The Kellogg Live-In Experience – Mellie Chow
The Kellogg Live-in week has been the best two weeks of the program so far! And without a doubt, the high-point and cornerstone of what the program has to offer. You cannot even fully comprehend the power, depth and breadth of the Kellogg Global Network until you experience the Live-in week for yourself. It was like Club Med for the intellectually curious and accomplished. Let me try to paint the picture for you…
The Live-in week is set within the breathtaking Evanston campus grounds and community. The facilities were incredibly accommodating with excellent food choices, snacks a plenty, and virtually nightly cocktail receptions for added networking opportunities.
The classroom instruction and content met the usual Kellogg high-bar and was table stakes at this point. It was comprised of a combination of experiential learning through team-based simulations, case studies, and lecture frameworks that we have grown accustomed to.
The nearly nightly team meetings and workload got pretty intense. This combined with all the social activities then became a great testament to the amount of collaboration, coordination and positive energy that was shared.
Yet the focus and value of this experience was truly all about the network. I met really great people and definitely gained some life-long friends, forged lasting bonds, and created epic memories. I went into the week with an “all-in” mindset to participate in as much of the planned activities and maximize my time and exposure to the Global Network. It was a ton of fun, but also incredibly exhausting. Some of my best connections happened at the most unexpected times. And to say that the days were long is an understatement: they were action-packed with networking, course content, mindful learning, and experiential fun. Non-stop activities! I don’t think I’ve had that much fun and been so exhausted all at the same time since Core Analyst school with Accenture at the very start of my career. The most eye-opening thing is the self-realization that we’re no longer in our 20’s , that sleep deprivation cumulates over time, and that we require more time for recovery now.
My main takeaway and observation was how fortunate we are that the Kellogg-Schulich program delivers the greatest value. This program is also like no other in Canada in terms of the experience and the international opportunities it offers to its’ students. And with that, I am now looking forward to school being back in session at Schulich!
Read more of Mellie’s blog posts:
Kellogg-Schulich EMBA Residence Week to Module 2 – Sept. 6th