Baseball season in Chicago: LA Dodgers vs Chicago Cubs

Hi everyone!

I hope you are doing great! I wanted to share with you my experience this Saturday at the Chicago Cubs stadium.

The student body at the Harris School organized a group event to go together to a baseball game. It was nice to share with people outside of the school, but I must say the game itself was the best of the day.

Having the chance to see the great Bobby Abreu playing was just perfect! We really enjoyed and even tried to get an autograph (unfortunately unsuccessfully).

Here are some pics that show that not there is more outside of school!

Venezuela's public opinion: The Need to Polarize

As many countries facing crisis or significant changes in their social consensus, Venezuela has become a fertile land to polarized opinions and often violence derived from it.

These days, a college-students-made video was released and was extremely controversial. The video explains loosely the feeling behind a significant migration wave of young professionals that the country has experienced over the last decade.

Regardless of the content and quality of the video, what strikes me most is the fact that the Venezuelan society has developed a NEED to polarize and generate hate among others that just think different. Intolerance to different opinions have emerged among all sectors of society.

In addition to the sadness this situation generates me, there was one issue over which people were discussing about: the "right" to be Venezuelan.

According to many, migrate makes you a less valuable citizen. Because you are not "contributing" to the country situation, you have lost your "right" to be a "real" Venezuelan. "Those who "really" care about, stay and fight on Venezuela"; that's one of the main discourses.

Although I'll go back to Venezuela, I do think it is because I made a personal decision, but that doesn't make anyone less or more than others. If for any reason I decide to not go back, then I believe I have no reasons to believe I've betrayed the "national cause". However, this is a feeling of guilty that tortures you every single day, for no reason.

From a technical perspective, polarization is commonly associated with radical nationalism (from both parties involved in the conflict). However, the real risks and social costs are not commonly addressed....

The levels of verbal and physical violence that the public debates have achieved are worrying. But it is worst to note that this anger has been spilled from leaders to the rest of society.

Maybe we aren't as different as we think of politicians.... And perhaps that's why they are our leaders.... Indeed, we have chosen them because they represent something hidden...

Working authorization in the US: CPT vs OPT

Hi everyone,

So in addition to the quarter, midterms, projects and life, as an international student you have to apply for your working authorization for your part-time jobs or summer internships.

One common question is whether your are eligible for CPT or OPT. Here I will try to provide some information, but feel free to contact me if you have any doubts.

Basically, there are two visa status for international students: J-1 and F-1. If you was awarded with a scholarship o 50% or more of your tuition costs, you would be probably in J-1 status. Otherwise, you are in F-1 status.

F-1 and J-1 basically differ in the working restrictions. Depending on your visa status, the US government allow you to work in campus, off campus, and a certain number of hours within the first two options.

The advantages of having a J-1 status are obvious: you have a scholarship of 50% or more of your tuition! However, it is generally the case that J-1 students have more working restrictions than F-1, presumably because J-1 are expected to "compensate" for the scholarship in some way or another (going back to their sponsor country, working for the university, etc).

On the other hand, F-1 students have more relaxed restrictions on working hours. In addition, with an F-1 you are allowed to work up to 12 months, (including 12 months after graduation, ONLY IF you find a job within the next 3 months after graduation). This figure is called the OPT (Optional Practical Training).

In theory, if you work during regular quarters, your working hours are discounted from your OPT remaining time. However, many schools have an option to work during the summer using what is called the CPT (Curricular Practicum Training).

Each school has its own procedures, but the main feature of the CPT is that it allows you to work during specific periods of time without discounting your working hours from your OPT. Note that the CPT is an employer-specific authorization (in contrast to the OPT), so you will need to have a job offer to apply for it.

The OPT is issue by the US government, while the CPT is issued by your university, so it's usually faster to get it. In any case, do not start to work until you have your corresponding work authorization!

Let me know if I can help with anything!

Studying abroad as a couple

In this time of admission release decisions and deciding on where to pursue your studies, there is a common question to many people... What if I have a couple? Do I bring her/him with me? What if we are both studying? Is that "too much"?

The life as an international student has its beauties and it's challenges. For me, coming as a couple has make things a lot easier and certainly more pleasant.

Me and my husband were admitted together in a set of programs to choose (this is more common than people usually think). So we decided to come to Chicago and study the same program, although with very different academic interests and professional paths. Is it too much? I think it depends on your own relation's dynamics, but here is the balance for me:

1. Leisure and company: you spend some time in recreational activities that favors your concentration, overall happiness and lessen the sense of frustration.

