BYU MBA is Family Friendly

Children are born under all different kinds of circumstances. I entered the MBA program with five children, and we welcomed a new addition between my first year and my internship (lucky timing!). My oldest child just turned 8 in January. I have the most kids in our class, but I’ve heard that there are two different students in the Class of 2011 that also have six children apiece. I’ve also discussed that matter with Craig Merrill, the MBA Program Director, and he said there tends to be at least one or two every year that have six children. So if you have six children or less and are considering an MBA, don’t worry about navigating unchartered territory; others in similar situations have gone before you successfully. As for those of you who have 7 children or more (or are considering having your 7th during business school), I’m probably not qualified to comment, but I will anyway: You are awesome and BYU would love to have you. That being said, the road is not free of challenges.

One of the things you may want to consider if you are entering the program with a number of children is where you will live. My wife and I lived in a place that was approximately 2,500 sq. ft. in Denver before we came to business school. Due to the large number of children we have, we decided that we needed something comparable for our business school experience. We had a hard time finding a place this big to rent in Provo for a reasonable rate, so we ended up going to Lindon, which is about 25 minutes north of campus. I’m comfortable with my commute, and there are some students that have much longer ones (coming from SLC, for example).

Another thing to consider is the time commitment associated with being in the MBA program. You may have become accustomed to working 40 hours a week at a nice job, bringing home the bacon, and having time with your family. If you are going to be successful in the MBA program, you will need to spend more (and perhaps a lot more) than 40 hours a week away from home. As a result, you will most likely have less time with your family. Financial pressures can add to this and place stress on your family, so it is REALLY important to be sure that your spouse understands these risks and is on board with your decision to start business school.

That being said, we have found the BYU MBA program to be super family friendly, and if we had to do it all over again, we wouldn’t change a thing.

Jason Merrill, Class of 2010, Finance

Internship: American Express

Full-time: Still searching

*This article was written in direct response to the following prospective student question:

I’m considering a BYU MBA, and I know that the school is consistently ranked very high on quality of family life. I did my undergrad at BYU, and at the time I had 1 small toddler. Now, I’ve added another child to the mix and our oldest would be 6-7 years old by the time that I would begin the program, and we would possible have another child for a total of 3 by that time.

Is there anyone out there that has either gone through the program or is currently in the program with a family situation that is similar to mine? I’m looking for someone to connect with and someone that could offer some sound advice. Thanks!!

-Anson