To Spring or to Fall?

One of the reasons I liked the EM program was its flexibility to start in Spring or in Fall. I hope for my next post to be more about my selection process, but let's just say for now I looked at a VARIETY of programs.

I decided the part time MBA (@ night) didn't really appeal to me. Financially, EM made more sense for me, but I also thought I could get a scholarship to go full-time. So, I felt it was important to know if my company would fund my EM program. My mgmt chain was NOT very supportive...but I don't want to go into the details...luckily I scraped in and got approved. I think it was the week of orientation...PHEW! I was so stressed, but I was glad to know I got the $$$.
For everyone, full or part time is a very personal decision, but I still have undergrad loans. I felt like by applying for a January-start, it forced the issue w/ my mgmt but gave me some time to still apply to full time if needed. Now I'm even more confident in my decision to keep working (and making $$$), than I was then.

Anyway, I losing focus & getting into the other blog I wanted to post...so, here is what I will say is the advantages and disadvantages of starting in Spring. Basically, Fall qualities are the opposite, so I'm sure you can figure it out. ;)

Pro Spring:
course-load--some say this is the easiest, so you can ease in (Fall starters, this is your last reg. semester); if you have any interest in PMI certification, this class will help you. If you are already certified then this will give you 40 credit hours!)
December graduation--something about August graduation seems anticlimactic to me
starting sooner--for me it meant not having to wait, but this could apply to either...most people apply to programs in the Fall, though...so I'm guessing more feel this way...once you've taken the plunge of GMAT/GRE, etc. you are READY to get that degree, yeehaw!!!
Thesis due in Fall--of course you can start your thesis early, but most people do it during the summer. If you start in the Fall, yours is due in August, and we have some extra cushion. Of course, that means you have to balance your thesis & your classes...YUCK!

Cons:
2 calendar years only--if you can claim the tuition on taxes or use work vacation to help work load, then you might want to do Fall
only one break--with the continuous semesters, you only get a break @ Christmas, and Spring starters only have one Christmas break. Hopefully you have more stamina than me! zzz
summer project "uncertainty"--You will only have one semester of classes before selecting your summer project. I felt like I needed more info. This also means you only know 2 profs, so you will probably limit yourself to them being your advisor. It also makes it harder to know what is an appropriate topic, and what are more areas of reasearch to choose from (such as various professor's specialty research areas...)
cohort rotation--this can be plus or minus...but if you start in the spring, your "pair cohort" is about to graduate...you can learn from them, but then you also learn a new set of folks in the Fall, that you will stick w/ until graduation...The "seniors" are already bonded & confident, so you may not feel like you are as vocal as you normally are...Fall starters get to meet the classmates they will be w/ for most of the program.

I think this is getting too long, so I'm going to wrap it up. If you are anxious to start, I think either Fall or Spring have their merits, so go for it! This is just for the hem and haw-ers, or the overly analytical (like me)!