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Application Process (Thomas Farrell): The application process was easy enough to navigate
through the extremely helpful guidance of the MBA office. The professors and GA's
have always been open and available in any assistance I've needed throughout each
course I have taken.
Work/Life Balance (Rachel Clouser): The online classes opened opportunities to complete
the degree that I would not have otherwise due to the lack of flexibility. This schedule
made it easy to for me to coordinate between school, career and life commitments.
WCU’s online MBA allowed the flexibility to take classes, view lectures and turn in
assignments at my convenience.
Flexibility (Kara Robbins): The program is nice because each class is only 7 weeks
long, so it goes by very quickly and doesn't feel as daunting. The professors in
the MBA were easily accessible if needed and responded to emails quickly.
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Online Learning (Rachel Clouser): One of the most positive aspects of this online
learning experience has been the time that I have saved from not having to travel
from one place to the university. This has been for one of the reasons I have selected
the WCU MBA over other MBA Programs in Pennsylvania. Learning online has created a
new dynamic of communication between myself and the professors, and studying from
my house has given me the ability to dictate the speed of my learning, as I can spend
as much time on certain topics as I need to understand them completely. Further, online
learning allows me to better manage my own time more efficiently.
Preparation for Today’s Workforce (Rachel Clouser): The WCU MBA prepared me and my
peers for today’s workplace, where teams are split into multiple offices, and clients
can be located around the world. Organizing time and resources in the program becomes
the key to success and with this brings a career advantage. When working with other
students remotely, I needed to share documents, set priorities, solve problems, deliver
presentations, coordinate research, and write theses without physically meeting with
my team, which is required in much of today’s job markets.
Work/Life Balance (Thomas Farrell): As a full time working professional, I have been
able to manage both work and school due to the flexible schedule of the West Chester
MBA program. The asynchronous learning style makes earning your MBA obtainable while
still working full time and not giving up your personal commitments or social life.
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Work/Life Balance (Kara Robbins): My experience was kind of unique since I had a baby
during the program, but it was still doable. The workload is manageable, but students
will need to carve out time and understand that some weekends may include finishing
group projects, papers, or quizzes. What made getting a master's financially possible
for me was consistently having a graduate assistantship position. I wish I would have
known those were available sooner because I would have gotten my MBA years ago! Each
semester I worked 10 hours as a graduate assistant, in addition to working my full-time
job, and caring for my 3 young children. Some semesters it worked best to log those
hours over the weekend, and other times I "scheduled" an hour before or after work
and an hour during my lunch break to get the hours in. It was a lot at times, but
completely worth it!
Networking (Rachel Clouser): There is an abundance of opportunities for students to
build personal connections with current students. WCU’s MBA is online, however, it
requires me to interact with my peers regularly, including collaborating on assignments
and encourages the exchange of ideas and information. Each student brings a unique
perspective and background to the work, allowing everyone to learn from one another.
The chance to network with my peers from all industries, backgrounds and geographic
locations is invaluable and can help me build my career potential.
Real World Application (Rachel Clouser): It has been most beneficial for me and my
peers that readings and assignments are based on real-life business scenarios, such
as the Silicon Valley Bank's Parent Company filing for bankruptcy, and allow us to
tailor projects to our specific industry problems we face today that need solving.
This means that course content avoided giving students the same “bland” experiences
each week and provided assignments/readings based on real opportunities to develop
insight to grow as a learner in our fields.