Rotman To The Core: Surviving An MBA As A Parent by: Erin Gulyas on July 27, 2024 | 645 Views July 27, 2024 Copy Link Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Email Share on LinkedIn Share on WhatsApp Share on Reddit If you are a parent and you’re surviving, you’re doing great. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a single parent or have a better half or whole village behind you. Raising another human being (or two…or more) is one of the hardest and most rewarding roles you can ever do. You should be proud of yourself. And doing that while pursuing an MBA? Well, get ready. I’ve been doing this with a husband and two kids, ages 3.5 years and 18 months. That doesn’t count an elderly cat that can’t remember when we fed her last. So I feel qualified to tell parents: Welcome to the club. You’re going to have fun. One of the benefits of being a parent and going to school is that my kids want to be just like mommy and wear their backpacks. I hope they’re inspired to go far with their education. SUMMER CRAZINESS Even though things were supposed to slow down in summer, my schedule for the last two weeks of May was a mess. As I was starting my internship at a local hospital and a Health Sector Management class at the same time, I was booked from sunup to sundown for a week. This kind of schedule put a huge burden on my husband, who would have to drop off and pick up the kids from school by himself, handle their dinnertime, and get them ready for bed when I’d come home. I needed to figure out a way to make these weeks easier on everyone. I felt bad because I’d promised my husband that things would start slowing down this summer and we would be able to relax this summer. After all, my entire first year at the Rotman School of Management was insanely busy between projects, networking, clubs, case competitions, and more. We had to navigate how to get the most out of my time being both a student and a parent. Despite not having four-and-a-half hours of class every day, I seemed to be busy in other ways this summer. While I had exciting opportunities with my internship and classes, it also meant that I would be giving up a lot of time with my family. What kept me going was that I truly believed it would be worth it at the end. I just had to survive this next stretch of craziness. I thought through my options for easing the craziness of the next few weeks and, finally, grabbed my phone and made a call on Facebook Messenger. “Mom?” Can you come up to Toronto to help us with the kids?” Thankfully, she said yes. Off to start another day of daycare drop-off, classes, homework, and being a student/parent! BEING AN MBA STUDENT WHILE ALSO BEING A PARENT Before my MBA, I’d had some demanding roles and periods throughout my 13-year career. I also put a lot of demands on myself, with writing books in my spare time. Yet, with my MBA, I’d been challenged in ways I’ve never been challenged before, both as a parent and as a student. While the MBA has been a wonderful experience and I’ve learned so much along the way, I’ve also had to establish my boundaries and hone my time management skills, being both a full-time student and full-time parent. At halfway through my program, I have some advice if you’re thinking about pursing an MBA. MY TIPS FOR NAVIGATING YOUR MBA WHILE ALSO BEING A PARENT 1. Be Adaptable. Adaptability is a big part of the MBA experience. It helps you to be effective in school. It also plays an even bigger role when you’re a parent. Studying for a test? Study at the table while your kids do their “homework” (as in color). If there’s a tutoring session while the kids are going stir crazy inside, take them to the park while you call into the session and listen to the tutors. Your MBA may look different compared to other students, but there are ways that you can take advantage of your adaptability as a parent – and turn it into an asset for your career. 2. Build Your Village. There’s going to be a time when you or your kids are sick. You may have a late-night project or a test. Chances are, you’ll face a combination of the above. In these situations, you need to accept help. Some students get their MBAs close to family, while others head far from home. As I’m an international student studying in Toronto, 1500 miles from family, I can only rely upon my husband –who also has his own demanding full-time job at a VR startup. We’ve had to locate an army of babysitters, find a good daycare, and call in favors for family members to come out here to watch the kids when it gets tough – much like I did when I called my mother early this summer. Your school is good resource to help; The University of Toronto keeps a list of active babysitters for parents, and there are always events at the family housing that bring parents and kids together. 3. Keep Your Eyes On The Prize. There have been times when it seems like I’ve had too much coming at me all at once. I’ve had to juggle group projects, individual papers, and finals while my daughter learned how to walk and my son was being potty trained. It’s times like these that I’ve wondered how I’d get through the next five minutes, let alone the next week. I’ve found that it’s helpful to remember your goals and why you’re getting an MBA in the first place. I’m doing this for my kids as much as myself; I know that we’ll have a great future once all the hard work is done. Sometimes I just need to be reminded of it. Here’s a bonus tip: Make sure you have a good playground nearby. Our playground was out of commission for four months while they replaced it, and it was brutal as the kids had trouble expending their energy. 4. Take Some Time for Yourself. This little bit of advice is hard when you’re an overprotective parent like me. But I highly recommend calling in a babysitter to watch the kids and go out and have a night to yourself. If your partner is with you, go out on a date night. Be sure to remember what life is like outside of your studies and have some fun that’s not school- or kid-related. Which reminds me, I should probably plan another date with my husband soon. 5. Be Proud of Being a Parent. I think I’ve shown pictures of my kids to every professor and student in the MBA cohort at Rotman. As a result, my schedule looks a little different compared to theirs. I’ve also taken to talking to my professors at the start of each term to tell them my situation in case anything arises. I think helps to have people understand my challenges, even if we are in very different stages of our lives. Telling others about my kids and why I’m doing my MBA also helps me to maintain my North Star. 6. Take Advantage of Your School’s Resources. The great thing about Rotman is that there are free tutoring sessions for students struggling in any class. For someone like me who needed an extra bit of help, these were amazingly helpful when balancing my late nights taking care of sick kids. If your school offers something like this, do it. You won’t regret it. 7. Ask for Accommodations if You Need Them. I’m someone who doesn’t like to ask for help. However, asking for accommodations when I need them has been a necessary part of my MBA journey. There was one point where both kids and my husband were sick at the same time, and an accommodation allowed me to take a test later when everyone was better and I could study to my full extent. I’m facing a unique opportunity and challenge as I’m both a parent and student, but I’m doing it with my husband and my kids – the people I care most in the world. And while I plan on enjoying every moment of my experience, I also know that we’ll come out through the other side stronger. I can’t wait. Erin Gulyas Erin Gulyas has been fascinated with stories ever since her Barbie dated her Swamp Thing action figure when she was three years old. Since then, she has turned this passion into telling stories for brands and companies to better connect with consumers. She comes to the Rotman School of Management at The University of Toronto with 13 years of experience in advertising and marketing. After graduating with a Bachelor Degree of Science from the University of Texas at Austin in 2009, Erin completed a Graduate Diploma in Advertising Creativity from the Auckland University of Technology. She has worked as a copywriter at lead advertising agencies and companies in both New Zealand and America. She last worked for Blue Shield of California as the Senior Manager of Content and Communications, where she oversaw six writers and three digital media specialists to create 4000+ member-facing communications per year. In her spare time (what little there is), she’s a New York Times bestselling author when she’s not wrangling her two young children. You can find her on LinkedIn, and if you like Star Wars, we’re already best friends. DON’T MISS: ROTMAN TO THE CORE: WHY I DECIDED TO GET MY MBA (AT AGE 36 & IN A DIFFERENT COUNTRY) ROTMAN TO THE CORE: HOW MY GMAT PREPARED ME FOR MY MBA