Continuing with our blog series bringing you answers to some of the questions we at Robert Kennedy College (RKC) get asked frequently by students who are looking to join one of our online programmes, we asked some of our past and current students to share their thoughts and opinions, to give their feedback on how they handled the challenges of online learning. Hopefully, this will help you make an informed decision.
Let us learn from those who came before and see if what worked for them will also help you become a better student!
Dina is from Jordan and has completed our online MBA programme, this is what she had to say about what worked for her.
An Introduction
Who are you, really?
I am Dina, from Jordan
Which Uni are you studying with?
University of Cumbria, U.K.
Which programme did you choose and why?
MBA in Leadership and Sustainability
The Study Plan
How did you plan to study each module, and what was the reality? How many hours did/do you have to put in each day/or in a week?
I took one module at a time, and I dedicated one day a week for studying – usually during the weekend, and that’s like 7-8 hours a week, and of course, I did more work for the assignments.
What part of the day did/do you find most suitable to study? (e.g. early mornings, lunch break, evenings, weekends?)
Weekends the entire day and sometimes early mornings before going to work.
How much time did you devote to each assignment?
I used to check the assignment at the beginning of each module and take notes as I go through the week. I usually started working on the assignments pretty early so that I had a few weeks before the deadline to plan and manage my time.
Travelling and Communication
How did travelling impact your ability to study?
Travelling was not required for my work.
How were you able to interact with peers and/or professors given the time differences?
The forums really helped and made the communication process easier.
A typical day as a master’s student
What does a typical day as an Online Masters’ student look like for you?
I wake up, check my email, check the forum, go to work and read an article or study a bit before bed. But the majority of the studying was usually done on the weekends.
Any advice?
Any advice you have for students to better plan their studies.
I was sceptical at first, and I thought that I might lose interest in studying, but each module was different. All you need is a little time management and commitment.
I hope this blog has answered some of your questions, and please watch this space for similar blogs in the future.
You can now chat LIVE on WhatsApp with one of our Education Advisors for more information on all the programmes we offer, the application process, and for information on discounts we might be offering at this time.
Leadership is a subjective term. We see and hear about effective leaders leading a department, a company or a country. But it is difficult to really quantify or describe what leadership is. You can recognize good leadership examples when you see them but it’s difficult to define. Some leaders are ‘born leaders’, they are a natural, and excel at what they do, while others learn to become good leaders by cultivating attributes and skills, behaviours, or sets of competencies, that are practiced and mastered to become an effective leader.
I have talked in the past about Sustainable Leadership in our blog – what it is, and what its principles are. There could be several styles and types of leadership, and areas where leadership is required. One such areas is law and that is called legal leadership. Legal leadership particularly identifies how leaders behave, and how they govern others directly and indirectly, by controlling organizational structures and processes in a legal department or a law firm.
Douglas B. Richardson says, “All great leaders do five things well, Imagine, Invent, Inspire, Inform, and Influence”. Though all leadership is fundamentally the same, legal leadership can take many forms, involve distinct roles and have different objectives. In a legal department, leadership has many faces: the chief legal officer (CLO), the managing attorneys, the servicing lawyers who work each day with the clients, and all of them should be leaders. Therefore, a legal leader is faced by a unique challenge of leading leaders as more often than not they end up leading other lawyers who are independent identities, individual contributors, pretty much people who do not follow anyone, do not like to be led, trust their own gut, and do not collaborate easily.
Phew! Legal leaders have to be one hell of a leader!!
Being a leader in a legal environment is challenging and may not be everyone’s cup of tea. So, what is required to be an effective legal leader? Law firms and corporate legal departments have identified some basic qualities and attributes that a leader should possess. Here are the five skills and attributes that are important for effective legal leadership:
1. Collaborative skills
Legal leaders usually find themselves managing large teams and complex cases. They usually have different and difficult sets of people at both ends of their stick. On one end are their own team members. And at the other end are the clients from diverse backgrounds, personalities, education levels, experience levels and requirements. The legal leader plays a key role in coordinating all the aspects, and people in bringing out the desired legal outcome.
Exercise collaboration with effective communication.
A good legal leader should hit the ground running through effective and early communication amongst the team members, and letting everyone know their tasks after a brainstorming session. Follow up and make sure to listen to their colleagues’ ideas or the issues they are facing, and help them overcome their obstacles and provide the resources if required.
A legal professional must weigh in everything, facts of the case, potential risks and their consequences
2. Good Judgement
Success in any profession is highly dependent on good judgement, and this is especially true for the legal profession! It is one the most critical attributes that a legal leader must possess – to apply good judgement and make sound decisions. Legal professionals are faced by situations every day where they must make complex decisions by weighing in the facts of the case, evaluating potential risks and their consequences on the case and on the firm/organization.
Good judgement also requires excellent problem-solving skills. A good legal leader must be able to pre-empt the issues, and must have ideas and many solutions to a problem.
However, the leaders must not isolate themselves or feel solely responsible for a decision. Though they are leaders, they are still a part of the team, and must seek input of their peers and other experienced legal professionals on critical matters.
