Exchange Student Experience: Exchange finito, MBA finito!

“Life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson

My exchange session at Kellogg has come to an end, and my MBA journey finishes here too. Now I can say that my time at Kellogg will be always remembered, as a lesson learned, greatly lived.

I chose to come to Kellogg to finalise my MBA for two main reasons: experience the US education and expand my network, but the whole journey has overcome my initial expectations.

The highlights of being on exchange at Kellogg have been numerous, but I will mention four:

First, and the one I’m most proud of, I survived the polar vortex during first week! Having landed from Australia, leaving behind the start of the summer, and being from Spain, didn’t help to acclimatize to that freezing start.

Second, the welcoming and integrating environment I felt since day one. The full-time Spaniards at Kellogg organised a dinner for us during first weekend, that was a warm patriotic welcome. As well as the Kellogg Student Association, European Business Club and Asian Management Association, all of them organised events to welcome us on board.

The integration also came from the faculty and staff at Kellogg, during the first Spanish dinner, one of my teachers recognised me in the restaurant and greeted me by my name, the same person that invited the whole class to her place for a Super Bowl party, thanks Professor Pearlman!  We were also invited to Professor Kraemer ‘s place, a Kellogg legend, where we had pizza night for the end of the academic period.

Third, I enjoyed living in a little student city like Evanston, where most of your neighbours are your classmates, and you bump into each other in a café or a bar.

And last, the amazing bunch of people that became part of the Winter Exchange Program 2014, from all over the world, we created a dynamic group that made these three snowy months much more enjoyable. From cheering for the Bulls, to savouring the gastronomic goods that the city offers and enjoying the renowned blues and jazz bars in Chicago.

To all the above, thanks for sharing a lifetime experience. I will keep Thinking Bravely.

Spaniard from Valencia, paella cooker, casual runner and technology aficionado. After working in four continents and travelling in 46 countries, David Roca Ituren (@daroit) started his MBA at AGSM (Sydney) and finished it at Kellogg while on Exchange.