Its different for everybody but try and find a plan. Some people like to do a little bit each night(what i did), some like to do huge chunks on the weekend. It generally takes about 4-6 weeks, then you fall into a groove.

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how you took notes in class

Our professors understood we worked so all the slides and notes were available to us. If I wanted to take additional notes I usually just wrote it in a notebook. I started using my Ipad more, especially for my later classes which were cased based as it was easy to highlight the cases. The class of 2016 and 2015 are actually being given iPads and all material will be available for download, including text books.

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what classes you found the hardest (my background is engineering)

Same. Acct probably, because its not very intuitive and full of nomenclature that all has 5 different words for every meaning. It took a while to get the hang of the qualitative classes like strategy and leadership because its so different from a lot of my everyday activities. A great thing about MBA school was that it helped get my writing and grammar game back up to par(TD post withstanding)

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best way to network and gain industry contacts

Network, network, then network some more. Talk to your classmates, find people that do things that interest you. Join industry groups and go to social events. Don't be afraid to email people and ask for advice, either through other contacts or cold call. People are surprisingly willing to help you out and talk about stuff when its from a purely educational/mentor perspective and not "can i have a job". Alumni are a great place to start, they are always willing to help.

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what to do during the MBA if you want to switch careers...etc.

For a part time program its a little bit harder because the best thing you can do is an internship. I'd say learn the most you can about that area and try to figure out how your experience can relate. Network with people from that space and just try to insert yourself as much as possible. You may not be able to get into a particular field in one move, so plan which intermediate job you would need to take to get you where you want to go if you can't make it all in one step.