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Mission Admission is a series of MBA admission tips; a new one is posted each Tuesday.

This time of year, we get an increasing number of questions about part-time MBA programs. So we thought we would take a look at some of the pros and cons of this MBA option.

As for the pros, the one candidates cite most frequently is that the part-time MBA has a limited opportunity cost. Unlike the full-time MBA student, the part-time MBA student does not miss out on two years of salary and still has the opportunity to earn raises and promotions while completing his/her studies. Furthermore, firm sponsorship seems to be more prevalent for part-time MBAs, so candidates who have this option can truly come out ahead, with a free education and continued earning throughout. Beyond the financial rationale, many part-time MBA students see an academic advantage; they can learn both in the classroom and at work and can then turn theory into practice (and vice versa) in real time, on an ongoing basis. Of course, a cynic might add that another pro is that part-time MBA programs are generally less selective. So, some candidates who may have had a hard time getting accepted to a traditional two-year program may have a better chance of being admitted to a well-regarded school in its part-time program rather than in its full-time program.

As for the cons, many part-time MBA candidates feel that the comparative lack of structure means that networking opportunities within the class are more limited. While one part-time Kellogg student could complete the school’s MBA program in two years, another might complete it in five. As a result, with candidates completing the program at such different paces, students will not likely see each other regularly in the same classes, at the same social events, etc. In addition, in a traditional MBA environment, academics always come first; in a part-time environment, work typically comes first, and academics come second (or even third, after family). In other words, the full-time program generally involves greater intensity with regard to the classroom experience, given that it is the sole focal point of students’ lives. Another thing to consider is that some MBA programs do not offer all of their “star” faculty to part-time students (something that candidates should definitely ask about before enrolling) and offer limited access to on-grounds recruiting.

With this post, we are not trying to offer a definitive “answer” or present a bias for a particular kind of program, but are simply trying to present some objective facts for candidates to consider as they make informed choices for themselves.

Are you in Cape Town, South Africa? Are you interested in getting your MBA? Could you benefit from some application advice? If so, you can meet with mbaMission founder and president Jeremy Shinewald on Saturday, March 24, for a free 30-minute consultation session at a location in Cape Town to be determined. If interested, please fill out our form at https://www.mbamission.com/consult.php and e-mail [email protected]. Time slots are limited and will be filled on a first come, first served basis. If you have any questions, contact [email protected].

Mission Admission is a series of MBA admission tips; a new one is posted each Tuesday.

Oh the difference a day makes. One day, you are on the outside, wondering whether you will ever get into any of your target schools. Then, the next day, you get a call from the MBA admissions board at your first-choice school, and your life changes forever. Suddenly, with an acceptance letter in hand, you become more self-assured and start to contemplate whether you will receive scholarships. Then, your second-choice school calls and offers you $10K. You now find yourself facing a tough choice: accepting the offer from the second-choice school that comes with a scholarship or the offer from the first-choice program, even though it does not come with any funds?

In the short term, you do not need to make this choice. With acceptance letters in hand, you can diplomatically leverage the financial aid offer you received from your second-choice school to influence the decision at your first. Once you have been accepted, your first choice just might not be prepared to let you go. Of course, diplomacy is key. If you make your request in too forceful a manner, you will only alienate the financial aid office, which may then decide to not offer additional resources to encourage you to choose the other school.

So tread carefully, but you will not lose anything by asking for more.

Many candidates choose to take a straightforward, historical approach to their personal statements. This can be an easy way to organize an essay, but this approach may also lead candidates to ignore possibilities for a more focused and gripping introduction. Although nothing is fundamentally wrong with taking a historical approach, under certain circumstances, an anecdotal approach can better maintain the reader’s interest. (This all comes down to execution, of course—a strong writer could effectively execute either approach.)

Example 1: Historical

“When I graduated from NYU with a finance degree, I eschewed Wall Street and pursued my own distinct path; I opened a flower shop in midtown New York, never imagining the challenges I would face as I strived to bring in new customers and locate products around the world. With time, I learned to advertise selectively (on billboards in local office buildings) and developed relationships with suppliers, particularly one in Peru, with whom I obtained an exclusive on Heliconia flowers. After one year, we started to specialize in foreign flowers and, with a niche identified, we developed a strong client base. My firm stabilized and I was no longer bleeding cash to support my 11 employees; we were cash flow neutral and contemplating a new location.”

This introduction, which is historical in nature, is very direct and informative, but involves almost no drama or emotion. To be more effective, the writer might instead consider positioning him/herself as “the hero” and drawing the reader in with some anecdotal tension.

Example 2: Anecdotal

“My hand quivered as I signed a lease for 1,000 square feet of retail space in midtown New York. Two months later, I flung open the doors to my flower shop and was stunned when I did not make a sale until my third day. Admittedly, I began to question the wisdom of entrepreneurship and wondered if I should have joined my peers from NYU’s finance program as an analyst on Wall Street instead. However, each day, a trickle of customers came in, and more often than not, they commented on the colorful and rare flowers in my window, like the Peruvian Heliconia, exclusive to my shop. Within weeks, I had core customers picking up scheduled orders and referring friends; I bolstered this ‘word of mouth’ with select advertising on electronic billboards in the four 50-story office towers surrounding the shop. Soon, I noticed a surge of customers and was no longer bleeding cash. After one year, we were cash flow neutral, and I was even contemplating opening another location.”

In this version, the same information is conveyed, but the tension inherent in the “quivering hand” and the empty store act as a “hook” that draws the reader in. By taking this more personal, emotional and indeed anecdotal approach, the writer allows the reader to identify with his/her struggle and thus maintains the reader’s interest.

Again, this is not a case of right or wrong. Each candidate should decide what works best in his/her own essays.

One way to save words in your application essays and short-answer responses is to pluralize nouns whenever possible. Singular words often require an article such as “a,” “an” or “the.” These words add unnecessarily to your word count, and they can clutter your page without contributing to your argument or style. Consider the following example:

“A manager with an MBA will be able to ascend the corporate ladder faster than a manager who lacks an MBA.” (21 words)

versus

“Managers with MBAs will be able to ascend the corporate ladder faster than managers who lack MBAs.” (17 words)

As you can see, the same idea is presented in both sentences, but one sentence has four words fewer than the other. Given that essays can include dozens or even hundreds of sentences, pluralizing wherever possible is helpful in meeting word count requirements.