“I thought that if I ever wanted to get a college degree, I’d have to quit my job and go to a community college full time. Of course being a wife, a mother and a career woman, that wasn’t an option. Taking classes on the weekends allows me to realize my dream of getting my education while still maintaining my busy lifestyle.”
Are you feeling like you have run out of options when it comes to getting an education? You work, so you can’t go to school during the day, and are either too tired or too busy to attend at night. Why not consider the “weekend college” option? Marymount College/Webster University Weekend College is one school that offers Associate’s degrees and Bachelor’s degrees exclusively on the weekends. Classes meet on Saturdays and Sundays between 8:00 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.
Weekend College is not a new concept. Marymount College, a private 2 year liberal arts college located in Rancho Palos Verdes, has offered a Weekend College Associate’s degree since 1984. The program is as academically rigorous and prestigious as the Marymount day school program, the only difference is that rather than attending classes during the week, students attend on Saturdays and Sundays. About 2 years ago, in response to numerous requests from students who wanted to continue on to earn a Bachelors degree in the weekend format, Marymount entered into a partnership with Webster University in St. Louis, a liberal arts university nationally recognized for it’s leadership in adult education. Now students can get their AS or AA on the weekends and then continue on the get a BA in Business Administration, Management or Human Resource Management through a degree completion program.
Students attend classes six non-consecutive weekends per trimester. Each trimester lasts four months. Classes start in September, January and May. Weekend college students can take one, two, or three classes per term. In this format if a student takes 3 classes ;per trimester, he can earn an Associates degree in about two years; the same amount of time that it would take if he went to a Community College full-time. Students can attend classes at the Marymount College campus in Rancho Palos Verdes or at the Irvine Metropolitan Campus in Irvine.
The most exciting thing about weekend college is that working adults have an opportunity to earn a high quality, academically rigorous and prestigious degree on the weekends. They don’t have to quit their jobs, or give up their family life. It truly is that second chance that most people think they will never get.”
This Spring, the Weekend College Program is expanding to Friday evenings. Now students will have the option of taking 12 units or any combination of Friday, Saturday and Sunday classes.
If you are interested in learning more about earning your Associates Degree or completing your Bachelor’s degree on the weekends, please call Marymount College/Webster University Weekend College (310) 377-7742 to schedule an appointment with an academic advisor.
Barbara Baiamonte is Director of Marymount/Webster Weekend College.
