I have to be honest, networking was one of my major concerns when deciding to do the part-time vs. full-time MBA program. To me, a lot of the value of completing your MBA, in addition to the coursework, is the relationships you build during the program. The part-time program doesn’t have cohorts like many full-time programs do, but I was still able to get the networking opportunities I wanted during my part-time MBA program, perhaps more than I would have if I was in a full-time program. Here is how I did it:

There is no better way to learn about the Carlson School of Management than through a campus visit. However, if you’re unable to make a visit happen, a tour through iPhone quality photos will have to do! You are cordially invited to shadow me as I go through my typical Wednesday as a second year MBA at the Carlson School!

“Be Prepared!” The most famous of mottos in the US for young people, notably attached to the World Association of Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts.  Translated in over 100 languages, there must be something really important about this idea of preparedness. 

Although I took my last final exam the week before, I considered my last day of school Monday, May 11, due to a final project I had to complete for the Carlson Brand Enterprise. The CBE allows students to apply knowledge from the classroom to develop solutions for real clients with a 7-week project.

Moving to a new country is never easy, especially as a graduate student. You are expected to be independent – so no halls of residence; and settling into a new culture is difficult as hell. Everyone speaks English but the cultural contexts and nuances take a while to understand. That makes bonding with people even harder. All in all the first few months in a foreign country have the added feeling of battling constant loneliness over and above the school work and energy that goes into finding and hunting for a new job.

Picture a crowded arena, the buzz of a restless crowd, and the sounds of “We Will Rock You” echoing off the rafters. No, the scene I’m describing is not that of a Minnesota Wild playoff game or a WWE Smackdown event. You couldn’t be blamed, though, for expecting to see a folding chair or two smashed over someone’s head, given the electric atmosphere in Carlson’s 3M Auditorium on this particular afternoon. But you couldn’t even find tickets to this event on Stub Hub if you tried, because the only cost of admission to this showdown was being a full-time Carlson MBA student. And what was the event, you ask? Well, it was the annual Net Impact Faculty Case Competition, of course!

The maximum amount of time a student can take to complete his or her MBA program is 7 years, but most people graduate in 5 years or fewer. In this blog post, I’d like share why I chose to take the full 7 years to complete my MBA.
 
The downside of the 7 year plan is obvious to most people. There is a risk of losing momentum, and some people just want to “get it over with.” If you are interested in an on-campus recruiting position or other position that requires an MBA, you cannot apply for those jobs until your last year in the program. 
 

When I decided to go back to school a year and a half ago, I thought I was going to put my social life on hold for a few years. I travel about 50% of the time for work, so my weekday social life was already limited and I was sure school would consume the rest of my time. Much to my pleasant surprise, I was wrong. By protecting my time, I proved to myself that I really could get it all in without getting completely burnt out in the process.