Loading ...The percentage of women in business schools, at an average of 30%, is much lower than that of medical (49%) and law schools (47%). A big part of this is because typical MBA programs require work experience prior to applying. Prospective female applicants are generally entering their prime marriage/child bearing years at that time.
Many schools, in an attempt to increase the number of women in their programs, have started offering morning MBA classes. This, according to Sue Shellenbarger of the Wall Street Journal, gives women more opportunity to attend. Currently, only a few schools offer such a program. Classes at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Business, for example, are Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 7 am to 8:59 am (yes, 8:59 am, not 9). This allows its students to not only work full time, but also have some sort of social life and spend time with family. In fact, people with school-aged children could study with their kids. These morning classes offer much more flexibility than even after-work or weekend programs.
Of course, there are drawbacks. These programs often start very early in the morning. If your commute to work is over an hour, you could very well have to be up at 4:30 am. You also miss the chance to have breakfast with family. This program definitely only appeals to those who are “morning people.” In addition, as these programs are part-time, length of study is generally longer. This isn’t something you would take if you want to graduate quickly.
Would I take such a program? Sure. As a morning person, getting up early is not a problem for me. While I do not have kids to worry about, these morning programs would allow me to go to class, to work, and still manage to attend networking events, volunteer and have a social life. This to me, is the best of both worlds.
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