Executive education

Black Enterprise, Oct, 2005

Wilma Ann Anderson could have had her pick of Ivy League graduate schools after graduating from Cornell University in 1992. But after receiving a degree in English, she pursued her passion for performing, launched a company and became a mother. Eight years later, she decided to pursue an MBA at Metropolitan College of New York, a small, Manhattan-based college that caters to working adults.

"I could have gone any place else, [but] it really is about not wasting time for me and making sure you're in the right place for the right reason--and this was the right place," says Anderson, a co-founder of the Hahogany Baby Website (www.mahoganybaby.com). While riding the New York City subway, Anderson spotted an ad for Metropolitan College of New York's media-management MBA, which could be earned in just 12 months. "I'm the type of 'do it and get it done' person, so one year was perfect for me," she says. Anderson had two children at the time, and MCNY's flexible schedule met the needs of the working mother.

While typical MBA programs usually take between 18 months and two years to complete and often require full-time study, MCNY's MBA classes were held in the evenings and Saturdays. Anderson, now a mother of four, enrolled at the college in 2000 and one year later held a freshly printed MBA. Though ICNY isn't among the educational elite, Anderson says she got a good, affordable education there. Anderson's experience at MCNY was capped off by a study-abroad program that took her and other media-management majors to the Cannes Film Festival, "quite an invaluable experience," Anderson says.

"Metropolitan College's motto is education that works for people who work," says marketing director Steven Lenhart, who adds that MCNY's typical student is an urban female in her 30s. Besides the one-year media-management MBA, the college, which has 1,700 students, also offers a four-semester associate's degree and a two-and-a-half-year bachelor's program.

HCNY is part of a growing trend. Nontraditional students, defined as students over age 25, make up 39% of postsecondary students and are a growing number. And colleges are taking notice. Many are offering programs targeting the older--and wiser--student, by offering services like childcare, evening office hours and cafeteria service and even credit for life experience.

If you're thinking about continuing your education, these tips could help you get to the head of the class.

Decide what you want. "Know what your long-term goal is and why you wish to continue your education," says Jane Schoenfeld Shropshire, president of the Independent Educational Consultants Association, a Fairfax, Virginia based professional association for educational consultants. If you're unclear about your goals, taking classes at a local community college could be an affordable way to clarify them. Continuing education or professional studies programs are another option.

Study up before you study. Gather all the information you can about going back to school. There are books and Websites on everything from financing your education to college life. If you're considering going back to school, visit www.back2college.com, a Website dedicated to adult education. There are also a multitude of adult education books. Take a look at 501 Ways for Adult Students to Pay for College (SuperCollege LLC; $]7.95); and A Guerrilla Manual for the Adult College Student." How to Go to College Almost Full Time in Your Spare Time ... and Still Have Time to Hold Down a Job, Raise a Family, Pay the Bills and Have Some Fun (Booklocker.com; $24.95).

Investigate accreditation. "Very often, adult learners ... will grasp the path that appears easiest to take," Shropshire notes. "But sometimes that easy path may end up being a school that lacks accreditation," she warns. Check credentials with your chosen school's admissions office or the state department of education.

Give yourself credit. If you're going back to school for an undergraduate degree, the College Level Examination Program (CLEP) exam could save you dozens of hours of class time and thousands of dollars in tuition. ELEP is accepted at thousands of colleges and, in a nutshell, gives students of any age college credit for things they already know.

Seek help. With so many educational options for professionals and working adults, choosing the best route can be confusing. A consultant can help you wade through the selection and application process and assist you in making the right choices. Consultants can also help you package your educational and employment background to improve your chances for admission to the school of your choice. Educational consultants can be found through the IECA's Website: www.ieca.org. In addition, the Association for Non-Traditional Students in Higher Education (www.antshe.org) provides information for non-traditional students.

Bring the children. Don't think you can't return to school just because you have children. It may take some digging to find them, but many colleges offer support for parents, such as on-site childcare. For example, the University of Maryland in College Park, Maryland, and Bridgewater State College in Bridgewater, Massachusetts, have on-campus day care centers. In addition, Smith College's Ada Cornstock Scholars program offers a part-time and full-time bachelor's degree program for women at least 24 years old (current students include women in their 60s), where children are welcome.