Full time MBA vs Part time MBA

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zuzka: Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts; Posts: 1; Joined: Wed Apr 10, 2013 9:16 am

Full time MBA vs Part time MBA

by zuzka » Wed Apr 10, 2013 9:45 am

Hi Everybody,

I am starting to look into MBA programs for 2014. I am currently working full time and was thinking about enrolling into GMAT course this summer. I was doing a little research for MBA programs and I can not decide if I should go back to school full time and quit my job or pursue MBA part time and keep my full time job. I am leaning to full time MBA because of what the program can offer, such as trips, school events or semester abroad which I am very much interested in. On other hand, part time MBA sounds great too since I will not have any huge debt afterwards. I worked my entire college career, so it is very hard to picture myself without any type of job. Please help and let me hear your opinions.

My school of choice is Stern, Stanford, Hass, McCombs and Wharton.

Thank you!

Zuzi

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Source: Beat The GMAT — MBA Student Life | Wed Apr 10, 2013 9:45 am

essaysnark: Legendary Member; Posts: 795; Joined: Sun Sep 20, 2009 10:41 am; Thanked: 177 times; Followed by:85 members

by essaysnark » Mon Apr 15, 2013 7:38 am

Hey Zuzi - great question! And it's awesome that you're so open-minded and flexible about things to be considering different options like this.

First point: It's **really hard** to do grad school + a full time job. It's not the same as working during college. Of course, there's big advantages to it, too - you don't lose time from the workforce and you have that nice little bonus of an INCOME along the way... certainly an attractive proposition! Plus, some companies may help pay for school, which can be a big incentive.

The part-time MBA programs are obviously structured in a way that it's do-able to go through classes while maintaining your employment, and your entire MBA cohort would be doing the same thing along with you, so you'd have the appropriate support - but it's still really hard. If you have a family then it's even harder. Just make sure you keep all these factors in mind.

There's also some big advantages to the full-time MBA as you already pointed out - the entire experience is very very different.

Wow it sounds like we're saying that the full-time MBA is better... and OK yes, we'll come right out and say it! It's really nice to drop the responsibility of work and devote yourself to school full-time. Since you never even did this in college, maybe you deserve this treat at this stage of your life? Having "just" the responsibility of coursework and team projects and exams is definitely enough to keep you really busy, plus the trips and all - it's a completely different animal than the part-time world.

But it's very expensive, and that's totally not worth it to many people. So you'll need to evaluate your own priorities.

of course, once we start to look at the schools you've tossed out, we're sorta scratching our heads... Stanford and Wharton don't have part-time programs (and Stanford is the hardest school on the planet to get into!!). And we don't quite understand how you could be considering a part-time MBA in either the SF Bay Area or NYC... Do you work from home and you're planning on relocating for this? We're a little confused, frankly.

You're asking the right questions in terms of part-time vs full-time but we're not quite sure of your strategy based on which exact schools you're considering. If you want to clarify the thinking then we can probably offer more.

You should also get moving on the GMAT as soon as possible - it's very difficult to do test prep and essays at the same time, and a Round 1 application will be very important if you're serious about schools like Stanford/Wharton. Accelerating that schedule will help.

Good luck with everything and have fun along the way!! It's an adventure for sure.

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CriticalSquareMBA: Legendary Member; Posts: 1088; Joined: Thu Apr 18, 2013 3:29 pm; Thanked: 171 times; Followed by:52 members

by CriticalSquareMBA » Wed Apr 24, 2013 1:00 pm

Zuzi,

Essaysnark really provided a great response so I won't rehash a lot of what was said. However, I generally view the two options as having two generally separate goals (now, keep in mind, this is subject to outliers, obviously, but I've found this to be generally true).

Part-time programs are great at conveying the academic knowledge that comes with an MBA along with a much smaller price tag. However, a full-time program provides a host of other opportunities, a more diverse set of experiences, and a generally stronger network.

