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How Are US Business Schools Staying Open During COVID-19?

April 8, 2021 | Shannon Cook
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COVID-19 has caused unprecedented disruption to business schools across the United States. Yet business schools remain open.

If you’re considering applying to business school in the US, you’ll likely have questions as to how your study experience may be impacted by the coronavirus pandemic:

How are US business schools currently operating? How are schools fostering a positive learning experience while ensuring students’ safety? Can you even travel to the US?

Here, we answer the questions candidates are asking about studying at business schools in the US.

How are US business schools ensuring students’ health and safety on campus?

Since the 2020-21 academic year began, most US business schools have implemented hybrid models of learning, allowing students the flexibility to combine attending classes in-person and virtually.

To minimize the spread of coronavirus, schools require students to undergo weekly COVID-19 tests and health screening surveys before entering campus.

To keep one another safe, schools like Harvard Business School (HBS) and Stanford Graduate School of Business (SGB) are enforcing physical distancing measures, compulsory masks while on campus, and encouraging students and staff to engage in frequent sanitation.

For students on-campus, some business schools, such as MIT Sloan School of Management, are limiting access to academic and research buildings, only permitting entry through assigned points. Only students attending in-person classes or COVID-19 testing are allowed on MIT Sloan’s campus.

To allow students to study in comfort, business schools have also created physically-distanced study spaces. Duke University Fuqua School of Business require students to sit six feet apart and many schools are limiting classroom capacity.

Despite restrictions, students might still find that some on-campus interaction is better than none. “There’s an energy that comes with being on campus,” remarks Jacob Cohen, senior associate dean for undergraduate and master's programs at MIT Sloan.

How is COVID-19 affecting the learning and social experience?

Students can still socialize with one another during in-person classes and many US business schools have designed ways to bring students from hybrid classes together.

Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and HBS facilitate live collaboration with students and staff in the physical classroom with those online, using monitors to present the remote classmates in the same space as their peers.

For those who crave fully in-person socializing experiences, Michigan Ross offers some face-to-face co-curricular activities for smaller groups, such as peer mentoring opportunities, ice-skating, and golf, in addition to holding large annual events like Women Who Launch and Diversity Week virtually.

The University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School is one of many working with employers to run its careers service—including interviewing and networking activities—remotely.

Kenan-Flagler’s career clubs have even benefited from the virtual formats since they’ve been able to invite speakers and alumni who may not have been able to attend physical events on campus. “Geography isn’t a barrier to participating,” notes Brad Staats, associate dean of MBA programs at Kenan-Flagler.

This may be a silver lining to remotely-held events—you might find it easier to pin down those employers you’ve had your eye on for a one-to-one meeting.

Can international students travel into the US?

You can travel to the US if you hold a valid F1 or J1 student visa and present proof of a recent negative COVID-19 result, according to US regulations.

Foreign nationals who have stayed in the US list of high-risk countries for two weeks before travel—including China, the UK, and countries within the European Union—may be refused entry to the US.

Yet international students travelling from Europe’s Schengen area, the UK, and the Republic of Ireland who hold F-1 and M-1 visas can travel to the US, according to the proclamation of exemptions.

J-1 visa holders from these countries may also be exempt from the rules, but students must seek a US consulate’s advice.

When might business school campuses reopen?

US business schools have pivoted quickly to the disruptions caused by COVID-19. But when will US business school campuses fully reopen?

Although most schools will continue to hold virtual classes and events in the future, many top US business schools remain optimistic that a return to normality is on the cards in 2021.

“Community members miss the in-person interactions we treasured before the pandemic. We’re looking forward to the time when everyone here has access to the vaccine,” notes Brad from Kenan-Flagler.

As the US continues to make progress in countering the coronavirus pandemic, schools are looking forward to a gradual reopening of business school campuses and returning to the vibrancy of campus life.

What can you do now?

Are you a prospective international student targeting US business schools in the next admissions cycle? As the vaccine makes it rollout, there’s plenty for you to do in the meantime to make your applications as strong as they can be in what will no doubt be a competitive admissions cycle.

Craft your story. A critical, but often overlooked first step to conquering the admissions process is taking the time to think through the story you want to tell with your applications. Our How to Get Started Guide Series offers expert advice tailored for applicants targeting pre-experience business master’s programs, full-time MBA programs, and professional MBA programs.

Get more expert advice for applying to business school.

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