Members of the Booth Outdoors Club, Omkar Bhave, Henry Berkemeier, Chris Goebbert, and Lily Schroeder attended Chicago Booth’s annual Evening/Weekend Ski Trip earlier this year and shared insights from one of the most highly-attended and talked about events at Booth. Here’s what they have to say about the Ski Trip, along with some thoughts on their experience being in the Booth Outdoors Club student group:
Omkar Bhave is originally from India and moved to the US for undergrad. After holding a business development and strategy role at a medium-sized chemical company in St. Louis for 2.5 years, Omkar decided he wanted to work in early stage innovation. While looking for such roles, he came across a posting at UChicago’s Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. Once he started researching more about the role, he learned about the culture and academic rigor at Chicago Booth and immediately fell in love. He applied and successfully got the job, and six months later applied to our Evening MBA Program.
Henry Berkemeier is from Michigan and studied Industrial Engineering for undergrad at Purdue University. While at Purdue, Henry spent four years working on a startup – which solidified his interest in entrepreneurship and business development. After graduating, he started working at Ford Motor Company in their data analytics rotational program. Henry then realized his strengths and interests aligned most with business development and strategy. Chicago Booth was at the top of his list due to the flexible curriculum and entrepreneurship opportunities offered, like the New Venture Challenge, which Henry competed in this past spring.
Chris Goebbert is from the Chicago suburbs and went to University of Wisconsin-Madison for undergrad, where he studied Mechanical Engineering. After graduation, Chris moved back to the Chicagoland area and began designing semi trucks at Navistar. After doing engineering work for nearly a decade, Chris decided he wanted to pivot into more of a business role in strategy or operations. His quantitative background drew him to Booth and he’s enjoyed taking classes in fields he hadn’t studied before.
Lily Schroeder also grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and always imagined herself landing in Chicago long-term. Lily went to Washington University in St. Louis, where she majored in Economics and Chinese. After graduating, Lily went into finance and found herself wanting to keep learning as she furthered her career, which brought her to pursuing an MBA at Chicago Booth.
All: Booth Outdoors is a student group that expands the MBA experience and strengthens the Booth community through adventures beyond the classroom into the great outdoors.
All: Every year about 150 - 200 students embark on the annual E/W Ski trip together. While there is a great deal of skiing involved, we capitalize on the time we have together by organizing many social events. This past ski trip, we had something planned everyday, which allowed for students to really get to know their peers in a fun and relaxed environment. Typically social events have themes and oftentimes students go above and beyond to dress up!
Tell us more about the annual Evening/Weekend Ski Trip.
Lily: The ski trip has by far been my favorite social experience at Booth (probably biased here). Everyone is truly able to deepen their connections with other Boothies day after day. It is refreshing seeing Boothies in a different setting outside of the classroom and getting to know a different side of everyone!
Henry: The ski trip is unique because you’re getting to know people over the course of several days—not just a single event. With ~150 people on the trip, it’s a great opportunity to meet new people, spend time with existing friends, and enjoy the great outdoors.
What makes the E/W Ski Trip so special?
Omkar: A memorable moment for me was the event where we announced the location of the Ski Trip. The event was held at Timmy O’Tooles (a favorite after-class spot for Part-Time Boothies) and a big group of Booth students huddled around us in one corner of the bar as we made the big announcement. I was incredibly happy to see the excitement among students as we announced the location—Heavenly Mountain Resort in Lake Tahoe. It was a great event that allowed me to get to know my fellow co-chairs better and connect with several students who have since become good friends.
Share with us a memorable moment from your time in Booth Outdoors Club.
Chris: The first day of our ski trip to Heavenly was a very memorable moment for me. After months of planning and waiting, the trip was finally here. As soon as I landed and checked-in to the hotel, the fun and socializing began. It’s always exhilarating getting to see all of my friends and classmates in a more relaxed setting outside of the classroom. Everyone’s energy was at an all-time high as we geared up to hit the mountains the next morning!
Omkar: The people at Chicago Booth are very genuine and humble, and everyone takes time to pay-it-forward to one another. Since I started the Evening MBA Program, I have been amazed by how much time and effort the students, staff, and faculty spend ensuring each other's success. It's a truly collaborative environment where people care about each other and want to help one another become the best version of themselves.
Chris: Get involved in student organizations and go to as many social events as you can. The Booth community welcomes everyone with open arms and everyone is here to help you grow as a professional, as well as an individual. There are bound to be others who are interested in the same things as you, and many others with diverse backgrounds and experiences that you can learn from.
Henry: The best way to find community is to get involved outside of the classroom. There are plenty of clubs to join and events to attend—in and out of Chicago. No need to sign up for everything, but find time in your schedule to do more than just show up for class. You won’t regret it.
We hope you gathered more insights as to what the student experience is like at Chicago Booth, outside of the classroom. If you found this blog interesting, we encourage you to check out the Booth Outdoors Club, along with our other student stories on our blog page.
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