Beyond the classroom in a Part-Time MBA

This is officially my first blog and I am super excited. For many years I have been wanting to pursue a full time MBA. I have had some very pointed recommendations from well-wishers suggesting that the FT MBA experience is unbeatable from the classroom experience, cohort experience and job search help. My economic situation was not allowing it and it didn't appear that it will change any time soon. So I decided to write the GMAT and take it from there. The results came and it placed me firmly in the upper quartile for the PT MBA class and the lower quartile for the FT MBA. There the decision was made!

From the very first day I set foot as a student in the Carlson campus, I have had no reason to look back. The energy that I saw among the peer students, alumni and professors was all I could have hoped for. My first management class, Strategic Management, was an eye-opener. The team work that went into that class was something I had never experienced before. The bond that I developed with my team mates has led to subsequent classes together and volunteer activities together by way of Leadership Advisory Board (LAB) and Student Ambassador group. I have had the opportunity to work on a team to run recruiting projects for LAB increasing the membership from 5 to 25 and to start and lead a student ambassador expansion and enrichment project. I have been asked to join various clubs, start new ones and even help organize a brainstorming session to improve the value proposition of the Carlson PT MBA! How cool is that?

Classes are great. You learn a lot. But the activities beyond the classroom through various team projects and being involved in various campus organizations is what makes the PT MBA experience at Carlson a truly memorable one. When these give you access to leaders at the Carlson School and leaders in the local industry, you know that the value you get is unmatched.

So my advice to current and prospective MBAs is - Get involved! And have a much more rewarding experience! I wish you all my kind of success.