Part Time vs Full Time

Here are my thoughts...

I really like the part time program. The age group and work experience of your classmates will be a lot higher. There are a few 'older' fulltimers, but the average age tends to be much lower.

In terms of missing out, there are a lot of career info events and workshops that are during the day and that is hard for part timers to go to, given we work a full time job. That being said, if you plan accordingly, there are sufficient evening events to go to as well, or you can take a half day off work etc.

Jobs: If you are switching careers you might need to do an internship. You can always do an internship at the very end of your MBA or in between years 2 and 3. However, if you are looking to get into Finance, there are sooo many competitions and workshops that you can get a lot of experience in that respect. Rotman is really the best school for Finance in Canada (in my humble opinion). I am not sure if that is your intended career path. Jobs are open to every graduating student, and I was told by the career centre that the highest paying job last year went to a part-timer.

Profs: I personally think the quality of the profs are really amazing and are very knowledgeable - even in the evening. For the most part, they teach both the full time and the part time. Some of our profs teach us and the executive mba.

Extra curricular events: I along with my fellow part-timers have been involved in numerous challenges that take place in school. I would say at least 1/3 - 1/2 of our class has been involved in at least one challenge this year. As you know from my blog, I entered the Investment challenge and the Loreal challenge.

One additional note: You can enter the part time program, and switch into the full time program in second year and vice versa. However, this is not a guarantee and is approved on a case by case basis.