Q: What is your current profession and what led you there?
A: Higher Education Administration: I have found that I really enjoy looking at systems and figuring how to make them more efficient and effective. I am able to use the skills and knowledge from my MBA to help do that even in a higher educational setting. I have been able to use my background to make positive changes in my current workplace, where we have adapted our systems to improve our workflow and better serve our students.
Q: A major part of the decision to pursue a Part-Time MBA centers around flexibility? Did D'Amore-McKim offer the flexibility you needed?
A: There were a lot of different things that allowed the program to be pretty flexible. The times that classes were offered in the evening were really important for me. I was able to work during the day and then go to class at night. I was often able to take one or two classes in one evening so that I didn't have to come multiple days a week, which was ideal for my schedule.
They also offer the Saturday one-credit classes that were really great for my workweek. You can take up to six of those to complete the program so I definitely took advantage of that option. The one-credit courses gave me the opportunity to meet students in various stages of the program and provided me with new perspectives.
In terms of flexibility, I thought the faculty members were really helpful. They were very mindful of the fact that those of us in the Part-Time MBA program were working full-time. They really made an effort to be available outside of traditional work hours so that we were able to go to office hours after work or we could make a phone appointment if we couldn't actually make it to the campus. They were very adaptable in their availability, making an effort at all times to make sure they provided any extra help that we needed in order to be successful in the program.
Q: Were you worried coming into the program that it would be hard to balance a full-time job with a Part-Time MBA?
A: I started the program immediately after I completed my undergraduate degree, so I feel like I was still in that study mode. Coming in, I knew that it was going to be a lot of work. But to me, it was worth it. There were many different ways that D'Amore-McKim helped me to be able to complete this program. In fact, in the middle of the program, I did have to take some time off for personal reasons. Not only was I able to do that, but there were no questions asked and there was no pressure for me to return at any particular time. I was able to deal with those issues and then return to complete the program.
Q: You had a valuable experience in Washington, DC. Can you describe that?
A: We were at the Washington, DC campus for an accelerated course. It was an intensive trip, giving me great insight into how politics integrate with business and the workplace in general. We toured Capitol Hill and met some officials.
I was also there for the 50th anniversary of the Martin Luther King March on Washington. I had the opportunity to hear some amazing speakers including President Obama as well as some members of the King family. The experience gave me an important perspective on diversity, which I was able to bring to my job here, where I work to promote diversity every day.
Q: Can you talk about the experience of the professors and the overall quality of the people who taught you during the Part-Time MBA program?
A: The faculty really brought great experience to all the classes that I took, including all of my prerequisite classes that stereotypically aren't the most exciting. They weren't just experts in their respective fields, they brought the classroom to life by teaching directly from their experiences enabling us to learn from them through case studies. It really helped us to stay motivated and be successful in the program.
Q: What are some tangible benefits of the Part-Time MBA experience here at D'Amore-McKim?
A: Immediately after completing my MBA, I was offered a promotion to the job I hold now in higher education. Many of my co-workers and colleagues have Masters in education or higher education, so having an MBA has really set me apart and given me a different perspective to bring to the workplace. Being offered this new position, I would definitely credit the D'Amore-McKim School of Business for allowing me to have a different perspective to bring and therefore elevating my career.