Popular MBA Traditions at Top Business Schools

MBA, being the most popular business course in every college, has the most unconventional traditions. MBA training is all about creating memories and building your strengths. From learning to be great at co-curricular to outperforming each semester, MBA students have it all. Here are some of the best MBA traditions at the top business schools.

Name of the Universities

Name of the University	QS World University 2023
University of North Carolina	102
University of Maryland	801-1000
University of Washington	80
Cornell University	20
The London School of Economics and Political Science	56
University of Toronto	34
HEC Paris	10
Ivey Business School	41
University of California	44
IMD Business School	72
Indiana University	339
Imperial College	6
Columbia Business School	2
University of Pittsburgh	181
University of Michigan	25

University of North Carolina 

The Karaoke competition is quite a tradition at the University of North Carolina. Each team spends months in rehearsals for two songs to be performed at the competition in the month of December every year. The volunteers sing and perform the entire song. It is one of the most fun activities for students in the MBA departments.

University of Maryland

The school of business at Maryland has one of the greatest international cultural events. During every fall, Diwali is celebrated with great pomp and show in the university. This event represents the diversity in the community. There are several activities such as wearing traditional Indian clothes, enjoying traditional Indian food, lighting candles and celebrating throughout the night.

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University of Washington

The foster school of business department of the University of Washington holds the annual Foster Idol tradition. Students perform different art forms such as dance, comedy, music, and any other creative talent. The audience then tips the performance. This joyful and supportive event helps in the collection of donations.

Cornell University

The SC Johnson College of Business at Cornell University holds an annual event called the Lunar New Year celebration. The dress code is a red outfit for the community. There is Asian food, music, calligraphy, and dancing at the event. Cultural diversity is highly promoted in such MBA events.

The London School of Economics and Political Science

The brown bag lunchtime departmental seminar series is an interesting tradition in the MBA school of LSE. Here the upcoming research projects are discussed with the faculty and students. Another tradition is the Epstein lecture where students or young academicians deliver lectures on economic history. This is done to honour professor Epstein’s commitment to developing research.

University of Toronto

The students of Rotman school of management of the University of Toronto participate in International Case competitions and also organise their own. The Rotman International Trading competition and the Rotman Design challenges are the two major traditional competitions conducted every year. These competitions give real-world experience to the students and have long-term rewards.

HEC Paris

This institute celebrates different nationalities and backgrounds of MBA students. Various traditional cultural events take place on campus such as the Holi festival, Latin America Cultural week, Asian Pacific cultural week, Japanese cultural week, etc. These cultural events develop closeness among students and give a reason to make the MBA memories.

Ivey Business School

It is a common tradition in this university to take an MBA oath at the Ivey Business School. This oath marks the pledge to maintain ethics and morality in business. The Ivey Alumni Association Board of Directors have initiated the Ivey Ring Tradition since 2004. It sends a strong and clear message of the roles and responsibilities of new graduates.  All the students who graduate take this promise to act ethically in the business world. Students sign and recite at the ceremony to uphold the reputation of the institute.

University of California

The business school at the University of California holds the traditional event called Story Salon where a few nights of every month is spent on your story narration. The students volunteer to narrate a personal story to their classmates. The speaker is selected through a lottery and is paired with a student to help them in preparing for a compelling story. The stories are really deep and meaningful. It is a great opportunity and a fun MBA event for the students.

IMD Business School

This business school has a very peculiar tradition called Polar Jump. In this tradition, the freshers or first-year college students are expected to jump in the freezing waters of Lake Leman. This tradition occurs during the peak winter season. This challenge is really tough and the adventure attached to it is amazing.

Indiana University

The Kelley school of business has a unique tradition of Kelley clap. This clap at the end of every class is to applaud the act of learning. This tradition brings a sense of pride to the students and the professors. It keeps the lessons going with great enthusiasm and the will to learn. 

Imperial College

The business school at Imperial College has a challenge named Imperial Innovation Challenge and Entrepreneurial Journey.  The students are exposed to the technologies that are developed at the college during the imperial innovation challenge. They implement and learn using these technologies and experiments. This is a great way to build thinking ability and students enjoy this challenge and work under a lot of pressure. The Entrepreneurial Journey is an opportunity for students to research business ideas in depth. Students work in teams and receive mentorship from experienced faculty. The imperial enterprise lab organises workshops and training to help with business ideas. These traditions or are certainly helpful academically and give a sense of joy.

Columbia Business School

The famous tradition at the MBA course in Columbia Business school as the CBS matters. In this tradition, individuals give presentations to their classmates on the most important events that matter to them. This presentation can be about anything such as their families, relationships, societal issues, mental health, Life story, and more. This is a unique and creative way to understand the students better.

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University of Pittsburgh

Every year the University of Pittsburgh hosts an event called International Friendsgiving. This event is particularly hosted by the Katz student executive board. A celebrated event where cultural food is served while also explaining the traditions. Different music and dance are offered. The aim of this event is to bring the students from different backgrounds and cultures together. It helps in developing a sense of belongingness among the students and helps them grow together.

University of Michigan

One of the most celebrated MBA traditions in the business school at the University of Michigan is the annual hockey game between the business school and Law school. The winning team gets the Monroe Street cup, named after the location of both the schools. This is the most awaited event of the year which is enjoyed by both, faculty and students. The family and friends are there to support the teams.

Ross School of Business – University of Michigan

MBA Traditions in India

Doing an MBA from India is as much fun as doing it from any other university abroad.  The culture and traditions followed in Indian institutes are inclusive. However, the most commonly followed traditions include the Freshers’ party. All the newcomers in the course are officially and unofficially welcomed through a grand party. This party is based on themes such as colour coded, vintage, Bollywood, Halloween, and similar more. There is music, dance, Indian cuisine, and fun games to declare Mr Fresher and Miss Fresher. 

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FAQs

MBA course is popular among youth due to their future scope and career perspective. These unique traditions and events followed in the top business schools make them even more interesting. We hope that this blog helps you in gaining insights into the best MBA traditions in international institutes. If you wish to seek guidance on gaining an MBA degree from abroad, then take the expert guidance from our LeverageEdu team. Visit our website now for similar educational content.