Requesting Company Sporsorship — Advice from EMBA Students
What's the most effective way to ask your employer for sponsorship? We asked current students to give advice to applicants, and here's what they said about how they made the case for taking time off, got employer recommendations, and obtained full or partial financial sponsorship.
Know your company’s financial assistance policies
Understand your company's policies on sponsorship of such programs. Ensure that you meet the key criteria upfront. Equally important, be aware of your supervisor's inclination and attitude towards such programs and how you can mitigate the day-to-day issues that will arise from your absence from the office.
A fair bit of time is needed for advance preparation; therefore, one should start planning a year ahead of admission deadlines. Some companies, particularly smaller ones, require setting aside funds in the budget, which follows an annual cycle.
Derrick Goh, WG'06
Vice President, Finance, International Consumer Card
American Express
New York, NY
More about Derrick
Be willing to negotiate the terms of employer sponsorship
I was primarily self-funded, but my company provided some financial assistance. Most of their support — and they provided a lot of support in this area — was in the flexibility of scheduling and workload. I was able to negotiate reductions in my consulting billability target and was able to structure some of client-facing teamwork in a way that allowed me to continue to make significant contributions to the client, but also allowed some time to focus on my schoolwork and team projects.
There were still some stressful periods, of course, but my colleagues knew I was focused on delivering my commitments to them, and they respected my focus on delivering commitments to my team and reaching my own goals with the program. At worst, I was only an e-mail or cell phone call away.
Joy Quinn, WG'07
Associate Director
Gartner, Inc.
Arlington, VA
More about Joy
Treat your sponsorship request like a project proposal
I requested sponsorship from the president. I drew up a spreadsheet analysis of the schools and programs I was interested in, including factors like schedules, costs, and quality. The time off was a larger issue than the cost, but I managed to convince management of the value of the Wharton program.
Keep your options open and treat your request for sponsorship as a project proposal. Make sure you have all of the cost and time requirements accounted for. Keep your focus on the value that an MBA will bring to the company.
John Moreno, WG'05
Manager of Project Controls
Teton Industrial Construction
Alpharetta, GA
More about John
Be specific about time commitments of the EMBA program
I was the first team member of my division to be sponsored for an Executive MBA degree. Not much selling was required, as the Wharton name and reputation did 99% of the job. The only specifics I had to detail were the time commitment away from work and the length of the program.
I would suggest starting the process as early as possible — preferably at least 6-12 months before starting the application process. Things change and people leave and what was promised verbally can be retracted, so, if possible, try to get all aspects of the approval in writing.
Greg Chow, WG'05
VP Investment Banking
Wells Fargo Securities, LLC
San Francisco, CA
More about Greg
Consider making a commitment to your firm after the EMBA program
I'm partially sponsored. I've also made a commitment to the firm to stay two years beyond the program. Before I applied, I sat down with one of the founders. I laid out the schedule and estimated the time involved. I also made it clear that management should let me know if my work was being adversely affected and I would make adjustments. He agreed. In general, everyone has been very supportive. There are a couple of people at work who are watching me to see how it goes and may contemplate coming to Wharton themselves sometime in the future.
Nicholas Sheppard, WG'06
Vice President
Bruckmann, Rosser, Sherrill & Co., Inc.
New York, NY
More about Nicholas
Stress the value of the Executive MBA program
Highlight how your firm would benefit from the program. In my proposal, I explained how I would ensure that my course selection and independent work would be relevant to my position and would benefit the firm. At the time, my firm was in the process of developing a sales team so I talked about how my education could impact that project.
After I was admitted, I negotiated a contract with my firm outlining the terms. Every person will have to come up with a different structure at their firm, but be open to modifying your compensation and vacation to work something out and recognize that you might not be a candidate for a big raise while you’re in the program because they are paying your tuition.
Kristin Burke, WG'09
Regional Marketing Manager, Northeast and Midwest
Harding Loevner, LLP
Mt. Laurel, NJ
