When I started looking at business schools, I discovered that there are a lot of different formats—weeknights, weekends, extended trips away, daytime, and more. I realized quickly that I’d have to prioritize my preferences.

Since I’m a Girl Scout leader, I’m committed to following the girls all the way through high school. That means my Monday nights are taken until my younger daughter graduates from high school in  about 9 years. MBA programs that had me consistently gone on Monday nights wouldn’t work. That eliminated a lot of programs, since continuing with my Girl Scout commitment is extremely important to me.

I decided against daytime programs pretty quickly. I’m 39 years old, with four kids, and I work in the tech field. Unfortunately, in this field, your skills become obsolete in 12-18 months. If I were to quit work for 2 years, it could be difficult to reenter. Also, when I contemplated quitting work to do an MBA, my husband and my best friend talked me out of it. Apparently they thought I would drive everyone around me crazy.

That left the weekend and traveling programs for me. In the end, I decided to go with the weekend format, because it was the least disruptive to my life. Sure, I’m gone from work every other Friday, plus a couple of other times, but this program is minimally disruptive.

I’ve discovered that I can balance the needs of my job, being a mommy taxi, and the Weekend Executive MBA program fairly well. I can come home in the evening, and study for an hour or two, plus I have a few extra hours on weekends when I’m not in school. I’ve found that I’ve been able to get all the work done.