Chicago Winters
When I moved to Chicago from Boston last year, I figured surviving the winter would be a piece of cake, give I’d spent a few years in New England hiking through the flurries and digging my car out of snowstorms six months every year. But it turns out  the winters here in Chicago are also pretty cold. And despite having a fairly mild winter last year, this year we’re not quite as lucky. So far, there’s been a lot more snow, and the weather seems like it’s lot colder than it was last January.
Don’t get me wrong, the cold weather here in Chicago does’t come as a huge surprise. After all, Chicago has always been one of the coldest places in the country. The city sits right on top of Lake Michigan, it’s located pretty far north in the Midwestern United States, and it’s surrounded by even colder midwestern states such as Minnesota and Ohio.
Some people like to argue that wind is also why the weather feels so cold. However, one interesting fact about that is that Chicago is not called the windy city because of its wind.  The real reason for the name was actually because of the culture of the city many years ago. Specifically, Chicago has been called the “windy†city to metaphorically reflect some of the people in Chicago, since people have long considered the politicians to be full of “hot air.â€
But the running joke I’ve heard a few times in Chicago is that the city is actually starting to earn its nickname because it is actually windy, especially in the city, where there are a lot more building creating wind tunnels.  I’ve personally noticed the impact of the wind, and I’ve even broken a few umbrellas walking outside on windy days this year.
But the weather doesn’t stop people from going out in Evanston.  After all, it is essentially winter here for well over 6 months of the year, and you can’t stay inside the whole time. So there are always a lot of people outside. Kellogg students still go to places like Pete Millers and the Keg in the evenings, and they still go out to grab food at local bars and pubs in downtown Evanston.
Besides, students here at Kellogg have a lot more to worry about right now. This week officially marks the first weeks of on campus interviews. Hopefully none of us will have too many days where we have to go to interviews in the snow.
3 Comments to Chicago Winters
Why go to law school, when you are getting an MBA? Business, particularly management consulting, is your passion. The market is already saturated with practicing lawyers and newly minted law graduates. Is it really worth going to law school if you do not graduate cum laude or higher because of the heavy student loan debt incurred in the process? Are your prepared to sit for the state bar exam? California or New York make the most sense. The pass rate for California is below 80 and it is 3 days. The critical and analytical thinking skills can be developed from other mechanisms, aside from earning a law degree. Do you love writing briefs and memos of points and authorities?
[…] prepared for recruiting season. Kellogg ’12 Jeremy discussed Chicago’s winter weather, noting that this year already felt colder than the last. IMD ’11 Howie completed his first week of classes and took a photograph of his student […]
@Davey Hi Davey, thanks for your comment here. Couple of things to consider.
1. In my view, the best way to think about doing a JD-MBA is by doing a cost-benefit analysis. Some of the benefits of the joint program are having more options, having different ways of thinking, increasing your networks, intellectual challenge, unique professional experience, and a knowledge base that’s highly valuable at the executive management level (ie many top CEOs have law degrees). On the other hand, there are also costs associated with the joint program like you mentioned, such as more time in school, possible uncertainty from employers about which direction you might want to go, more loans on average, and less time at each school individually. In the end, the results of the cost benefit analysis will turn out a little differently for everyone, depending not only on career focus but also on personal situation at the time of application.
2. The passing rate for California is atypical, as it is much lower than the rates of other states. If you go to law school and put in the work, then odds are much higher that you’ll pass the bar.
3. In terms of “writing briefs and memos”, some people practice litigation for a living and are not only very happy in their careers but are also making a huge impact. See Kathleen Sullivan as one example: http://www.quinnemanuel.com/attorneys/sullivan-kathleen-m.aspx On the other hand, there are also a lot of lawyers who aren’t quite as happy as Ms. Sullivan, but that’s a dichotomy that happens in just about every industry.
Good luck if you’re considering applying to MBA programs.
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January 19, 2011