Self-awareness is an important quality of an effective legal leader
3. Self-awareness
While most of the legal professionals, lawyers, and para-legals would call themselves lone-wolves and individual contributors, they are still part of a legal team. As they become leaders, most lawyers face a hurdle what’s called ‘expert identity trap’. This means they identify themselves as subject matter experts but do not necessarily see themselves as a leader. Though several attributes are required to be a good legal leader, self-awareness is one of the key qualities of an effective one.
All legal professionals are bound by the model rules of professional conduct
4. High ethical standards
The legal profession is heavily based on trust, and each member’s ability to demonstrate highly ethical behaviour. Failure to do so will have many adverse outcomes such as not being able to gain the trust of their client and/or colleagues, and even more critical, being disbarred or legally charged and disciplined for misconduct. All legal professionals are bound by the model rules of professional conduct and they must understand their responsibility as the stakes involved are high!
5. Diplomacy
Diplomacy is one of the skills that a legal leader must have to climb the ladder of their legal career. A good leader must exercise diplomacy in handling clients, project the professional image of the firm, and must be respectful of their colleagues. The legal profession is an intensive and demanding career. It is critical for leaders therefore to keep calm and show virtues such as understanding, compassion, and integrity. Diplomacy is not something that one can learn overnight, it is a gradual, self-grooming process that can be effectively used to resolve any conflicts, and manage differences and disagreements.
To be the best legal leader, it takes lot more than just being book-smart too; one needs to be street smart. Our 100% online master’s degree programme prepares you just for that by providing a deep understanding of the key concepts and theories of leadership and their application in a law-oriented organization. Talk to our advisors today to learn more about the programme.
Through the #DILO series of blog posts we have been bringing you insights into the life of our master’s students, sharing their thoughts and opinions, ups and downs, and key learning points during their online studies. The whole idea behind this series is to make you aware of realities of online studies, and help you in decision making.
This week we take a look at a day in the life of our MBA student Beatrice. Beatrice is an electronics engineer with over 19 years of experience working in IT. She is currently studying for the MBA in Management Consulting, offered through our exclusive partnership with York St John University, UK, and working for an American company as an IT Project Manager. Along with handling a full-time job and a master’s programme, Beatrice manages a busy household with a husband and two daughters. Here is an insight and some words of wisdom that Beatrice had to share from her own experience.
With the MBA Management Consulting you gain an understanding of consulting techniques and develop a range of transferrable skills
An Introduction
Which Uni are you studying with?
York St John University (UK)
Which programme did you choose and why?
I chose the MBA in Management Consulting programme. It allows me to improve my knowledge and complete my profile as Project Manager.
The Study Plan
How did you plan to study each module, and what was the reality? How many hours did/do you have to put in each day/or in a week?
Prepare a study plan and pick a time of the day that works best for you
I planned the modules to avoid overlaps and could make it as planned. It is important to allow at least four to five hours a day, 4 days a week. This can be increased to 5 hours a day when approaching assignment deadline.
What part of the day did/do you find most suitable to study? (e.g. early mornings, lunch break, evenings, weekends?)
Allow yourself enough time for each assignment
What worked best for me were early in the morning and late in the evening, when there is no distraction (work, children, etc.)
How much time did you devote for each assignment?
Generally, 4 to 5 days. Sometimes more, depending on the topic.
Travelling and Communication
How did travelling impact your ability to study?
When travelling, other activities make it more difficult to find the required hours to study
How were you able to interact with peers and/or professors given the time differences?
We used e-apps that allowed delayed interactions (email, campus portal, WhatsApp).
A typical day as a master’s student
What does a typical day as an Online Masters’ student look like for you?
1. Spend 2 hours early in the morning, reading and watching class videos
2. Spend 1 hour at lunch time to review and make some researches
3. Spend 1 to 2 hours at late evening to write or complete researches
‘Research’ is an important aspect of Master’s studies. Learn to research effectively.
Any advice?
It is important to have:
1. The support of your entourage
2. A schedule that includes your studies, work and personal activities, even leisure. Follow it as much as possible
3. A contingency plan
Well indeed, incredibly helpful advice from Beatrice. A contingency plan not only saves you from an unpredictable situation but also helps you follow your study plan with confidence. To get you through the master’s studies we have a great faculty who are subject-matter experts, guide and encourage the students to achieve their potential.
If you have been dreaming of joining a master’s programme or have had this personal goal to gain a higher education, now is the time! Take the valuable advice from our current students, gain from their experience, add your own unique study strategies, and make your own success stories! I would love to feature you one day on our college blog.
Chat LIVE on WhatsApp with one of our Education Advisors for more information on all the programmes we offer, application process, and for information on discounts we might be offering at this time.
Continuing with our blog series featuring our female students, we asked our students to share their experiences with us – the challenges of getting back to school, of managing work and study along with family, and the unique challenges they faced being female students.
Liza is a graduate of our MA programme in Leading Innovation and Change (MALIC) through our exclusive partnership with York St John University, UK. This programme has been discontinued, and has reincarnated as a 100% online MBA programme in Leading Innovation and Change.
