Finding the time

Taking on an MBA is no small feat. Particularly when you’re already juggling other commitments. However, Denise was confident she could manage it — and she did.

“It's all about time management and prioritizing,” she explains. “I was already a clinic operations manager, typically working 50 plus hours a week. I'm a mom of a very active child, and I'm a wife, and a volunteer. I was a scout leader. I run a support group. I do all kinds of stuff, and I still had the time to fit this in.”

The program has been designed with busy remote learners in mind and has flexible features that allow people like Denise to fit studying around a packed schedule. The fact that sessions are recorded was particularly helpful for Denise when life got in the way.

“You can watch them at 3:00 in the morning if you want to!” she says.

“And if there's something you need clarification on, you can email your section instructor, and they will set up a meeting with you. I was never left feeling like I didn't have access to information, or I wasn't going to get the same guidance as everybody else.”

Seeing the world

Despite the online delivery of the MBA program, in-person events are available for those who are willing and able to attend.

One of the biggest benefits the program offers is its international field study program — trips in which groups of students travel outside the United States to get first-hand experience of business in different countries and cultures.

For a travel lover like Denise, the chance to see the world and develop valuable cross-cultural business knowledge was too good to pass up. During her MBA program, she visited Prague one year and Singapore the next. Both had a huge impact on her, and she urges other students to take part if they can.

“It helps you understand different cultures and people,” she says. “At the end of the day, no matter where you do business in this world, understanding the people and the culture will make you more successful.”

Making connections

The commercial knowledge gained on these trips enriched Denise’s experience of the program, but so too did the people she met through these opportunities, including fellow students, professors, and industry professionals.

She considers the connections she forged over the course of the program one of her greatest successes.

“I believe that you can never have enough connections in life, and never enough friends,” she says.

“Through different activities, I made different connections along the way. I learned more about how I can use my education and about different fields that I could go into later if I choose to do so.”

For Denise, meeting a variety of people with a range of experiences and backgrounds helped her build an invaluable network of professionals who could open doors for her in the future.

“You can't replace that with anything else,” she says emphatically. “I would have never had these connections or known these people if it wasn't for this program. So, for me, that's the biggest takeaway.”

Reframing challenges

As much as Denise enjoyed her MBA experience, she admits it wasn’t always plain sailing.

Given the online delivery of the program, it attracts students from all over the United States and the world. While this presents big benefits for students looking to diversify their network and gain varied insights and perspectives, it can also present practical challenges.

“I was in Singapore during my last term and doing group projects,” Denise explains. “And so, you have to figure out: How can we make this work where everybody's doing a fair and equal amount of work, but also be mindful of the fact that somebody might be in a time zone 16 hours ahead of you?”

As difficult as she found this aspect of the program, Denise also recognizes the value in it, and has reframed these challenges as opportunities to hone a hugely sought-after skill in international business.

“It adds to the experience of the MBA because problem solving is something that you're going to face in your career. And this is a good experience in learning how to do that.”

Joining the Coug community

For Denise, one of the unexpected but much appreciated benefits of the program was the high level of support she received throughout — from both staff and fellow students.

This sense of community and comradery has even extended beyond her studies.

“I didn't realize how strong the Coug family was until I became one,” she says. “I've been wearing a WSU sweatshirt 12 hours away from Pullman, and somebody will chase me down the hall of a hotel and yell, ‘Go Cougs!’. It’s a huge family, and there’s a lot of support.”

Now that she’s earned her degree, what would she say to people who are considering the Online MBA program but feeling unsure about whether to take the leap?

“It’s a lifelong gift to yourself,” Denise answers.

“Everyone cares about your success, and where you're going, and people are there to help you if you stumble on the way. So, if you're thinking about it, just rip off the band aid and go for it. It's 100% worth it.”

A portion of this story was originally published in eDividend (March 2024).