How to Succeed in a Part-Time Professional Graduate Program

The vagaries of the economy have many people contemplating going to professional (MBA, MPA, JD, etc.) graduate school part-time to bolster job security by learning new skills and gaining a new credential. However, it is important to understand that pursuing a graduate degree part-time while working and juggling social (and possibly familial) commitments is a wholly different animal than pursuing undergraduate studies full-time. Here are a few things to understand once you've been accepted, and once you have financing lined up (For more information about funding graduate school, you should check your employer's human resources department, as well as www.fafsa.org).

Assignments

Make sure to do assignments well in advance. In undergrad, it wasn't uncommon to find students in the computer lab at 3 a.m. starting to work on a paper due by 9 a.m. the next day. Obviously, that can't happen now - you have a full time job. But many professors will post assignments well in advance on course websites. Get a jumpstart on them when you have free time to avoid the stress brought on by procrastination. Further, a common cold, or an emergency at home or work could easily set you back weeks if the course is a particularly difficult one. If you are ahead, you minimize the impact of such an unforeseen occurrence.

TIP: For upcoming research projects, set up one or several Google Alerts for terms related to any upcoming research projects listed on the syllabus at the beginning of the semester. This way when you start to work on the project, you will have a considerable amount of up-to-date information already at your fingertips.

Instructors

Your instructors know that everyone in the class is juggling school and a full-time job, and in some cases a family. They do understand and often will make allowances for unanticipated occurrences in your life. But you have to make sure they are aware of them. Communicate with your instructors regularly so they know that you are serious about the course. Let them know in advance when possible that you will miss class or that you are having difficulty with an assignment. If you don't have much time to speak with the instructor before or after class, because it's a struggle for you to get to your first class on time and you then have to rush across campus to get to a second class, call or email them regularly, not just when there is a problem.

It's important that your professor knows who you are, whether you are taught by a full Professor with a three-course teaching load, or by an adjunct teaching seven courses at multiple campuses (generally speaking, the less prestigious the school, the more likely you are to be taught by the latter). Your instructor not only determines your grade, but can also help you find jobs, and/or provide letters of reference for jobs or future graduate study, so it is important you find a way to ensure the professor knows you.

TIP: Read up on your professors published papers and research interests at the beginning of the semester, which can be a good conversation starter. Keep you eyes open for articles which may be of interest to them, and send them to your instructor as a way to build and/or strengthen your relationship.

Employer Expectations

You should understand from the outset your employer's expectations of your planned degree, especially if your employer is paying for it. When granting tuition assistance, some firms expect you to pursue a certain avenue of coursework; others expect you to stay at the firm for a set number of years once you have graduated; still others expect you to maintain a minimum GPA. These are usually found in written policies in your firm's human resources department. But just as important to know are things that are not written: things such as whether there is needed flexibility in your work schedule should you need to complete a project, or whether you can use the firm's computer after hours for coursework, or whether your employer expects some immediate added value from your degree.

You also should have some sense of how your degree may impact your position in the firm, and how others may perceive you. Will you be praised for starting a suggestion with, "We learned this strategy in class last night that can make us more effective..."? Or will you be denounced as a know-it-all?

TIP: If your employer does expect some immediate added value, try to make any group term projects applicable to a problem work. You'll get the benefit of the labor and insight of your fellow students for free.

Time Management

Do not let yourself get distracted. Now is not the time to get engrossed in a new television show, start attending your new favorite artist's concerts, or take up a new hobby. You may feel the urge, even if nothing is due. It's your mind tricking you into procrastinating.

Do not let yourself get overwhelmed. Compartmentalizing school and work tasks can add stress. If your-to-do list includes small household things like, "Take out the trash," along with "Read chapters 2 and 3," then you'll be riding a wave of accomplishment by the time you get to that 20 page paper. Of course, this approach may not work for everyone, but it's important that you find out what works for you quickly and stick with it.

Red Bull is a poor substitute for sleep. Sleep will make you more capable of doing the work quicker and more efficiently. Some research suggests that staying fit keeps the mind sharp; cutting back on the total time you spend exercising may be necessary but it's not wise to cut it out all together. Also, however much alcohol you drink, drink less.

TIP: In the vein of the Roman teaching method of imitation, check the campus bookstore's website for your course's textbooks and buy them as soon as they become available before the semester begins. Then buy a small notebook and write down the definitions and key sections of each chapter, a few each day, so that you are familiar with the key concepts way ahead of time. When you've made it through the book once, repeat the exercise throughout the semester to reinforce those key concepts. This obviates the need for last-minute cramming.

Other

It is well-known that grad schools often grade on a B curve. Do not rely on this. Some professors ignore that unwritten rule and can wreck your average if you're not careful. Moreover your classmates, some of whom will undoubtedly be a part of your professional network, may take note if you slack off and be less inclined to work with you professionally.

Last, but not less important, network, network, network. This is much harder in a part-time program, but try. Take an annual leave day to attend an on-campus conference or seminar every so often. You may not be looking for a job, but you may gain a new client account for a firm, a valuable business insight, a lifelong friend, and/or mentor, or a bit of entrepreneurial inspiration.

Sources

Author unknown, A Degree of Job Security, Boston.com

Scott Jaschik, Where the Adjuncts Are, Inside Higher Ed

Edmund D. Jr Fenton, Employer-Provided Education Benefits, Journal of Accountancy

Knowledge@Wharton, Want to Study Accounting or Medieval History? Chances Are, Your Employer Will Foot the Bill, University of Pennsylvania

Hillstrom, Northern Lights, Tuition Assistance Programs Law & Legal Definition, US LegalForms.com

Hareyan, More Vigorous Exercise Equals Better Academic Performance, EmaxHealth

Dr. Gideon O. Burton, Imitation, Silva Rhetoricae

The Princeton Review, A Very Different Degree, Yahoo Education