All work and no play makes us all dull boys and girls. Fortunately, despite the coursework, recruiting, group projects and activities there are still plenty of options for fun. Sure, you can treat business school as a 2 year vacation (and yes, some people do) but your social life can serve as an important outlet to distress, build relationships, and take your mind off of the daily life of business school. To talk through the social scene, Izzy Park (Wharton, ’15) shares with us how you can get the most out of your social life while in business school
Name: Izzy Park
School: University of Pennsylvania (Wharton)
Year: 2015
Here’s what you need to know
It’s easy to stereotype MBAs, we often poke fun at ourselves too. People often think of the MBA program as a two-year vacation, and it’s not entirely incorrect. There are more opportunities to party and travel the world than you know what to do with. The program is not unlike other graduate programs – you’ll form social circles and be constantly aware of your personal brand. As a professional school however, I would say our social life is centered largely around career interests. Students interested in consulting will generally stick together and those who want to go into banking will naturally gravitate towards people who self select into those circles. What makes us different from other graduate programs is that all of us come in work experience under their belt. We understand the value of networking and social capital. Getting to know your classmates on a personal level is a lot of fun but can also be rewarding professionally. I don’t mean that in a transactional way. Your classmates have also thought deeply about how to approach problems in a new way and getting to see them in action is another way to learn more about what makes you you.
This is often the most cited regret from alums – that they didn’t do enough social events and get to know more people. I definitely agree with them now too as a recent alum. Things come and go in life but people are the most important aspect in life. Going to social events allows you to acquire a diverse network. It is also really fun to learn about your peers, you realize how accomplished they are in their respective fields and it is inspiring. They make you work harder.
Not everyone goes out to drink and party. Many join interest groups such as boxing or chocolate club. Once you get to business school there is definitely that fear of missing out on things (FOMO.) You’ll probably go to every single event and eventually realize which ones you want to go to and invest your time in. It’s a process that everyone goes through. Students who are married or have children can join the Partners club as well. You’re really in control of your social life. Don’t do anything you don’t want to do.
Advice
You’re going to have to make some tough decisions and know what you want. Going out into the business world without knowing how to decide where to spend your time is a huge failing on your part. Consider it training for the real world.
I made my own events. I founded the Data Visualization Hackathon from a personal interest and a way to get others more knowledgeable about analytics. If you don’t see something that suits you, go do something about it. It is the best thing about Wharton, your experience is truly what you make of it.
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