A common description of the Flex option at the University of California, Berkeley’s Evening and Weekend MBA program is that it offers a “choose your own adventure” type of experience. Students have the ability to engage during the program with various levels of involvement, depending on their own personal and professional needs.
Several students have shared that it’s possible to get as involved as you want to be, as long as you are intentional about it. Some of these students have embraced leadership roles within the program, finding those experiences to be personally and professionally transformational.
However, there is another group of equally dedicated students who, despite not being involved in cohort leadership or extracurricular roles, are deeply committed to their studies and their degree. These students are harnessing the power and network of a Berkeley MBA while balancing a whole host of other commitments. For these students, the Flex option is an ideal fit.
Let’s dive into how the Flex program is perfect for students like Gene, Bryce, and Tony—each of whom are balancing the demands of an MBA along with the responsibilities of family life.
Designed for your life
The Flex option is designed to fit diverse lifestyles. For students who live far away, or who have lots of work and family commitments, the most they will ever be required to come to campus is three times: once for the opening orientation We Launch, once for an on-campus Leadership Communications course, and once for a second year Academic Retreat. Other than these three required events, all other course requirements can be completed entirely online.
All students will take online core courses their first year. Students then complete elective courses during their second and third years. These elective courses can be taken entirely in person, entirely online, or in whatever combination of in-person and online that a student desires. (They can also be taken as traditional semester-long courses or as shorter intensives.)
The unparalleled flexibility of this format offers elite students the unique opportunity to pursue a Berkeley MBA from home while effectively balancing other priorities.
Gene Lee, MBA 25, had always had business school in the back of his head. For many years, however, he didn’t think it would be a good option for him. He worked as a high school science teacher for 12 years, and it didn’t seem feasible to pursue a master’s degree while teaching full time.
A few years ago, he made a career change and began working in higher education administration at a startup called Reach. It was at that point that he once again began considering whether an MBA could serve as a powerful career accelerator in his new role.
The idea seemed solid, but the challenge for Gene was to find the right program that would fit his experience and goals, as well as his priorities. He knew he definitely did not want to take two years off of work to enter a full-time program. Given his teaching background, an executive MBA program didn’t seem like the right fit. He also struggled to find good part time MBA programs that were near him.
But one of his biggest considerations? His family. When he started the program, his oldest was only one and a half years old. A huge priority for Gene was that he would be home for family dinner every night. He also didn’t want to leave every weekend or spend two nights a week away from his family.
One August day, Gene stumbled across Berkeley’s new Flex program. It was the only program he applied to, recognizing it as “the only viable option” that combined a top-tier education with the flexibility he needed. After learning about the program, he had just a few short months to study for and take the GMAT and complete the required application essays. But long story short, he met the application deadline and was welcomed into the inaugural Flex cohort.
Achieving career goals without sacrificing family
Through the Flex option, Gene has been able to see his goals come to fruition—earning a top-ranked MBA while still making it home for dinner every night. He says he did try one in-person elective to see how that would go. Although he enjoyed the experience, by the end, he felt a bit burnt out and was grateful to have the option to return to online electives.
When asked what advice he’d give to prospective students about balancing family life, he shared that it’s “less about balance and more about deciding what your priorities are.” He notes that some of his classmates with families have sought out more on-campus opportunities, since that was a high priority for them. For him, though, it was important to fit the MBA around the rest of his life instead of vice versa. Flex provides the format for each student to individually prioritize.
Gene grants that there are some trade-offs when electing to take the program entirely online. It can be harder to make connections with people when you’re not rubbing shoulders with them daily. That being said, he finds that when students are together, there’s a real sense of intentionality. He also shares that making a lot of connections wasn’t necessarily his goal going into the program. His focus has been on a powerful education that could fit into a 10-15 hour a week box.
Through Flex, Gene has successfully kept all his priorities aligned while achieving his long-time goal of earning his MBA.
Other family perspectives
Bryce Powerman, MBA 25, works in business development at the genetic testing company Natera. He agrees with Gene that entering the Flex program helps you both to define and align your priorities. After he and his wife moved to the San Francisco area during the program, he was able to take advantage of more of the in-person opportunities. But even with those in-person classes, he speaks of the importance of valuing the priority of family:
While the signature flexibility and “choose-your-own-adventure” experience is important for all students, for others it’s the very thing that made an MBA possible."
“The program really forces you to understand what your priorities are in life. It has made me particularly appreciative of my wife, who has also gone through the program with me. It’s about really understanding what is important for you to focus on and how to prioritize, how to juggle multiple commitments, when to dig in, and when it might be okay to let the ball drop. I’ve definitely felt that growth quite a bit over the last couple of years.”
Similarly, family man and startup founder Tony Lee, MBA 25, says that in addition to prioritization, those with families must also rely on razor-sharp time management. While acknowledging that all people will have a different way of navigating their responsibilities, he says that intentionally utilizing all available time in the day has been crucial for him. When you’re juggling so many things at once, you don’t really have time to waste precious hours.
Another key for Tony has been leveraging the power of his study group. Everyone in his group is committed to maximizing their time together. Tony says it’s always amazing to him to see how much they can accomplish in a limited amount of time. He readily shares that pursuing an MBA with a family “definitely hasn’t been easy,” but this group support and his time management skills have helped make the journey a little easier.
Tony also adds some encouragement for prospective students with families: “If I could do it, other people can do it!”
Flex is for families
Gene observed that, anecdotally, he believes there are more students with families in the Flex option than in other Haas programs at Berkeley. This is no coincidence. As Gene, Bryce, Tony, and many other students have shared—there really is no other program quite like Berkeley’s Evening and Weekend Flex program.
While the signature flexibility and “choose-your-own-adventure” experience is important for all students, for others it’s the very thing that made an MBA possible. For Gene, the choice wasn’t between Flex and another MBA program. For him, the choice was either Flex or nothing.
Whether it’s a spouse, children, distance, a demanding job, or any other number of personal reasons, having a distance option like Flex opens the door to new worlds of possibilities for students who might otherwise not be able to attend such a renowned and transformative institution..
Flex is for family.
And Flex is for anyone seeking a flexible, top-tier MBA experience that fits into their lifestyle.
If you’re looking for an MBA from a top ranked school that combines the flexibility of online courses with the value that periodic in-person immersions can add to the experience, learn more about the Flex option.
