Full Time vs. Part Time & Time Off

[JohnU]

- Were there students in the past that were able to work and do this program full time as the classes are still offered during the evening? If there were, do you know if the tradeoff (in terms of grades) obvious?
- Is it recommended to do the program part time if you decide to work?
- Is it possible to take time off (one semester) when you are in the program, without any interruptions (such as fees, retaking a course, reapplying, etc.)? I was thinking of taking the CFA exam in between the program, which would require me to take some time off from the MFE program.

Thank you.

 

[alain]

- Were there students in the past that were able to work and do this program full time as the classes are still offered during the evening? If there were, do you know if the tradeoff (in terms of grades) obvious?
- Is it recommended to do the program part time if you decide to work?

It is really difficult to work full time and do the program full time. I'm sure is do-able but it is difficult. If you decide to work, I would recommend to do it part-time.

It also depends on what type of work you plan to do while in the program though. If you work part-time, it might be different.

 

[Dmytro]

to quote adidas' slogan, 'impossible is nothing'. i'm sure it is theoretically possible to do both, HOWEVER, you should be ready sacrifice A LOT.
every situation is unique, many factors come into play, e.g. how demanding your work is, family situation, etc, etc.

that said, i am not aware of anybody in my class doing ft studying while also working ft. there are a few taking 3 classes, and they immediately get complimented on the size of their balls (no pun intended).

having gone through the grueling summer refresher sessions, i talked to other students and also sought advice from the director of the program. in the end, i decided to do 2 classes while working full-time. i wish i could afford working less, but that doesn't appear to be an option just yet. your situation might be different.

i hope this helps. at the end of the day, only you can ultimately decide what you can and cannot do.

 

[Yuriy]

Yes, there were students in the past taking full-time load of 4 courses and working full-time, and I know at least one of them. But that was in the past when some of the courses were different. Now it is not recommended to do so, unless your case is special. It is definitely not recommended to to be full-time and work full-time while taking core courses. It might be feasible if you take electives outside the department (like finance or statistics -- those courses have half the courseload of any of Prof. Stefanica's classes ).

Yes, it is recommended to study part-time if you work. One thing you want to be certain of is to understand as much as possible from the classroom, so you can say something when interviewed at a company.

And yes, it is possible to take time off; just make sure you complete the program in N number of years (where N is like 5 or so). When you come back, you just file for reentry (an application is submitted to the registrar).

 

[JohnU]

Thank you all. That was really helpful.

Yuriy, regarding the Reentry process, do you know what I would have to submit? Is it like another essay, recommendations, etc.? Or is it just a simple one page paperwork?

Thanks again.

 

[Andy Nguyen]

Yuriy, regarding the Reentry process, do you know what I would have to submit? Is it like another essay, recommendations, etc.? Or is it just a simple one page paperwork?

It's a form you have to fill out to keep your legibility if you want to take 1,2 semester off. If you don't fill out properly, you may have to pay a fee and do the whole readmission process again.

Taking time off rarely happens and it's entirely upon the approval of the program director. My advice: don't do it. Doing it part time is hard enough. Prolonging it is just painful.

 

[Yuriy]

I was away for 3 semesters, and before I left I spoke to Cathy and she said as long as I graduate before 2009 I was OK. When I came back, I went to the Registrar and filled out a simple form and paid $10.

I don't think taking time off will be a problem, the problem is gettin in.

 

[Andy Nguyen]

I don't think taking time off will be a problem, the problem is gettin in.

Things have changed, Yuriy.
Remember the person that study FT, work FT and graduate with a 4.0 GPA in the first year of the program ?
It's long gone.

So while you were able to take 3 semesters off and continued, it may not be the case this time and age. Things you studied during refreshers couple years ago are now assumed known, so on....

Yeah, the biggest problem is getting in. The second biggest problem is keeping up.

 

[Yuriy]

Things have changed, Yuriy.
Remember the person that study FT, work FT and graduate with a 4.0 GPA in the first year of the program ?
It's long gone.

So while you were able to take 3 semesters off and continued, it may not be the case this time and age. Things you studied during refreshers couple years ago are now assumed known, so on....

Yeah, the biggest problem is getting in. The second biggest problem is keeping up.

Andy, actually I don't know who that person is I only remember Phat, Robin, Michael and Carlos from the first year (I was not in the program at that time). I consider myself a Spring 2004 entrant I took math and finance at CMU before starting MFE (and was attending both after that). There was time (like a month or so), when I was working full-time, taking 2 classes at Baruch, 2 classes at CMU. That semester (I only worked full-time during the first half) I got out alive with 4.0 GPA at Baruch and 4.08 GPA at CMU (they give A+ grades).

 

[Yuriy]

But these days, I consider my graduation a miracle

 

[Uncle Max]

Remember the person that study FT, work FT and graduate with a 4.0 GPA in the first year of the program ?

That "person" didn't get 4.0 GPA. At least that what he said when I asked him about that.

 

[Andy Nguyen]

You asked the wrong person, Max. "That person" does not live or work in NYC

 

[Yuriy]

Very interesting, I wonder who you are talking about

 

[Uncle Max]

You asked the wrong person, Max. "That person" does not live or work in NYC

Wow I give up

All this time I thought you were talking about different person

However, getting 4.0 GPA and having a full time job requires not only to be smart and hard-working, but also to be lucky

 

[Yuriy]

Part of luck is "having a certain professor teach a certain course in a certain semester"