Many universities now offer graduate students flexible scheduling options so that many have to consider the advantages and/or disadvantages to starting an MBA in the fall vs. spring. Generally, a university’s fall semester begins in August and ends in December while its spring semester extends from January to May. Many MBA programs are specially designed to equitably offer students a choice between fall and spring admissions. This usually means that the same set of course offerings are available during both semesters. Additionally, MBA programs that are implemented in cohort fashion have different student groups beginning their studies during both the fall and spring semesters. However, a student’s academic participation is only a part of their MBA experience; the intangible elements of graduate school education are perhaps the most affected by one’s admission schedule. Here are some considerations for joining MBA programs in the fall or spring.
Financial Aid With Campus Employment
There are many forms of financial aid available to undergraduate and graduate students to help them pay for their education related expenses. While student loans are the most common and easiest types of financial aid to obtain, other options allow students to leave school with less of a debt burden. Besides getting both need and performance based grants, scholarships and fellowships, graduate students can also find meaningful employment right on campus. These campus jobs are often better for MBA students than outside employment opportunities at retail and restaurant establishments unless those students plan to open their own related businesses. However, there is usually a requirement that students must have attended the school for a certain amount of time before obtaining campus employment. These jobs usually become available when other students graduate at the end of the spring semester so MBA students beginning their programs in the spring semester would not yet have met the attendance requirement for campus employment.
Experiential Learning Opportunities
Some universities have responded to industry feedback by providing students with unconventional ways of demonstrating their knowledge of concepts taught within classrooms. These opportunities take the form of field studies, internships and study abroad programs. These type of programs allow MBA students to gain valuable work experience that is directly related to their major or specialization. It also puts gifted students in front of future employers at prominent companies. However, the selection of students to these highly competitive programs is usually done in the fall semester to give students time to plan to work directly after the spring semester ends and their summer break begins.
Honing Leadership Skills Within Student Organizations
Most universities provide students with many opportunities to join campus student organizations or professional associations that have campus affiliations. These clubs help students to develop administrative skills and industry knowledge on business management related subjects. While participating in these programs, MBA students become aware of their own professional strengths and weaknesses as well as those of their peers. These students often forge valuable relationships and networks during this time that last throughout their careers. Ambitious MBA students who want to hold offices within these groups often find that it is too late to make the peer connections needed for successful bids during the spring semester if they are are just starting their academic programs.
Conclusion
Students who start their MBA programs during the spring semester may not miss out academically because many universities are making flexible admission schedules one of their main selling points for full time students and working adults. However, the networking opportunities that are important to the career development of MBA graduates make the comparison of the advantages and/or disadvantages to starting an MBA in the fall vs. spring a valuable and necessary exercise.
For more information on pursing an MBA, please see: The Top 10 Best Online MBA in Marketing Degree Programs.
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