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Life @ Smith
No one can explain the opportunities
of Smith's Evening MBA and Weekend
better than a current student. Browse
through the questions below to gain more
insight into the part-time MBA programs.
Why did you choose the
Robert H. Smith School of Business
instead of one of its competitors?
How much work is done in
groups or teams?
How would you describe
your first semester in the Evening MBA
or Weekend MBA?
Why did you decide to
pursue a part-time MBA?
How much time do you
dedicate to studying outside class?
How has your experience
been with the services offered by the
Office of Career Management for
part-time MBA students?
How responsive have
faculty and staff been to your needs as
a student?
How difficult has it been
to balance your professional career,
family life, and academic
responsibilities?
Is there anything that you
wish you would have known or that
someone would have told you BEFORE you
began the part-time MBA?
Why did you choose
the Robert H. Smith School of Business
instead of one of its competitors?
I chose Smith's part-time program at
Shady Grove because of the faculty's
award-winning reputation, depth and
breadth of elective course and elective
offerings, and the diversity and
strength of the school's students.
Looking back, Smith's MBA program has
met those expectations and I am
extremely pleased with the results.
Kurt Krauss
Evening MBA - Shady Grove Campus
Current Employer: Parsons Brinckerhoff,
Inc.
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How would you
describe your first semester in the
Evening MBA or Weekend MBA?
My first semester as a Smith Evening MBA
student was one of transition. Having
been removed from an academic
environment for over five years, it took
some time to get acclimated to being in
a classroom again, especially in this
format where classes run for 3.5 hours
at a time. However, our first course was
Leadership & Teamwork and we had an
outstanding professor who really
motivated and inspired us.
Robert Bandy
Evening MBA - Baltimore
Current Employer: US Navy
The first semester at Smith was fairly
easy for me mainly because I was
somewhat familiar with the subjects. The
only challenge was in trying to getting
use to working with various classmates
for the class projects, something which
I think will get easier as we get to
know each other better.
Mehdi Graylei
Evening MBA - Shady Grove Campus
self-employed
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How much time do you
dedicate to studying outside class?
You can typically expect to spend one to
two hours outside of class for each hour
of lecture time. Since the core
curriculum is segmented into 7½- week
terms, with two courses per session,
there are assignments due nearly every
week. Time management becomes a key
factor due to this rigorous schedule.
David Gaugh
Evening MBA - Baltimore
Current Employer: BGE
In a regular non-exam week, I could get
away with eight to 10 hours per week for
reading, doing homework exercises, and
reviewing material from previous
classes. Working in teams is a little
more time-consuming. It can take up to a
full day on a weekend and half a day or
a night meeting during the week. When
exams and final projects approach you
may spend 20 to 25 hours per week on
outside class work. Overall, five weeks
out of 15 for the full semester are
intense in out of class workload.
Fernando Gonzolez
Evening MBA - Washington DC
Current Employer: Microstrategy
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How responsive have
faculty and staff been to your needs as
a student?
Many of the professors at Smith are or
were working professionals in their
respective industries. Such experience
has not only given them great insight
into the business community from which
they may teach us, but it has also
enabled the faculty to understand the
demands of attending class and studying
after working 10+ hour days. Earning
your MBA requires dedication and the
professors are flexible in making the
experience as rewarding as possible.
Kris Manning
Evening MBA -Shady Grove Campus
Current Employer: Clark Construction
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Is there anything
that you wish you would have known or
that someone would have told you BEFORE
you began the Evening MBA?
"Get organized, very organized..." is
the most important advice I needed when
started Smith's program. Work, school,
and living necessities consume most of
my free time. In this context, being
organized is essential to maintaining
order and, most importantly, not letting
project deadlines or exams catch you by
surprise.
Ricardo Davico
Evening MBA - Washington DC
Current Employer: International Monetary
Fund
My experience has been fantastic. One of
the challenges so far has been to
effectively interact with students from
different parts of the world that work
in many different industries. Another
interesting challenge has been learning
the "know-how"--learning the way things
have to be done in an international
environment. Probably the biggest
challenge has been to find the perfect
balance between work, school and my
personal life. Overall, it has been a
great experience!
Jesús Centeño
Evening MBA - Washington DC
Current Employer: Microstrategy
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How much work is
done in groups or teams?
Nearly all classes at Smith have at
least one group or team project. This
may be a written paper, an in-class
presentation, or both. Group work
represents roughly one quarter of your
graded assignments. It's important to
choose a group whose members share your
same study habits.
David Gaugh
Evening MBA - Baltimore
Current Employer: BGE
Throughout my Smith MBA experience,
about half of all of the course
deliverables completed were group
projects or group presentations. I
strongly believe that interacting with
fellow students in a group setting has
been crucial to the development of my
team building and communication skills.
In the future, these "soft skills" will
be equally as important as the technical
business skills Smith provided me over
the past three years.
Kurt Krauss
Evening MBA - Shady Grove Campus
Current Employer: Parsons Brinckerhoff,
Inc.
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Why did you decide
to pursue a part-time MBA?
As a naval officer, an MBA gives me
great flexibility in career options. If
I opt to pursue a corporate career, the
tools learned from an MBA combined with
my leadership experience from the Navy
will serve me well. If I elect to stay
in the Navy, an MBA degree is well
respected and will pay dividends in the
future.
Robert Bandy
Evening MBA - Baltimore
Current Employer: US Navy
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How has your
experience been with the services
offered by the Office of Career
Management for part-time MBA students?
I have found the services offered by the
Office of Career Management to be very
helpful for part-time MBA students. For
example, I used the resume critique
service to make my resume more
effective. Additionally, the career
assessment tools are very helpful if you
are interested in making a career
switch.
Keat Bhutani
Evening MBA - Shady Grove Campus
Current Employer: The World Bank Group
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How difficult has it
been to balance your professional
career, family life, and academic
responsibilities?
The Smith MBA program is definitely
manageable. It will take some time
management to fit it all in and you may
have to give up some of your leisure
activities. Although, the rewards in the
end are well worth it.
Judi Finkler
Evening MBA - Baltimore
Certified Public Accountant
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