2. Shared experiences: the ability to share experiences, build team working and divide tasks (either at home or at school) is a relief.

3. Knowledge pool: specially if you take different courses, you get to know a little bit more about other areas of thinking and this maximizes your exposure.

4. Time management: there is so much stuff going on that you develop skills on how to manage your time according to your preferences. For me, being a whole rounded person and not solely a geek is a priority, but I know this might be controversial.

5. Dinner time!: having dinner together is one of the most pleasant moments in the day. I know having no one to talk to after school might be very stressful, even if you describe yourself as a very independent person.

I have personally enjoyed VERY MUCH coming as a couple. I think it has enhanced my capabilities as a persona and as a professional and it definitely has make the experience one of the greatest moments in my life. I am thankful for that.

That being said, there is a full range of alternatives on how to live your student life as a couple. Many people decide to have children abroad for several reasons.

In this regard, my experience (watching friends and peers) is that taking advantage of the numerous resources available through the university is often the wisest choice.

So if you are convinced about your relation! Give it a try and come together! It is a wonderful experience that tights you in!

175 days to love Chicago

Hi everyone!

I hope you are doing great. The City of Chicago celebrated its 175th birthday on March 4th, 2012. To celebrate this special date, the city promotes 175 days of special events, festivals and promotions, many of them FREE. Until August 26th, Chicago's summer will be offering visitors and chicagoans dining deals and guided tours created exclusively for this celebration.

In addition to the annual events like the Taste of Chicago, Air and Water Show (the biggest in the US), LoolaPalooza and the Chicago Blues Festival, the City is promoting multiple events across the city. Also, the baseball season has already started and will last until September 30th! It's going to be a nice summer to stay around Chicago!

One of the most interesting activities are the ones offered by the Chicago Photography Center (http://www.chicagophoto.org/). They offer Certification Programs, Boot Camps, FREE SRL classes and FREE camera cleanings. I've actually wanted to take classes for a while, so this is a nice chance to finally go for it!

If you are visiting Chicago, check out the official website to get more info!
http://www.explorechicago.org/city/en/supporting_narrative/events___special_events/special_events/tourism/175_Days_to_Love_Chicago.html

Wonks and Hacks: soft skills vs hard skills

Hi everyone,

I hope you are doing great. Getting over the quarter is a relieving experience. You know get to pick elective courses and can spend more time on specific career issues.

Every time more often the literature and documented cases show (and this might sound to MBAish) that current successful leaders in any area need to balance their analytical, quantitative, statistical skills (hard skills) with their managerial, interpersonal, organizational skills (soft skills). Note that this is true even for doctoral and post-doctoral students in their academic careers!

However, not many graduates programs have completely account for the importance of achieving this balance. Although all seem to converge to this trend, many schools focus more on the technical tools while others emphasize their students leadership profiles through networking events.

The other fact is that, with a more competitive labor market, the trend had been to more specialization among professionals by area of interest.

Therefore, if your focus is more as a leader, decision making top level official, it has become a priority to understand the technical aspects of the issues that you are discerning about, rather than relying solely on your staff members or outsourcing service providers.

On the other hand, the academic world is also converging to an environment in which the capacity to communicate knowledge has become critical to effective address changes through research. More often you see academic and analytical nerds taking writing and public speaking workshops to develop communicational skills.

In the public policy arena, this is even more evident. Junior legislators come know from more policy-area-specific backgrounds. At the same time, technical staff in consulting firms and public offices is increasingly being trained on management programs.

So if you have been recently admitted to a graduate program or are thinking about applying, take this into account.

In order to be competitive, you nut be able to outperform in both sides of the coin, even if you have comparative advantages on either the technical or the managerial side.

I will try to post material on this!

Got an internship at the Mayor's Office!!!

Hi everyone!

So finally summer internship positions are out and I got the one I wanted the most. I am pretty excited to work as a City of Chicago Mayoral Fellow this summer.

Living the interviewing process in the US job crisis period was pretty competitive and meaningful. It is always a challenge to compete in a foreign environment. Sometimes you feel you are not well connected or that you don't actually know the job market, but after hard work it has great rewards.

For this position I prepare myself A LOT! I ask for advice at the Career Development Office regarding resume building, interviewing and negotiation skills in a completely different cultural environment. That sole experience was absolutely worth it! I would recommend that you take advantage of any resources available to you at your graduate institution.

I now have to fill out out the paperwork for the job. I've found out that apparently the size of bureaucracies are similar in every single country ;) (below the pic of the first page of the endless paperwork)