I paid my way through college too and I remember how hard that was and how nice it felt afterwards to have no debt to pay off. However, the programs you have identified are amazing programs and you will be just fine paying off the loans, trust me on that.

My personal recommendation would be to pursue the full-time option. It is an incredible opportunity that only comes along once. With the full-time option you'll get the chance to make the most of it.

Good luck!

P.S. Have you looked at Columbia? They offer a truncated program that is still a full-time program but is a semester shorter ("January Start" is what they call it).

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sjkslskkjd487: Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts; Posts: 3; Joined: Mon Apr 22, 2013 11:13 am; Location: London; Followed by:1 members

by sjkslskkjd487 » Sat Apr 27, 2013 11:36 am

This is depend on your life position. If you want to carry on your job then do part time MBA. Or if you want to learn much and make good position or carrier after a period then go to take full time MBA.

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CriticalSquareMBA: Legendary Member; Posts: 1088; Joined: Thu Apr 18, 2013 3:29 pm; Thanked: 171 times; Followed by:52 members

by CriticalSquareMBA » Sat Apr 27, 2013 3:11 pm

Hi all, sjkslskkjd487 makes a good point. A full time MBA is more conducive to a career switch than a part time MBA. It provides the opportunities to explore options especially through the internship, get involved in professional organizations that provide access to events and networks, and take full advantage of the career services departments and recruiting seasons. All of these components tend to be stronger in a full time program.

Bhavik

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asynarson921: Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts; Posts: 2; Joined: Fri May 03, 2013 1:01 pm

by asynarson921 » Fri May 03, 2013 1:10 pm

This is very important post for you. But i think also for other. I suggest you to take Part time MBA. Because your are now in a job. Do some think with your study otherwise after a period you will think about money.

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Lizza Kaushal: Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts; Posts: 4; Joined: Wed Jun 12, 2013 1:02 am

by Lizza Kaushal » Mon Jun 17, 2013 11:52 pm

I found great tips for full time MBA program from https://www.thunderbird.edu/graduate-degrees My friend told me about this. Thanks dear for suggesting me this website!

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campbellronald7: Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts; Posts: 80; Joined: Wed Apr 18, 2012 11:14 pm; Thanked: 3 times

by campbellronald7 » Wed Jul 17, 2013 11:06 pm

I think full time MBA will be the best option as you are very fascinated about all things in grad school, and as you mention about the debt that you can easily get covered after your MBA as lots of new and good opportunities will come in your way. So that no needs to worry about debts.

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batrichie93: Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts; Posts: 20; Joined: Wed Sep 04, 2013 11:50 pm; Thanked: 1 times; Followed by:1 members

by batrichie93 » Thu Sep 05, 2013 2:26 am

According to me, full time MBA is better than part time.
Full time you will get the roles of leadership, managing, controlling projects when you start working in a industry. Projects you do when you do MBA gets you in a proper position so that you could built your career by applying those qualities. Amity MBA has best faculty which you can check for , with best of environment , best of professors.

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raajan singh: Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts; Posts: 10; Joined: Tue Aug 06, 2013 1:06 am

by raajan singh » Mon Oct 07, 2013 12:36 am

One of the greatest difficulties of part-time MBA is controlling work and your education. You are trying to handle two balls : work and knowledge. It can be very hard to stability both and do rights to both, one requires over other and you have to regularly keep up with them. In act of controlling, you have to reduce some things. For example, you may have to skip one of your meetings or training relevant to work.

With Regards,
Raajan
Student- Vanguard Business School

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campbellronald7: Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts; Posts: 80; Joined: Wed Apr 18, 2012 11:14 pm; Thanked: 3 times

by campbellronald7 » Mon Oct 21, 2013 2:14 am

As you say that it would be difficult for you to quit your full time job also you have never figured yourself without job, So I think Part -Time MBA would be the best option for you as though it won't be that familiar to Full time but it will help in getting a degree in MBA, and it would also be beneficial as you have work experience and it would help you grow itself in terms of position in your current company.

