Hi everyone

I have been accepted to the Manchester Global MBA commencing in January 2021. It was supposed to be a part-time MBA program but most of it could end up being online for the foreseeable future, unfortunately.

One of the reasons I wanted to undertake an MBA was for networking opportunities which may now be limited.

Does anyone have any online networking tips they would be happy to share?

Much appreciated!

I'm assuming your new cohort will be quite large with a good proportion of international students so you'll probably find many students are keen to network with each other, especially now that in person contact is likely to be very limited.

My experience on a recent two month online programme with Oxford Said Business School was that most students were keen to develop their network. The online platform that the course was delivered through had it's own messaging and contacts facility as a starter. Then various students created weekly Zoom meeting groups to discuss each week's assignments etc (we had a cohort of several hundred split into groups of 12-13.) Video online meetings like these or Micorosft Teams, Slack etc will be invaluable for you and I'm guessing if you have group coursework then this will be encouraged anyway. 

WhatsApp groups were another very popular way to network. Obviously there is LinkedIn too which is big for professional networking. There were several class/alumni LinkedIn groups I was able to join after the course.

They key thing is don't be shy, everyone will feel a bit nervous getting to know each other and if you don't see anyone setting up a Zoom or WhatsApp group then you could volunteer to do it yourself. 

Finally, I found my course great for expanding my network into different countries, regions or industries where it was very minimal so take the opportunity to do the same.

Great advice. Thank you

[quoteThey key thing is don't be shy, everyone will feel a bit nervous getting to know each other and if you don't see anyone setting up a Zoom or WhatsApp group then you could volunteer to do it yourself. 
Yes, agreed.

These short courses can be excellent for meeting people!