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Countdown to Summer in Chicago

With just two weeks before summer, all of my friends in MBA programs are finally counting down until the end of the school year. First year students are counting down until their last finals and first day at the summer employer. Second year students are counting down until they finish their last class and they get a few weeks off before moving out of Evanston to start working full time. And second year JD-MBA students are counting down to the summer because it’s the first w’e’ll finally not have to take classes.

At long last, the summer season is finally approaching. Fortunately for those staying local, Chicago is traditionally regarded as one of the best places to spend the summer. Not only is the sun out and the weather warm, but there’s also a lot of people out and about downtown, a lot of happy hours in the city, lots of events and concerts in the parks, and of friendly people ready to have a good time.

Further, for Kellogg students, staying in Chicago also means that we don’t have to move. This is particularly beneficial considering most of us don’t have much time off between our last final exam and first day of work. It’s also beneficial because subletting your place is hard in Evanston, so many people working in other locations end up subsidizing some of their summer rent in Evanston.

But even for my classmates that won’t be staying in Chicago, the summer will be a lot of fun for them as well. Whether they go to San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, or Minneapolis, there will certainly be a critical mass of Kellogg students (and top MBA students) in a variety of geographies. So the summer will give students a chance to meet new friends, explore new cities, make a little bit of money and enjoy their time without the pressures of school assignments.

As for me, I’ll be staying in Chicago this summer, splitting my time between a law firm and a consulting firm in downtown.  Splitting isn’t necessarily the norm, as this year, I’m the only JD-MBA splitting my time between two firms, but either way, I am looking forward to it. Likewise, I’m also planning to take a class this summer to help lighten the load at the law school for next year. A couple of my JD-MBA classmates are doing the same thing.

But today, it’s still a little hard to think that far ahead. Not only do we all still have final exams, papers and projects lingering but we also want to spend time with our good friends before going our separate ways for the summer.  Especially this weekend, which is Memorial Day weekend.

Stay tuned to hear more about how the spring quarter finishes up. And stay tuned to hear more about spending the summer in Chicago.