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No One Goes to Campus Anymore

It’s true. Most of my second year classmates at Kellogg don’t spend as much time in Jacobs these days. You don’t see them in the LSR or atrium as much. They don’t have as many group meetings. And sometimes, they don’t even show up for Kellogg events. And it isn’t just because people are busy but also because the MBA version of senior-itis is kicking in. That students are spending more time outside of Kellogg during other things. And this all came to mind because a few weeks ago, I realized the other day that I have not seen a fair number of my good friends at Kellogg so far.

This quarter, I’ve seen a bit less of some friends than I did last year. Even some of my really good friends that I spent a lot of time with last year.  One reason is because some people are spending a lot more time recruiting now, since second year recruiting happens in the fall. Others are spending more time with small groups of friends, so they do things outside of the Kellogg circle. And others are trying their hand at going to the city more often, especially now before it gets too cold.

In addition to Kellogg, I also realized the other day that this quarter I’ve met a lot of new people over the past few week. People from different places. Students from different sections. And people who I’ve never seen before. Some of them are 1Ys. Others PTers. And others, new 2Ys thathave only been at Kellogg for a couple of weeks.

Over time I’ve come to realize that there is a trend that happens every year at Kellogg. That the things you do at any given time are a reflection of your stage in the business school cycle. That first years have a routine that they get into. Second years have a different routine. And that JD-MBAs and 1Ys have their unique routines. And all of them change at different stages in the program.

One part of everyone’s routine is spending less time at Kellogg as time goes on. Instead, as time progresses, they spend their free time outside of school with friends, in the city and traveling more frequently.

This emphasizes the importance of creating friendships with people from your class earlier in the first year.  Because in the second year it could prove to be a bit harder. You have to spend more time with them to understand their personal stories and learn more about their career goals. You have to work with them on hard assignments since being in the trenches is a good way to make connections. And you have to have longer discussions with them to see who they really are at the core.

Likewise, it also pays off to do the same thing with kids from different classes. Because at Jacobs now, there are more first years than students from my year. So knowing them comes in handy when I’m on campus.

In business school, where things move quickly, where technology disrupts all of our lives, and where hundreds of people in each class and not enough time to make friends with most of them, establishing some of these deeper relationships is more critical than ever before.

Because at some point, you come to find, that with second years “no one goes to campus anymore.”