By Nick Schmitt
DePaul University recently announced that all spring courses will be held online, due to the Coronavirus outbreak. Online classes grant us a lot of flexibility to learn when, where and how we want. And while they can help us balance school with our professional and personal lives, they can also create their own challenges.
As a student at the Kellstadt Graduate School of Business, I’ve taken a few online courses during my time here. Each experience gave me a little more insight into how to do well in this unique learning format. Here are a few tips to help you prepare and excel in your online courses:
Manage your time wisely
Without a set time and place for class, it can be easy to push off required assignments and readings. Setting aside a window of time each week to go through your lecture and readings is essential to keep pace in an online format. Utilize your calendar apps and take advantage of reminder functions on your phone to stay on top of your schedule. I found it handy in my online classes to set regular deadlines to accomplish my weekly tasks. This works great for significant papers and group projects, too. Tackle a little bit every week to make those big assignments more manageable. After the first week or so you’ll find a strategy that works best for you.
Create a workspace
In our busy lives we’re inundated with distractions, so it’s important to have a workspace specifically for your studies. As tempting as it is to have the TV playing in the background, you’ll need a place where you can concentrate and condition yourself to stay on task. A quiet area free from interruptions is ideal. A home office is great to separate yourself from family/friends and signal to them it’s time for you to hit the books. If you choose a library or café, make sure you have access to a power outlet and reliable internet.
Use your resources
Treat your online class just as you would a traditional class. It’s still critical to take notes on lectures and readings to help you learn the material. You don’t want to be wasting time searching through a lecture video for details on a concept you can’t fully grasp. Notes can be a valuable resource to review and help you prepare for assignments/exams. Also, don’t be afraid to ask your professor and classmates for help or guidance. With the isolation of an online class it’s common to forget they’re there for advice.
Take time off
The flexibility of online courses can be a double-edged sword. It can be tempting to get ahead if you have some free time. Resist the urge and take those moments to relax. Just as you set aside time to accomplish class responsibilities, schedule moments when you can push anxiety and stress to the back burner. Taking these intermittent breaks allows the brain to process class concepts and recharge.
Nick Schmitt is pursuing his MBA at the Kellstadt Graduate School of Business with a focus on marketing. He was a graduate assistant in DePaul’s Marketing Department and a founding member of its Marketing Leaders Community. Schmitt earned a BA in journalism and mass communication at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and is currently an intern at Constellation Brands.
By Graeme Russell
In early February I attended the University of Illinois Geis MBA Strategy Case competition with three other Kellstadt Graduate School of Business students. The experience was exciting, intense and exhausting. Our case challenge was to strategize ways to address the growing user privacy and content curation concerns that Facebook is experiencing. Our team had 24 hours to prepare and deliver recommendations to four judges, who role played as Facebook representatives. We competed against nine other university teams and had 20 minutes to present our recommendations.
Though my team didn’t walk away with the grand prize, we did leave the case competition with some valuable takeaways. Here are some things I learned:
The importance of storytelling
Ironically, if there is one thing the Game of Thrones finale got right, it’s the importance of a good story. That’s just as true for case competitions as it is for kings and queens. Despite judges informing us that we had the most innovative and feasible recommendation, we did not advance to the next round because we couldn’t get them to view the problem the same way we did.
You could have the greatest idea, but if your story isn’t clear, your message won’t reach your audience.
Use your time wisely
Time pressure is a big factor in case competitions, so time management is crucial. If you are given 20 minutes to present, assume you have only 15. Be prepared to field questions in the middle of your presentation.
One thing we learned in the graduate management course “Managing for Effective and Ethical Organizational Behavior” is the value of setting an agenda and establishing goals and processes. We got so caught up in the ideation phase (which gave us a great recommendation… it just didn’t pay off) that by the time we were putting our idea into a professional recommendation we had started to burn out. Don’t get bogged down in the research phase of the case competition. Instead, focus on the deliverable.
Pay attention to details
We put more effort into the delivery than the look of our power point slides. The finalists, however, took the time to align their slide’s aesthetic with Facebook design elements. These small details went a long way and helped to convey preparedness and professionalism.
