Students know what an advanced degree can do for their careers and their lives. The big question is how to complete a demanding graduate degree while managing personal and professional commitments. However, no student is alone in their quest to achieve academic and professional success.
We think the best advice is directly from the source and tasked several UOnline students with sharing their must-haves for completing a graduate degree online. These University of Miami students are proof that completing your degree is worth it, but also, with practices that fit with your life a positive experience.
Daniel Ortiz: Family Support
Having family support is crucial to many UM students as they work to balance program expectations with daily life. Daniel Ortiz, who is working on his Master’s in Communications, knows that the challenges are real and knows that counting on those around him is crucial.
“If you’re not used to an online program, it’s useful to have someone to support you, not necessarily within the program, but who can influence, motivate you, and drive you through it. Doing this is not easy.”
Fortunately, Chris’s wife, Danielle, has joined him on this adventure —they’re both working toward their graduate degrees.
Leslie Fitzpatrick: Attitude is Everything
Leslie Fitzpatrick (Master’s in Sports Administration) tells the kids he coaches,
“90% of what goes into becoming a professional happens above the neck. Everyone is talented. How you prepare mentally will be what sets you apart.”
The payoff, of course, is the degree. But for Sport Administration students, it’s just as much about the personal, academic, and professional connections they’re making along the way. As Johnson says,
“It came full circle, what we’ve been learning. It was a light at the end of a long tunnel —the program makes sense.”
Michael Watkins: Advance Preparation
Preparation is equally important to understand how to successfully navigate —and make the most of —a UM online program. Michael Watkins, a Master’s student in Finance, appreciates the time the University of Miami took to ensure he was ready to use Blackboard, the university’s online learning management system.
“Upfront, we did an orientation on the Blackboard system and they had us go through to learn the environment. They taught us about the perceptions of online learning, which was really good —it was eye-opening. We [save time by not] commuting but you can’t underestimate the time you need to invest to be successful. It was good, candid information.”
With four children “an awesome wife,” and a full-time job, Michael knew from the get-go that he’d need to leverage UM’s learning support system to make the most of his academic commitments.
Stephen Bashore: Weekly Planning
Every student has a unique way of making things work. Stephen Bashore, who is working on his Master’s in Sports Administration, takes planning his weekly schedule seriously because he knows how beneficial it is to have a degree from the University of Miami.
“In my job, we work when everyone else is off. Nights, weekends, and holidays. Mondays are my best days because I can read at night. The instructions lay [deadlines] out very clearly. If you follow those, you’re fine. It does take dedication and commitment —it’s not a cakewalk program. Being that [this degree] is from the University of Miami, to me will mean more than my graduate or undergraduate degrees. It means that much.”
Support and planning are major takeaways from these talented and motivated UOnline students. They balance family, work, and school by maintaining routines, planning their schedules, and keeping their eyes on the prize. Fortunately, they’ve got the University of Miami staff and faculty behind them all the way.
The University of Miami’s faculty and administrators have worked to ensure the same reputation for excellence in their online programs as they have for those offered on-campus. Academic rigor and professional excellence are the norms, but UOnline also knows that these standards aren’t achieved without careful planning and sustained support.
For more information about UOnline’s MBA program, you can find more information here or you can contact one of our enrollment advisors are available on live chat, or by phone (800) 411-2290.
