For first-time DePaul students enrolled in Discover Chicago classes, immersion week offers many things. It offers a chance to explore the campus and city a week before everyone else returns to campus; a chance to navigate the transition to college (and the CTA). Most of all, though, immersion week is chance to forge friendships with students from around the country and the world.
Follow along with four students enrolled in Discover Chicago classes taught by Driehaus College of Business faculty as they explore the city behind the scenes.
Stop 1: Hamburger University
Students in “The Future of Business,” got a behind-the-scenes tour of Hamburger University, where up-and-coming McDonald’s employees receive leadership training. The class was taught by School of Accountancy and Management Information Systems Senior Program Administrator Brain Maj.
Chicago native Tadgh Walsh was familiar with the center, located on Randolph Street in Chicago’s bustling West Loop.
“I’d heard a lot about it. But going behind the scenes and hearing from executives was amazing. That’s why I took Discover Chicago. I know my way around the city. But I find it fascinating going to businesses that I walk by every day and talking to the people who run them.”
For DC native Shelby Timberlake, the most memorable part of the experience was just that: the glimpse it offered into the work and lives of high-level leaders.
“Going into the talk with McDonald’s executives, I thought it would be all work, work, work. But in reality, they talked a lot about work/life balance. And the workplace was really diverse: in terms of ages, in terms of races.
“It’s so fascinating to see how people got to the places where they are today. To see people follow what they love to do.”
Stop 2: Citigroup Center
Students in Maj’s class also visited the Chicago headquarters of Citigroup: one of many global corporations located within a few steps of DePaul’s Loop campus.
“The conversation with the managing partners of Citibank was really cool,” said Walsh. “They touched on a lot of different sides of business that I’m interested in. When you’re at Driehaus, you study such a wide range of fields. And the partners touched on how they have all of these fields in their business.
“Hearing firsthand that what you’re learning will apply to the real world was incredibly motivating. It makes me want to focus a little harder. It makes me want to put in that extra effort.”
Stop 3: The Architecture Boat Tour
Maj’s students also took the Chicago Architecture Boat Tour: a classic activity, beloved by newcomers and long-timers alike.
“I chose DePaul because I knew I wanted to go to school in a big city,” said Timberlake. “I love the campus. I love that I get to go into the middle of the city almost every day. On the architecture boat tour, they talked about how Chicago’s buildings all look so different – but at the same time, they all look like they were meant to be there.
“Being in the heart of the city, seeing everyone living their own separate lives, all together in the same space. I love that I get to see that.”
Stop 4: The iO
Located close to DePaul’s Lincoln Park campus, the iO is a storied institution in Chicago’s thriving improv scene. That made it a natural stop for students in Associate Professor of Marketing Jim Mourey’s Discover Chicago class, which focuses on improv in Chicago.
“Going around and experiencing everything you’ve talked about in class gave me such a feel for the improv community in Chicago,” said student Bella Berger.
The students heard about the iO’s history from a cast member who has been involved since its early days. They also participated in Promedy, an improv competition between college teams.
Stop 5: Back on campus, and ready to embrace the college experience
“Coming to Chicago was a really scary experience,” Berger reflected. “But we had a lot of people and staff in our class who were really helpful. Having people there makes the transition a lot easier – and a lot more fun. I would consider everyone I was in class with as a friend.”
Ally Hyman, another student in Mourey’s class, agreed.
“Getting to know city through improv was so exciting. It’s what I want to do long term. So getting to have that be my introduction was incredible”
“It helped me realize that my major won’t be everything,” she continued. “There are so many opportunities in this city and at this school. And so many of them aren’t connected to your major.”
For Hyman, improv is the perfect metaphor for her immersion week experience – and for the college experience she hopes to have in the years ahead.
“What I love about improv is how friendly people are,” she said. “Everybody’s open to ideas. Everybody’s open to weirdness. People are so animated. They’re so open. That’s what I want my college experience to be like.”