We brainstormed ways to improve for next time and came up with the idea to have a skeleton deck before receiving the case, as there are fundamentals to any good slide deck no matter the topic.
Think about the action steps of your recommendation
It is one thing to have a good idea and another to make it a reality. Executives want actionable recommendations and a process for how to implement them, and judges want to see your ability to consider the full life cycle of a project. Here are a few questions you should ask yourself as you formulate your recommendation:
- How will you roll out the recommendation?
- How long will it take?
- What risks are there and how will you mitigate them?
- What is the bottom-line impact?
Overall, this first case competition experience gave me insight into the expectations I must exceed to excel at any professional services firm. I can now recognize and perform a quality presentation, setting me on the path to confidently persuade and capture the attention of an audience. I look forward to the next one!
Graeme Russell is an MBA student at DePaul’s Kellstadt Graduate School of Business. He graduated from the University of Nottingham with a Master’s of Science in Physics. Awarded three international research scholarships, Graeme has had a lasting impact on medical and climate research around the world. He is passionate about using his quantitative background to support strategic decision-making.
By Meghrie Babikian
Alright, Blue Demons. Let’s be candid here – I’m not a big fan of New Year’s resolutions. They feel like they have to start and end with the year, and it feels like once you break one, it’s game over. That’s too much pressure! As young professionals, we have a lot going on. Whether we’re working full-time and taking classes in the evenings, or if we’re full-time students and working part-time, the grind never stops.
Kellstadt ensures you work hard for your degree in all the best ways, but the last thing we need is more pressure. So forget resolutions – let’s instead set intentions. The less pressure we place on ourselves at the start of the year, the easier it is to hold ourselves accountable.
Here are some intentions I will be setting to help manage my overflowing plate as a full-time MBA student and graduate assistant at Kellstadt:
Twelve books a year: read one new book a month. Being a student makes it hard to read for leisure. We always have so many reading assignments to complete for classes. And let’s be honest, those reading assignments – although insightful – aren’t always the easiest reads. I’m giving myself the power to pick some writing that I want to read. First book? Shoe Dog by Phil Knight.
Hit the gym, hit the books: strong body, strong mind. I’m a huge proponent of staying active and healthy. The better you feel physically, the better you will also feel mentally, and vice versa. I’m setting an intention to hit strong workouts 5 days a week, followed by a focused study hour. After all, they say you’re always mentally more alert after a workout!
Social Media who? Listen, we all know we spend way too much time on this, and nothing is special or sacred anymore because anyone can access it at any time. At the end of 2019 I gave myself a test run and got off of all of my social media accounts in the hopes of focusing more on my studies and finals. What I didn’t expect to find was how much happier I was without it! This year, I’m intending to drop the social media fully, focus on myself and my studies, and cherish special moments and human interactions.
Family, friends, faith: filling up my cup. Being a full-time graduate student and having a job is a lot of hard work. As important as it is to focus on studies, I recognize that none of that focus matters if you don’t have a solid support system. For me, that comes from my family, my friends and my faith. My intention this year? Prioritize the trifecta as much as possible, and fill my cup all the way up.
Manifesting the magic: your vibe attracts your tribe. We’ve heard it all before but let’s make it happen this year! I really do believe that the energy you put into the universe will act as a magnet and find its way back to you one way or another. This year, my intention is to manifest the things that I want to keep in my life: health, happiness, success in school and work, and good friendships.
There’s no better day to start than today, right now. So… what are your intentions, Blue Demons?
Meghrie Babikian graduated from the University of California Irvine with a Bachelor of Music degree, and holds a Master of Music degree with an emphasis in piano performance, from Roosevelt University. She is currently pursuing an MBA at DePaul and is co-founder and co-president of Kellstadt’s Women in Business student organization.
By Dana Fitzmorris
Kellstadt’s Fall 2019 Career Conference on Nov. 2 did not disappoint. This event is hosted twice a year by the Career Management team at Kellstadt to provide an opportunity for students to network with business leaders in the Chicago community and gain career insights through workshops and panel discussions.
