I did my MBA in a full-time program, and it was absolutely worth it in terms of my career trajectory, network, hard and soft skills. I went to a state school (University of Washington) and was able to pay in-state tuition, so the debt I incurred wasn't too significant, especially in comparison to the salary bump I got upon graduation.
Re: your specific questions:
1. Did your MBA change your career trajectory?
Definitely. I went into the program as a "career-switcher," so my goal in doing the MBA was to change my career trajectory, much like many of the others in the full-time program. (At my school, a lot of the part-time MBA students were looking to advance within their field or company, and the full-timers tended to be career-switchers.) I won't go into specifics here but the MBA helped me transition to a new industry and discipline that would've been hard to break into otherwise, given my pre-MBA resume.
2. Do you think it was worth it? From a financial and personal perspective.
Yes and yes. My starting salary out of business school was ~25% higher than what I was making prior, but more importantly, my compensation has steadily increased to a level I wouldn't have seen without an MBA. Obviously that depends on the field you're in, but my MBA has paid for itself several times over in terms of my salary growth. And from a personal perspective, yes as well. I learned a ton, met great people, and got into a discipline that I love. While the MBA wasn't technically necessary to do what I'm doing now, I don't think the doors would've opened for me if I didn't have it.
3. Do you still stay in touch with your cohort? Do you consider the networking piece of an MBA crucial?
Yes and yes. In fact, some of my best friends are people I met in my cohort when I moved to a new city (Seattle) to do the program. Again, this was a difference between the full-time and part-time/evening program - both were social, but the part-time/evening students had more obligations, with their day jobs, families, etc., whereas the full-time students were more immersed in the MBA program and formed really close friendships. In hindsight, the networking was actually more valuable than the content of the classes. The majority of students in my program stayed in the Seattle area, so I now have contacts seemingly everywhere in the Puget Sound business community, which is really valuable when it comes to looking for new opportunities.
4. Do you have any regrets about things you didn't do in your MBA program? For example, going on the international trip, pursuing an option, joining the finance club, more social events, etc.,
Not really. I took advantage of as much as I could, and was pretty socially active. I didn't take on a leadership role in my program and I suppose I could have, but because I studied abroad one quarter of my 2nd year, that would've been difficult. On that note, a few of my friends from the program regret not taking the opportunity to study abroad. They worried about missing some of the career fairs, being gone during fall interview season, etc., but in hindsight, those of us who did study abroad didn't seem to suffer because of our absence during that one quarter.
5. Do you have any advice for current/prospective MBA students?
I'll channel the advice our dean gave us in the first week or two of the program, which was that there are three equally important components to the MBA program: the academics, the networking, and the clubs/activities (e.g. business plan competitions, Net Impact Club, volunteering with Special Olympics, etc.). He told us, "If you're getting a 4.0 in your academics, think about whether you're neglecting the other aspects of the experience. Attending a Thursday night 'pub club' or attending the MBA tailgating event at the UW football game might seem like it's 'just' blowing off stream, but that's where you're forming the relationships that will serve you for the rest of your career." I embraced his advice and took the academics seriously, but not at the expense of the learning that happens outside of the classroom.
Hope that helps! Happy to answer any specific questions via PM.