As someone in the Leeds Full-Time MBA Program, I feel adequately qualified to expound on the benefits of a full-time program, as opposed to the benefits of the Evening/Part-Time or Executive Program. Below, I’ve boiled down the biggest full-time MBA benefits, in my opinion, into four buckets: Time, Money, Career and Network.
- Time: Generally, full-time MBA programs take less time to complete, with a standard length of two years and the summer off normally reserved for an internship (we’ll talk more about this later), relative to evening or part-time MBA programs, which average about three years to complete, depending on the intensity and pace. The Leeds MBA programs are unique because both the evening and full-time programs complete in two years, saving students time and money, while accelerating their professional lives.
Additionally, as a full-time student, you won’t have to contend with the stresses of balancing a demanding job during the day with lectures at night and hoards of school work over the weekend. This allows you to immerse yourself and focus more intently on your learning. You will also have more flexibility to explore different business interests and get involved with extracurriculars.
- Money: Attending a full-time MBA program usually means you’ll have to quit your job, leaving you short of a regular income for two years. That being said, it’s still possible to still work part-time for your previous employer, depending on their flexibility (and your time management). Feel free to have the conversation, but also set clear expectations and keep in mind that the first semester or so of any MBA program will have a very intense course load.
Part-time work on and off campus is also available to help you pay for groceries and other incidentals along the way. These might include conducting student admissions interviews, coordinating school tours and class visits or even writing for the school’s blog (AKA the best job).
In terms of financial aid, full-time MBA students on the average have more options available (aid, scholarships, fellowships and grants) than other programs.
- Career: Many full-time MBAs are focused on switching careers and have the luxury of taking advantage of all on-campus recruiting efforts. In the same vein, full-time MBAs traditionally do not have classes over the summer between their first and second years and are encouraged to take up internships at companies of interest to gain experience and practice applying their learnings to the real world. If the fit is right, these companies can offer employment to the students after graduation, or even part-time during their second-year of school. Check out the “Summer Internship Spotlight” on the blog to read about several summer 2018 internships!
- Network: Being full-time students means that you’ll spend a lot of time collaborating with classmates in and out of the classroom, day or night and everything in between, building great camaraderie. The majority of full-time students get involved with the bevy of student-run clubs and constant extracurricular activities because a) they generally have more time to do so in the full-time program and b) they aren’t too tired from working a full-time job on top of school.
Full-time MBA programs offer plenty of advantages, but every student is unique and the decision depends on several factors. If you want more insights from both evening and full-time students, check out this earlier blog post: Leeds Full-time MBA vs. Evening MBA: What’s the Difference? Feel free to reach out to leedsgrad@colorado.edu if you have more questions!