The conference kicked off with keynote speaker (and DePaul alumnus) Martin McGovern who talked about the realities of job searching. Martin is a coach at Career Therapy who helps clients with the emotional and promotional aspects of professional development. In his talk, Martin provided three helpful tips for graduate students when looking for jobs:
1. Focus on meeting people
The most valuable use of your time when job searching is connecting with individuals already working in your desired industry. Not only does this broaden your network, but also helps you understand job responsibilities with different companies. Most people are happy to share their experiences and help you learn.
2. Leverage your existing network
When applying for jobs, submitting your resume online should not be your only step. It is crucial to utilize your network and meet professionals face-to-face because personal relationships are typically what help you secure a job. Only 20% of people land a job from just an opening found online.
3. Maximize your use of LinkedIn
Many students create LinkedIn profiles once and never login again. This is a mistake. LinkedIn has extensive search capabilities to help find mutual connections with those working for a certain company or industry. By using the People Search feature on LinkedIn and expanding all filter options, you can generate search results based on granular criteria like past employers, geographic location and specialty services.
The second part of the conference involved three Q&A panel breakout sessions, where students could choose whichever session they found most applicable. The first session focused on using your graduate degree to advance your current career, the second talked about changing your career and the third was centered on careers in consulting. The panelists were honest and open with their responses to our questions, helping paint a clear picture about their industry and career expectations.
My favorite part of the Career Conference was receiving advice from the panelists about what grad students can be doing right now to prepare for the job market. Gaining applicable experience through internships, practicing interview skills with sample case problems and behavioral questions, and using DePaul alumni as resources were all tips they offered.
Kellstadt’s Career Conference helped me think about my career goals and develop a plan to reach them. One of my biggest takeaways was the importance of your network when job searching. The event supported this notion, as we were able to connect with Chicago employers and DePaul alumni at the breakout sessions. The Career Conference encouraged me to continue growing my professional network, and I am already looking forward to next year’s event.
Dana Fitzmorris graduated from Texas Christian University with a bachelor’s degree in finance and management. She is currently pursuing an MBA at DePaul, with a focus on entrepreneurship. She is co-founder of Kellstadt’s Women in Business student organization.
Joseph Babajan
Joseph Babajan served in the U.S. Marine Corps as a pilot for 10 years before joining DePaul’s MBA program at the Kellstadt Graduate School of Business. His travels as an aviator took him to Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, East Timor, Thailand, Japan, Chile and various other places around the globe. Today, pursuing the MBA’s international business concentration, Babajan is working toward an international career in the defense and aerospace industry.
Why did you decide to study business?
I had achieved my life-long dream of serving as an aviator in the U.S. Marine Corps. I got to work as a liaison officer and flight planner in many international locations and that inspired me to want to conduct business in the international arena. I felt that I could couple my unique leadership experiences and technical knowledge with business and achieve great things. I was drawn to business due to the teamwork and leadership nature it entails. Solving fast-paced and very complex problems was a daily feature of my career in the Marine Corps, so I was easily attracted to the problem-solving aspects of business.
How is the college experience different for veterans?
College is definitely experienced differently by veterans. Through their time in the military, veterans collect a highly unique set of experiences. Serving in the military propels a person into a realm of great responsibility with global scope. These experiences have a profound impact on veterans and provide them a rich set of skills and ideas that they bring to their educational programs after serving.
What advice do you give veterans on how their training could apply to studying and pursuing careers in business?
Serving in the military trains individuals to serve as part of a greater team and to lead that team. Veterans, whether they realize it, have already accomplished great feats of leadership when compared to their peers. Veterans also had great responsibility and accountability while serving. Whether it was being in charge of a $90 million aircraft with 30 lives on board or leading a platoon, we veterans were entrusted with a level of responsibility few ever experience. This training and discipline can and must be channeled into the realm of academia and business. Veterans are so highly sought after by businesses because of their incomparable experiences.
How was your experience transitioning to DePaul as a veteran student?
DePaul has been a wonderful experience and an exciting transition for me as I have shifted out of active duty. The veteran community at DePaul welcomed me from day one, and even before that, as I was already talking to veterans here a year before I started the program. They helped me get my benefits and paperwork in order and answered questions I had about life and academics at DePaul. This diverse group of people has served as a useful resource to me and really helped to ease my transition back to school.
Learn more about DePaul’s MBA in international business.
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