Cultivating meaningful professional connections within a primarily online learning environment may seem like an insurmountable task. In many online MBA programs, classmates and faculty are little more than names on a screen. Sure, there’s the allure of great flexibility. But are students missing out on a vital part of an MBA graduate school experience when there’s no space for building authentic relationships?
In an effort to solve this dilemma, The Haas School of Business, University of California Berkeley combined the best of online learning with the heart and soul of a residential plan to offer students the new Flex option. While maintaining a format of distance learning, this format offered through the top-ranked Evening & Weekend MBA program also incorporates a handful of required on-campus experiences as well as offering the option to take elective courses on campus.
So then the question is: does this new format deliver when it comes to providing that oft-missing community building puzzle piece?
We chatted with current students Mei Headley, Daniel Mitchell, and Nour Abi Samra, all MBA 25s, to learn the answer to this question. In our conversations, we specifically wanted to know a couple of things:
- Does the program live up to its promise? Is it really possible to foster meaningful professional relationships within the Flex option?
- If so, what is the secret sauce of how to take full advantage of the networking opportunities that Flex does present?
We were delighted to hear that not only does the Flex format deliver on its promise, but that the relational structure is actually a distinctive feature of the program.
For Mei, a growth equity investor with a passion for supporting entrepreneurship, “forming meaningful professional connections has been a standout aspect of the program…It’s reached a point where I feel comfortable reaching out to any of my classmates for career advice or exploration talks.”
Daniel, a second-year student hoping to pursue a path toward asset management, heartily agreed and shared that “there are great opportunities for professional and platonic relationships in the program—it depends on the time you spend developing them.”
Setting a firm foundation
So how do these relationships begin?
The Flex MBA begins with a required on-campus signature event called WE Launch that is crucial for building these networking foundations. This unique event is designed to take a group of strangers and start to transform them into a powerful cohort of students and professionals who can sharpen and support each other during the duration of the MBA program.
“Right from the beginning, the WE Launch weekend offered us an opportunity to meet our classmates and understand each other’s professional backgrounds,” says Mei. Fellow second-year student and product solution architect, Nour, agreed and said that the WE Launch event is the perfect way to start to “build your network in a fun and engaging environment.”
A strong in-person foundation sets the stage of opportunity for relational success within the program. Daniel aptly refers to this opening event as a catalyst—necessary for “building up the weak ties of a cohort into a powerful tool [through the] bonds of trust.”
WE Launch brings together students from all of the Evening & Weekend MBA cohort options to kick off their MBA journeys. This orientation to the Flex MBA certainly sets students up for networking success by starting strong and setting a firm foundation during an unforgettable weekend experience. But what comes next?
What happens when everyone returns home? How can students make the most of this firm foundation and keep forging powerful professional relationships that continue to deepen and develop during the distance learning portion of the degree?
Intentionality fosters growth
For Daniel, continuing to deepen these connections looked like being extremely intentional about regular touch-points with his classmates. “Our study group spent more time on calls than the average team. I got to know them so profoundly through the first year that the second time I met them I was surprised that it had been 8 months since the last time I’d seen them in person.”
Intentionality was also the key to Mei’s success. In addition to taking advantage of the more formal learning opportunities, she encouraged students to also be intentional in the lighter moments—to connect as multi-faceted, holistic people and not just as one-dimensional students.
“It might feel comfortable to stay muted and invisible during class, but speaking up or even firing off a quick comment or joke in the chat does wonders. I’ve bonded with classmates over these virtual side conversations, sharing laughs and insights without the formalities.”
Between study opportunities and connecting in these more informal ways, Mei has been able to forage deep bonds that go far beyond the classroom. She calls her study group her family and shares that fellow students quickly went from “classmates to confidants.” So much so, she has visited her family of classroom confidants during work trips and has even developed connections with classmates’ families.
Nour has also found great value in connecting with cohort members outside of the classroom. She encouraged future students to “approach every conversation with curiosity, authenticity, and positivity” and to not be afraid to reach out to classmates to “set up a coffee chat.”
It can be tempting or easy to try to hide behind a screen during an online program, but these three students strongly advised against that approach. In fact, Mei says that her “golden networking advice” to future Flex students is to not blend in and to be willing to make your presence and voice known.
