Part Time vs. Full Time MBA Career Opportunities

No, the cancelled trip to the Bahamas doesn't make me feel any better and free or on your own, you're still going to be in Hawaii. Enjoy it. I went in 2001 and it was awesome!!!

I'll be on Oahu. If you have any recommendations, please feel free to PM me

i thought he might be working for obama

and about commitment - i dont know

i guess large companies somehow benefit from tuition reimbursment because thats how they attract ppl to join or to stay with the company even not so many actually use this option at the end

also, i heard companies can actually get a tax relief for the money they contributed, not sure about this tho

and not so many students can afford to pay for the full time

keep in mind that if u do part time, the only choice that u have is the best school in your city

u cant go part time in chicago if u live in california

We spent all but a day on the Big Island because my wife's grandfather has a house on the Big Island. No hotel bill (and he rented a car for us) sounded like a good idea. We took a helicopter tour over the volcanoes. That was amazing. And a submarine ride...definitely worth the $. We were going to take a dinner cruise (part of a tourist package we bought) but weather cancelled that. Make sure you take some time and either snorkel or scuba dive. Also, boogie board or surf. even if you think you'll suck at it.

My brother-in-law and his wife lived within walking distance of Wikiki for the last 3 years while he was in ROTC and getting his MBA from U of Hawaii. They absolutely loved it. Said surfing is the best. And they often have free movie night on the beach. A big projection screen plays the movie and you dig your own seat out of the sand to whatever is most comfortable. It's usually an older movie, but they said it's realy fun and a great way to meet people.

Thats actually pretty common believe it or not. I know quite a few people who fly in on weekends for their classes. In fact, the guy who I mentioned who summered with Lehman and then went to McKinsey lives out west.

I was wondering about that very thing rhyme. Flying in on Thursday night for the weekend classes. I think the classes are Friday - Sunday right?

Wow, thats interesting.. wondering how much does it cost to do so. Not to mention time spent in flights and waits on the airports... I would definitely do full time instead of that

Of course you wouldn't do this over FT. You're also not a mid- to late thirty-something that is being paid a lot by his company and is being told "We want you to get your MBA. We'll sponsor you into an executive program at one of the top schools and fly you there weekly." A company that will do this for a person has plans for that person in the company's future. That's a great spot to be in and I doubt weekly travel is that uncommon for a person in this position anyway. Airports aren't that bad. I actually really like them. You can find some great business books in the bookstores at airports. After all, who is one of the main target customers of the bookstore?

That's not always the case jallenmorris. I met a guy at my local Booth happy hour a couple weeks ago who is pretty much funding the PT weekend program himself. He flies to Chicago every weekend on his own dime. He said his company gives him $5K per year, but that's really nothing in the grand scheme of things. He is similar to the guy rhyme mentioned in that he works for a bank currently and is going to work FT at McKinsey when he graduates this spring (in a big city in a faraway country).

I'd do the same thing if my employer would let me work 4 days a week, but that's not an option with my manager. I figure how many weekends would there be per semester? 14? 16? so 16 per semester x 2 semesters a year x $250 each ticket x 2 years = $16,000. Yeah, that's a lot of $$, but to give you the opportunity to have an MBA from U of Chicago or Kellogg, or Columbia? Seems like a fair amount to pay for that. That doesn't factor in the frequent flyer miles that could be used in lieu of buying more tickets.

I am one of those weekenders who flies in on Fridays and flies out on Saturdays at Kellogg. Classes are only on Saturday.While it is true that certain career opportunities are not available for PT-students, we do have acess to career services provided we meet certain criteria.

The fact that the classes comprises of students, who fly in from different parts of the country and have diverse backgrounds, makes them very interesting. Also, the students have the average age of around 29 years with over 6 years of work experience. This makes class discussions thought provoking.

It certainly costs a pretty penny and takes some effort. But, I have seen the Kellogg brand name travel well all over the world. So, its' worth the effort in my opinion and the cost ( and that of about 65% of my class that travelmany a miles). Ofcourse, I don't know if it will pay off for sure. But, I would bet on it if I gambled.

On a different topic; one of the points discussed earlier was that the first job\2 years after the MBA are very crucial in setting the trajectory of one's career. With Investment banking and the economy tanking, does it mean that the FT MBAs (and maybe even PT-MBAs) who graduate now will in general be set for lower income/opportunity trajectorycompared to their peers who graduated during the good times? Also, how would the opportunity cost for full time compare with part time in this scenario?

-Stoic

There was a great article posted on here this summer discussing the very topic you bring up. How the economic situation at the time of graduation significatly impacts those graduates' earning potential. Maybe someone can help me find the link.

My company contributes 10,000/year, however you have to stay for a year after.

Does this basically ruin my career opportunities for working outside my company?

well basically you're stuck if you want to move out right after.
I would guess that means you won't take advantage of whatever the career services offer for current students... cause you can't quit until a year after. The network you gain from the school experience would still be useful though.
That's my take on it.
I'm in a similar situation..my company contribute 6k/year, but I'm not sure what the commitments are.
I personally prefer the flexibility, but if you see your future lies in your current work...take the ca$h.

I find it a really hard to believe (although I can't prove it) that companies push their managers to get their MBAs in that way, at least at the large scale.

I cannot think of an organization that would have "plans" of development of that level for its employees. Maybe they will reimburse your tuition at best, but I really doubt that many will say "we want you to get an MBA"

Part time MBA students are mostly administration workers or career switchers who want MBAs to advance to the next level, because they feel that they have a potential to do so and they mostly relay on their own resources.

My company pays 75% of tuition with no payback or commitment - starting to look a lot better in this economy.

I am PT student at Kellogg and I personally don't worry much about Career Services. I think the choice between FT and PT depends on where one is at his/her career.

I can completely understand if one wants to go to IB/MC but at the age of 30 with a wife, I am not looking forward to putting in the kind of work that is associated with these professions. My goal is to attain a senior leadership position in the industry I am currently in and towards that goal, a PT MBA fits in nicely.

Kellogg allows PT students to have access to on campus recruiting after 10 courses provided that students don't have their education funded by their employers (conflict of interest). Students can still avail of their career prep services(job hunting advice, workshops,access to alumni databases etc) .

The great thing about a Kellogg MBA is the doors that it opens. I am in marketing and in the Chicagoland area there is a great possibility that my potential boss in any target company is a Kellogg grad. I have also been able to contact alums for business opportunities. Networking becomes extremely easy and once your foot is in the door it is upto you to make the most of it. My guess is most PT grads would not be interested in FT recruiting since most of them are at a Director/VP level by the time they graduate and an Associate level position or a rotation program would be resetting the clock.

One thing I have heard from Professors at both Kellogg and Chicago GSB is that part-timers add a lot more value to class discussions since they have day-to-day experiences to discuss. The downside is the applicants come from a fairly small geographical area so the applicant pool might not be as great as the FT program.

I agree with other posters that if I lived in a city without access to 2 great PT programs I would have gone for a FT option. Being in Chicago , the decision to go PT was quite easy.