundation for learning those skills came from my various classes at Kellstadt. I was able to pick up different coding languages easily because I knew how to approach the puzzle. I feel like there is a lot of emphasis on having experience with certain software programs, when in reality, the more critical skill is the ability to dissect a problem and formulate a plan to create a solution.
Beyond that, Kellstadt taught me the importance of networking, which has helped me to build a lot of relationships outside of my team at work. This has given me the chance to work on different kinds of projects.
What advice do you have for international students interested in studying business at DePaul?
Make good use of the DePaul Career Center and the Kellstadt Career Management Center; go to their career fairs, make connections there, and utilize Handshake, which is an online job site where you can search for open positions. Additionally, do your research on the different visa options for when you graduate and for internships. I did not look into this enough and it made things more difficult for me.
Last but not least, build your network from day one! I cannot count the number of opportunities I had from going to alumni events, building friendships with peers and professors and going to the multitude of extracurricular events that DePaul organizes.
By Jaclyn Lansbery
As of fall 2020, the Kellstadt Graduate School of Business attracted the second largest number of new students with international visas compared to other DePaul graduate programs. One of the main reasons international students choose Kellstadt is DePaul’s connection to the world-class business community in Chicago.
But moving away from your home country is no small task. DePaul helps international students ease this transition by providing supportive programs and resources, such as personalized advising and orientations and student engagement opportunities.
Below, we talked with Mallika Nayak, an international student who moved from Dehli, India to pursue an MBA in Strategy, Execution and Valuation at Kellstadt. After earning a bachelor’s degree from Amity University Noida, Nayak worked as a corporate recruiter for a year, hiring for IT and finance positions for companies like KPMG, PwC, S&P Global, British Telecom and Samsung.
Why did you decide to apply to and attend the Kellstadt Graduate School of Business?
Mallika Nayak
Selecting a university as an international student is a very crucial process because the return on investment and credibility we look for is very important. A couple of reasons I personally was drawn to the Kellstadt Graduate School of Business is its location. The university is located in the heart of Chicago and is surrounded by some of the top companies in the world. Both campuses are minutes away from downtown. Chicago is also home to beautiful skyscraper buildings, delicious restaurants and Fortune 500 companies. It’s also a great tourist destination – there’s Michigan Avenue, the Chicago Riverwalk, Millennium Park, the Bean and more.
Another reason I chose DePaul is the quality of education. Nearly all of my professors have previously worked or are still working in the field of their teaching, which gives students an idea of how to apply theory to practice. I connected with a few of my professors before orientation and they made me feel so comfortable and gave me valuable insights about the university and the courses. I also spoke to several international alumni of the university and the one thing I kept hearing was DePaul’s quality of education.
What are your ultimate career goals and how do you hope to use your Kellstadt degree to achieve those goals?
I plan on working in a management consulting or IT firm here in Chicago. I want to work in the field of product management and analysis with a focus on technology. To achieve these goals, I plan to leverage Kellstadt’s extensive alumni and employer network, and take advantage of DePaul’s Career Center that conducts about four to five career fairs every month. If you apply yourself and take advantage of these opportunities, then you can certainly build a good network as well as understand the roles and positions companies are hiring for.
What has your experience at DePaul been like as an international student? What resources have helped you? Did you join any clubs/organizations to connect with other students?
Mallika on the day she first arrived in Chicago to begin her journey at Kellstadt.
My experience here at DePaul as an international student has been very rewarding and welcoming. From the students to the professors, it feels as though everyone wants you to succeed. The professors are also very friendly and supportive – they have been my No. 1 guides here. The DePaul Career Center, International Student & Scholar Services and the Student Accounts team all understand the process of moving from one country to another. Their support has made the entire process very smooth that I haven’t felt homesick for once in these last two months.
To connect with other students, I have joined four clubs at DePaul – the Kellstadt Marketing Group, the Kellstadt Finance Association, the DePaul South Asian Student Association and the Data Analytics club.
What advice would you give to an international student who wants to attend graduate business school in the U.S. but is intimidated by the process?
Selecting a business school in the U.S can be daunting. Selecting a business school during the pandemic is even more challenging. The first thing you should start with is self-assessment –understanding your strengths and weaknesses is very important. Mark your short- and long-term goals and search for the program that caters to your desired goals. Select at least six to seven universities that check all the boxes on your checklist.
The second most important thing is to understand the budgeting and scholarship process for each university. Studying outside of your home country makes a huge hole in your pocket so you have to be careful where you invest your money and you should seriously consider the return on investment. Universities usually scan your profile for initial scholarships, so speak to the university about on-campus employment like graduate assistant positions, teaching assistant positions and research assistantships. These opportunities help you to connect with your peers and professors, which will contribute to your learning and growth.
Lastly, be confident during your visa process. The visa officer only wants to check to see if you are a serious student whose goal is to focus on your coursework.
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