Those complaining about the trek to David Rittenhouse Laboratory should take a lesson from Wharton West student Jane Lin-Baden, who flies in from Beijing every time she heads to class.
Drawing students from all over the nation and some from overseas, Wharton West serves as a satellite campus for Wharton's executive MBA program. The 2-year-old school is located in downtown San Francisco.
To be part of the MBA program, students must come to classes on alternate weekends and during two weeklong sessions in the summer. The program takes two years to complete.
Lin-Baden flies 16 hours each way to participate in the course in addition to working full time.
"My traveling to Wharton every other week has become a ritual to explore new knowledge ... . Every time I come to school despite the physical challenges, I feel like I am taking an intellectual 'Saturday Brunch,'" Lin-Baden wrote in an e-mail interview. "I am like a sponge soaking up whatever I can learn from the students and faculty."
Students travel from all over the United States, including cities such as Las Vegas, Washington, Houston and Denver.
"Wharton West is one of the best programs in the country and if you want to go to the best in the country, you need to make a sacrifice," said Michael Ashburn, a student from Salt Lake City.
Agreeing, Anil Paranjape, who commutes from Portland, Ore., said that he "wanted a complete MBA degree, not just a certificate course." He added that if the program in California did not exist, he would have gone to Philadelphia.
Wharton West prides itself on providing an education identical to the one available through the Philadelphia school.
All Wharton West professors fly back and forth every alternate weekend after teaching in Philadelphia.
Georgette Poindexter, chairwoman of the Real Estate Department, started commuting this semester.
Poindexter, who has made two trips so far, admits that it is not easy. "I could not do it if it weren't for the non-stop flights and being able to bring my son with me."
As a student, Paranjape said that he feels he is receiving an "undiluted experience." He has a friend who is enrolled in the full-time program in Philadelphia, and after comparing notes he said he considers the programs virtually the same.
One of the distinguishing factors about the Wharton West program is that almost all participants have full-time jobs on top of attending school.
Students have found that not just the commute but also the expected work commitment can be draining.
Ashburn said, "Since the executive program is not at all watered down it is always a challenge to balance one's time between home and school."
This work experience can be a plus in the classroom, according to Leonard Lodish, vice dean for Wharton West.
"One of the unique factors [of the MBA program] are people there from very different backgrounds who are there because they want to work hard ... and can contribute their experiences while doing so," Lodish said.
Lodish added that in class, students can take theoretical examples and give real-life anecdotes because they have seen the theory in action.
"This program has people who have gone off and made a number of mistakes and matured enough to realize them," Lodish said.
Students also feel that they gain from the wide range of experiences.
"I find myself surrounded by very bright people who work, and Wharton uses case discussions to help facilitate discussions," Ashburn said.
When case studies discuss Amazon or Disney, students who actually work for these companies offer further insight, according to MBA student Matt Myllykangas, who commutes from Honolulu.
Despite the time commitment and travel, most students say they are satisfied with their Wharton West experience.
Paranjape said that when talking to a potential candidate for the program, he has "no choice but to recommend it wholeheartedly."
