Advice from EMBA Students

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 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
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Be willing to negotiate

I'm primarily self-funded, but my company does provide some financial assistance. Most of their support — and they provide a lot of support in this area — is in the flexibility of scheduling and workload. I've been able to negotiate reductions in my consulting billability target and have been able to structure some of client-facing teamwork in a way that allows me to continue to make significant contributions to the client, but also allows some time to focus on my schoolwork and team projects.

There are still some stressful periods, of course, but my colleagues know I'm focused on delivering my commitments to them, and they respect my focus on delivering commitments to my team and reaching my own goals with the program. If worse comes to worst, I'm only an e-mail or cell phone call away — even when I'm at school.

Joy Quinn, WG'07
Associate Director
Gartner, Inc.
Arlington, VA
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Treat your 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
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Be specific about time commitments

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, Private Placements
RBC Capital Markets
San Francisco, CA
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Consider making a commitment to your firm

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
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Stress the value of the program

I used the brochures and showed my boss that I had done my research. The fact that I could get the real Wharton education out here on the West Coast was a great selling point — there were other programs that cost less and are closer, but they're just not the same. With Wharton, you really do get what you pay for, and this drives home the cost issue, since you're not getting short-changed. You're getting a Wharton education — and you can't beat that.

Tri Ho, WG'04
VP and Senior Associate
Herassociates, Inc.
Simi Valley, CA