Daniel agrees that Flex is a bit like a “choose-your-own-adventure” book. To have the richest possible adventure, he encourages future students: “don’t be afraid to put yourself out there and build your virtual network.” Those willing to be a bit vulnerable through intentionally can reap the greatest rewards.
In that same vein, Nour advises to “be clear with the goals you have coming out of Haas, and you’ll find that people are always ready to connect you with the right people and offer advice or resources.”
Mei shared a story of success that came as a result of intentionality connecting with fellow classmates: “One example of this networking value is my involvement with the startups of two colleagues. I’ve had the opportunity to review their pitch materials and discuss strategies from a VC perspective. These experiences have not only enriched my network but also allowed me to contribute meaningfully to my peers’ entrepreneurial journeys.”
Time and time again, we see how clarity plus intentionality leads to a magnitude of possibilities.
Additional opportunities for connection
Beyond the WE Launch event, we asked the three students about other ways that the program structure itself tries to encourage connections. We learned that the optional in-person events also go a long way toward fostering a spirit of camaraderie.
In addition to the opening weekend, the Berkeley Haas Flex MBA offers five on-campus immersion experiences: Leadership Communication, RE Launch, an Academic Retreat, and a WE Lead capstone event. While only three of these experiences are required (WE Launch, Leadership Communication which is a core course that takes place in one weekend, and the Academic Retreat that takes place halfway through the program), students are encouraged to take advantage of the optional events whenever possible.
Daniel calls these in-person events “a necessity.” Nour adds that “being together in person a few times a year is absolutely critical” and that these are foundational experiences. For Mei, these weekends actually helped solidify her decision to attend Haas in the first place. That in-person connection is so important that she says that if those signature events had not been a part of the program, she isn’t sure if she still would have enrolled.
Beyond the special events, the Flex format also provides additional opportunities for in-person connections. During the second half of the program, students have the option to take some or all of their elective courses on campus. While the online option is always available for distance learners, taking advantage of these on-campus opportunities for a class or two can provide even more chances to nurture those valuable professional connections in a personal way.
For example, Mei takes most of her elective courses online but shared about her positive experience with an in-person elective from this past spring. “The elective, spanning just two Sundays in April, is conveniently accessible with just an hour flight from where I live. This minimal time investment for the invaluable opportunity to engage directly with the professors and absorb the material in a live setting was too good to pass up. Given my inability to attend regular in-person sessions, this elective's format presented an ideal solution, allowing me to enrich my educational experience—without upending my work schedule.”
We also must take a moment to give a huge shoutout to our incredible Haas faculty who are also committed to providing students with powerful networking resources and opportunities. Daniel shared that “the faculty is very supportive at connecting you with your industry of interest. Many of our professors have taken time to give specific connection suggestions and career advice.”
Because of the effective structure of a flexible online MBA that also offers powerful immersive experiences, Daniel has found that the program “facilitates structured team building and ad-hoc team building” and that these team building experiences have served as his “personal treasure from the program because of the amazing people attending."
Appreciating the treasure
These students tell a powerful story.
Through a unique combination of online learning, immersive experiences, world-class faculty, and hybrid opportunities, the Flex online MBA degree presents a truly unique offering for the student who needs the flexibility of an online program but craves the meaningfulness of robust professional connections.
The structure of the program itself plus faculty commitment to student success creates fertile soil for this important combination of flexibility and real relationships. But, just like with any garden, the seeds must be watered in order for the plant to grow and for the harvest to be reaped. Daniel, Mei, and Nour remind us that a little intentionality and a willingness to take full advantage of this fertile soil goes a long way.
In that spirit, Nour encourages future students to “bring your full self with every occasion presented, put your best foot forward, lean in, and be vulnerable” Students willing to engage like this will be able to successfully forge these connections and cultivate a Haas MBA experience that is, like Nour’s, “nothing short of extraordinary.”
We hope that all current and future students have similar extraordinary experiences in the Flex program and that, like Daniel, they can also say that the connections they formed are their own “personal treasures.”
Learn more about the Berkeley Haas Flex MBA and to start your own unique journey!
