From the Dean's Desk: My Recent Trip to India

I recently got back from almost three weeks traveling to Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Agra, and Delhi. In each of these cities I met with lots of great prospective students to answer questions about our graduate programs and offer conditional letters of admission to qualified students who want to study at the Stuart School of Business in Chicago. Meeting such talented students always gets me excited for the new academic year!

While in Chennai I gave an interview about our international MBA in Business Analytics for working professionals that we offer in partnership with the Great Lakes Institute of Management (GLIM). This program meets the growing demand for analytics professionals that is especially strong in India, the U.S., and around the world.

In the past few years, immigration concerns have worried international students. But recent changes to the H1B Visa process are encouraging students who are not only hoping to travel to the U.S. to study, but who also want to gain valuable work experience with U.S. employers while they’re here. As a business school within a tech university we offer several STEM designated graduate business programs. International students graduating from one of these programs are eligible to apply for the STEM optional practical training (OPT) extension through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and may have U.S. work authorization for a total of three years after graduation.

I am now back in Chicago, reviewing applications, and I’m looking forward to welcoming more Indian students to our campus in the fall. In the meantime, I will be reminiscing about my travels and the wonderful people, beautiful sights, and great food that I enjoyed throughout India.

Cheers!

John