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mjacobson1986: Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts; Posts: 11; Joined: Wed May 23, 2012 4:14 pm

by mjacobson1986 » Wed Nov 06, 2013 9:43 am

While I agree with a lot that has been said, I really should stress that the final decision should be in how the degree fits into **your** life, not anyone else's. Full time v Part time is a personal decision, and one should that be made upon reflection on your specific goals, and what you plan to get out of it. There is a reason both exist. The most significant down side that I have seen with a couple of my friends who have pursued part time degrees, however, is that they had virtually no value add in terms of their professional network. If you are looking to either transition careers or really grow your network, a part time degree may be challenging. If your focus is truly on the learning of managing of a business, the curriculum is virtually the same. So I would go back and reflect on your goals to see what is most important to you, and beware of people who blindly advise you one way or the other without considering your specific situation. Good luck!

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jacob chaels: Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts; Posts: 1; Joined: Thu Jul 02, 2015 9:49 pm

by jacob chaels » Thu Jul 02, 2015 10:09 pm

Good day to all,
This is a very interesting forum.

Hope you can help me to decide.

I was recently accepted to a scholarship, I am from a third-world country and I was admitted to a university located to a first world country, and fortunately, accepted as one of their international scholars. Now, I'm having a difficulty on what programme to choose, either full-time or part-time MBA. By the way, scholarship includes full tuition fee, accommodation and living expenses. But then I'm still planning to work in that country because obviously I will left my job from my home country. Although they will shoulder most of expenses, I still want to have a work to be able to support my family by means of remitting my salary.
1. Are FULL time students allowed to do PART time work in UK?
2. Are PART time students allowed to do FULL time work in UK?
3. Are there possibilities for them (students) to be classified as immigrants for residency? If full time student or part time student?
4. Is it true that full-time is more expensive than part-time, but why? Full-time is a year while part-time is for 2 years, so ideally both should have a same cost of tuition.
Thanks to those who will help me.

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essaysnark: Legendary Member; Posts: 795; Joined: Sun Sep 20, 2009 10:41 am; Thanked: 177 times; Followed by:85 members

by essaysnark » Fri Jul 03, 2015 2:17 am

jacob chaels wrote:Good day to all,
This is a very interesting forum.

Hope you can help me to decide.

I was recently accepted to a scholarship, I am from a third-world country and I was admitted to a university located to a first world country, and fortunately, accepted as one of their international scholars. Now, I'm having a difficulty on what programme to choose, either full-time or part-time MBA. By the way, scholarship includes full tuition fee, accommodation and living expenses. But then I'm still planning to work in that country because obviously I will left my job from my home country. Although they will shoulder most of expenses, I still want to have a work to be able to support my family by means of remitting my salary.
1. Are FULL time students allowed to do PART time work in UK?
2. Are PART time students allowed to do FULL time work in UK?
3. Are there possibilities for them (students) to be classified as immigrants for residency? If full time student or part time student?
4. Is it true that full-time is more expensive than part-time, but why? Full-time is a year while part-time is for 2 years, so ideally both should have a same cost of tuition.
Thanks to those who will help me.

Congrats on your admit and your scholarship! Very exciting!

Please don't take this the wrong way but honestly you need to be talking to THE SCHOOL about these important issues rather than soliciting advice from strangers on the internet. These are questions that they can help you work through. In most cases you will be entering the country on a student visa which often prohibits working. However sometimes there are on-campus work opportunities that only the school would be able to refer you to. Also every school is different in terms of costs so that's why you need to be consulting them (don't they have those figures posted on their website?). We've never heard of a school allowing an admit to choose between F/T and P/T options so that's new for us. Usually people apply to a particular program format, not to the bschool as a whole. So again, since it appears that your school works differently, you should be in communication with them to sort through these next steps.

Again, congrats! Sounds like a great opportunity no matter what.

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