Student Spotlight: Leyla Hopkins MBA ’18 Candidate
Current William & Mary Online MBA student Leyla Hopkins needed the flexibility of an online program to balance her current career, her family and her personal life with pursuing a rigorous MBA degree, but the stigma of an online degree had made her a little cautious.
“I think part of the reason I decided to do the online program at all is because it had the William & Mary name to it, and I knew they would do the program justice,” Leyla said.
For her, “the biggest benefit is being able to say that I’m working to pursue my career goals by putting a formal education behind it.”
In our video below, Leyla explains why she chose to pursue her MBA online, why she chose William & Mary’s program, and the benefits of studying online.
Video Transcripts
Hi, my name is Leyla Hopkins. I work in program management for a large government consulting firm in downtown DC. William and Mary's online MBA program is flexible so then I can work, I have a family, I can have a life a little bit while working on pursuing a rigorous MBA degree. I was nervous about starting it because it was online. And I looked at other programs. I was looking up a Northern Virginia programs. And I think part of the reason that I chose to do an online program at all is because it had the William and Mary name about it. And I knew that they would do the program justice and it would be rigorous. And it has been, I promise.
The biggest benefit to me is being able to say that I'm working to pursue my career goals by putting a formal education behind it. I thought it would be a little bit easier than it is, and it's not. I was nervous that I was going to get, I wasn't going to get a full MBA type of experience and education because it was online and maybe that was wrong of me, but I do. And I'm surprised. I feel like I'm getting a complete MBA degree here. And even though it's online, it's very rewarding.
Hear more about the program from another current Online MBA student at William & Mary, or listen to a graduate describe the takeaway value of the program.