*NYU Stern’s Fashion & Luxury MBA program was renamed to the Luxury & Retail MBA program.*
Timothy Jaw is a current Fashion & Luxury MBA student, specializing in Management and Luxury Marketing. Prior to Stern, Timothy built and ran his own brands, Jaw x Jawshop and OPTIONS New York. Post-MBA, he plans to continue working on his brands. At Stern, he is involved in the Luxury and Retail Club and enjoys meeting new people and being outside.
What is Doing Business in… or DBi?
If you’re looking to apply at Stern, you might have seen or heard about Doing Business In… or DBi. It’s one of the programs that all Stern students can apply for in which you get to take classes in another country with a bunch of other NYU Stern MBA students, usually with a partner University for a week or two depending on the destination and timing. In my case, I was fortunate enough to go to DBi Morocco in March 2023 over my Spring Break.
Why Morocco?
Two of my Fashion & Luxury classmates were also on my DBi and low key, their excitement about going to Morocco persuaded me to do this location as well. Also, I ended up choosing Morocco because it worked well with my Spring 2023 course load and I thought to myself, when am I ever going to get the chance again to go to Morocco with 39 other people on an organized weekly agenda with site visits, company tours, and charter buses!? Lastly, I never got to study abroad in undergrad, so the opportunity to travel internationally with my classmates and take courses abroad was at the top of my list of experiences I wanted to try while at Stern.
Was it worth it?
I’m not going to lie, I was a bit nervous and stressed out about going to my DBi Morocco. I remember telling my classmates how I wish I didn’t sign up for it the week I had to embark. However, this was just my fight or flight syndrome kicking in, and once I flew over the Strait of Gibraltar and saw the beauty of Morocco’s landscape I was immediately mesmerized and ready to experience what my next 10 days were going to be like.
Morocco was so lush and the DBi experience did not disappoint!
In terms of curriculum, I couldn’t have asked for a better partner school and itinerary. The professors from NYU’s partner school, ESCA in Casablanca had guest speakers and company visits lined up for us all week and traveled with us everyday to each site. They even went from Casablanca to Marrakech with us and gave us a tour of the historic sites, gave us a street food tour, and organized dinners at some of their favorite restaurants. They demonstrated Moroccan hospitality culture to the fullest! We got to hear from amazing women entrepreneurs from Morocco on a panel, heard from the head of Moroccan tourism, visited the largest soap and Moroccan oil manufacturer, and also heard from speakers who specialized in Moroccan finance, real estate, politics, and overall best business practices.
What was the best thing about it?
Being exposed to a new culture, interacting with the locals, and the overall energy of everyone on the trip with me was definitely my favorite part of the DBi. Everyone was so nice, open-minded, and down to meet new people, embracing a culture that none of us were too familiar with, and exploring together! I think this is the overall energy of all DBi at NYU Stern.
Everyone that I met on the trip, whether from NYU or Morocco, was so open-minded and it was a breath of fresh air to be exposed to a country and landscape so different from New York City. For the most part, none of us had been to Morocco before and this gave us all a chance to experience trying new things together and be out of our comfort zones in a group environment. It really helped forge lasting memories, insights, and friendships.
Would you do it again?
It was the most magical time, the thrill of adventure, meeting new people, being submerged in a culture that I was not familiar with, and learning from the professors, working professionals, and entrepreneurs of Morocco. Our program partnered with ESCA School of Management in Casablanca. We met so many great people while attending the scheduled programming including Moroccan professors, women entrepreneurs, and many of the local business owners who shared their craft with us. Not to mention, hearing more about the local industries and focuses of the country from these experts working in Morocco really opened up my eyes about the future of Morocco and Africa. I actually can’t wait to go back and keep learning more about this continent.
In Summary
It was like NYU orientation all over again, the energy and excitement of meeting a bunch of new people and going through an intensive but structured itinerary together. You are with the same people for a week and traveling from city to city (in our case, Casablanca to Marrakech) and attending site tours, speaker engagements, and company visits all together. Everyone was so nice and amazing and by the end of it I felt like we were on a reality show and we had just been gathered to film a pilot season of a show before going back to our lives. We still keep the group text active, have a reunion event coming up, and I would do it again in a heartbeat; advising every student to partake in this or study abroad. The adventure, thrill, value, and exposure to new cultures is far to none and will be an experience of a lifetime with memories and friends you will never forget!
