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10 Ways to Make Your Executive MBA Program Fun and Memorable

Let’s face it: An executive MBA program isn’t supposed to be fun. Between work and family, it’s hard enough to squeeze in time to read and coordinate with your project group. Fun, really? After the weekend, you feel like you were spit out of a tornado.

No, you’re not like the daytime students. You’re spending your late nights studying, not hitting the hot spots. Being part of an executive MBA program is a big sacrifice for you. It’s a battle. It’s a grind. And you just want to get through it.

Many students feel that way. While they recognize the value of making friends and building a network, they often don’t slow down, let alone take advantage of the many opportunities available to them.

In a recent column appearing in Top MBA, administrators from executive MBA programs at Arizona State, Emory University, the University of Chicago, and GSM London shared their advice on how executive MBA students could get the most from their time. Here are some of their thoughts:

  • “PARTICIPATE in everything! All of our students are busy professionals, many of whom are also parents and have active social and philanthropic interests. The EMBA is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and you should embrace the time, using it to learn, build your network, and make lasting relationships. You will get out of it what you put into it.”
  • “ACCEPT the value of meeting a new, diverse mix of people. Most EMBA programs recruit a diverse class of professionals. Each participant brings something different to the table of student life. Never again will you be in a room with so many diverse and accomplished individuals. Learn from your classmates.”
  • “QUESTION the logic of everything. ‘Peel the layers of the onion’,” as this way of thinking is one of the foundations of outside the box thinking. During your EMBA student life, you will be exposed to new ideas, industries, examples, and people. This will open up new horizons, and help you understand that there is much that you do not know, and great opportunity out there.”
  • “TRY an international course to give you the flavor of doing business in another country.”

To read the full article, click on the Top MBA link below.

Don’t Miss: Poets and Quants’ 2014 Ranking of the Top Executive MBA Programs

Source: http://www.topmba.com/mba-programs/executive/choosing-emba/10-ways-make-your-emba-student-life-fun-and-memorable