Arielle's MBA Blog

Being a part time, Part Time student.

February 14th, 2011 by asamuels under Uncategorized. No Comments.

So as a full time student, I really didn’t get to grasp how difficult it is to be a part time student, until I started taking some part time classes. My two night time classes are from 6:25- 10 pm and they are tough! I can’t imagine how a part time student does an 8-10 hour work day and then comes to class, to be engaged and interactive. I feel like my brain has shut down past 7:30, yet my classmates are great are still going! It really says something about the dedication to your education and the caliber of students here at Smith. Professors are very tolerant of late attendees and breaks (well because these classmates have established lives), but other than that, there is no difference in the programs. Sometimes I wonder if I had what it took to be a part time student with a full time job. I’m sure if need be, I would have done it, but I know the full time program was the best option for me. I left a position at a company where I foresaw no growth, to experience as much as I could as a student and I think I’ve been able to do that with my Global Study Abroad trip, club participation, upcoming class trip and not to mention, the opportunity to celebrate another spring break. Either way, whether you are thinking full time or part time, have no fear both MBA programs are equally challenging, with great classmates in both. No matter the time of day or night, Smith delivers grade A education!

I’m sorry, when I got accepted you told me Fridays were a free day.

February 9th, 2011 by asamuels under Uncategorized. No Comments.

Yup, just as the title says. I thought Friday was my day! You hear that Friday is a day off when applying to business schools across the board, but its trickery! Fridays are just as busy, if not busier than any other school day. Lets take this Friday for example, I have a meeting for my GA and then a meeting for a trip I am taking in March with the Finance Association. In addition to these meetings, I am also scheduling a meeting with a career adviser and had to turn down a networking opportunity. Who thought that my 8 hour span would be so jammed packed? If that wasn’t enough, I am still missing out on a finance round table. All that to say is Fridays in business school are more valuable than you would realize. Its one of the only common meeting days for students and it becomes one of your busiest days before you know it. When in business school, forget the notion that Friday is just the day before the weekend, its definitely a work day that should be utilized to its full capacity.

PS: More details about this trip in March to come in a future post.