Liza Rudolfsson being the model student
Now, let us see what she has to say!
Who is …
A short profile
Sahil Devasia (SD): Who are you, really?
Elizabeth (Liza) Rudolfsson (ER): Creative and hard-working business consultant with roots in the construction industry.
Getting back into education
Your story of getting back to do a Master’s degree
SD: What was the driving force behind your enrolling for an online degree? Who inspired you? What motivated you?
ER: Interest in the subject. Hope that I could apply this new knowledge directly with my customers. Watched a test video with George Boak, which convinced me to choose YSJ.
SD: What were the thoughts/situations/people/challenges holding you back from starting (if any)? How did you overcome them?
ER: People around me were surprised (I’m 63) but supportive. Luckily, I underestimated the time it would take, or I would never have started.
SD: What surprised you the most when you started your studies?
ER: How much time was required! The high level of ambition. The fun of having ‘classmates’ from all over the world.
SD: Do you feel there are unique challenges women face when deciding to get back into education?
ER: Not really.
Getting the degree
The work to get the degree – what did you learn, how did you balance, what would you do differently
SD: Which programme did you do? Why?
ER: Leading Innovation and Change because I’m interested in – and work with – leadership, change and innovation.
SD: What is the single most important thing you learned during the programme?
ER: A ton of interesting facts, theories and models, but the most important learning was scientific, critical thinking and how to handle sources and references.
SD: How did you balance work and studies?
ER: I cut down on my work.
SD: Any particular challenges to being a woman and studying online, or do you think all students face the same ones?
ER: I don’t know about other students, but I can’t see any particular challenges.
Life post degree
What changed, if anything?
SD: What’s new in your life since graduating / starting your studies? Any visible impact already?
ER: I sold a strategy project for small businesses right after the Strategy module. This is now a yearly event, thank you MALIC! Before, I had a lot of superficial knowledge and a lot of practical experience. Now I find that I have a steady foundation with deeper knowledge that also ties into my experience and brings it all together. I get a lot of comments from customers about my solid knowledge, and they appreciate how I reference everything so that they know where the information comes from.
SD: Anything you are doing differently now because of the things you learned?
ER: I reference everything! I carefully separate information and opinion. I venture into new areas. I always did, but now with more confidence.
SD: Do you feel that getting a Master’s degree or doing other online programmes can reduce gender discrimination in the work place?
ER: Probably not in itself, maybe combined with other factors.
Advice for other women
Or other students, really.
SD: Imagine you could send a message back in time to your pre-degree self: what would it be?
ER: Take the writing of assignments (and the feedback) seriously, that’s where most of the learning happens. Use your new knowledge right away to make it stick.
If you have been thinking about getting your master’s degree, proving to yourself and others that you CAN do it, now would be a good time to take the plunge. Have a look at our list of programmes and see if we have anything that could help.
Hope this blog has answered some of your questions, and please watch this place for more similar blogs. You can also chat LIVE on WhatsApp with one of our Education Advisors for more information on all the programmes we offer, application process, and for information on discounts we might be offering at this time.
Pursuing the master’s degree is a big decision in many people’s lives. Choosing which programme will be most beneficial for one’s career development can be nerve wrecking too. Because there are choices – too many choices! For example, one might decide to go for an MBA programme, however, there is a choice to pursue an Executive MBA (EMBA) too! As an aspiring student, which one should you choose? Let us explore the differences, pros and cons of both so that you can make an informed decision.
1. Admission criteria
One of the foremost differences between an MBA and the EMBA programme is the admission criteria. For most of the MBA programmes minimum experience required varies between 1-3 years. Sometimes, even fresh under-graduates can also apply for MBA programmes given a good academic record.
On the other hand, an EMBA typically requires candidates to have on average 3 to 6 years’ work experience with at least 2 to 5 years of managerial work experience. Our current MBA students and alumni for example, possess on average 5 to 10 years of work experience, holding leadership and management titles in companies such as risk and quality managers, heads of sales, senior corporate trainers, marketing directors, lawyers, consultants, politicians and diplomats, company presidents and CMOs.
2. Pace of study
The MBA programmes are typically pursued on full-time or on-campus basis, and have very demanding schedules. They have more traditional and rigid course structures. An EMBA on the other hand, offers a more flexible study schedule, and are typically delivered in blocks (weekends, once a month, etc.) or online. The majority of the EMBA students are working professionals with busy work schedules. Thus, to optimize their time, EMBAs offer lecture sessions at rarer, but more intense intervals than their MBA counterparts. When done online, these really put flexibility at the forefront.
3. Intensity of the programme
While both programmes focus on the same core modules, the degree of intensiveness in both varies. For the EMBAs, I will use an analogy of a multi-vitamin supplement – a power packed mix of various vitamins all together in one. Similary, EMBAs are intensive, and one should be ready to absorb a lot of knowledge in a short period of time.
A regular MBA programme however, spreads the modules over a period of time. The course material is widely distributed and thus is comparatively less intensive than EMBAs.
Group of students at the Residency in Zurich (At the moment we are conducting Online Residency in light of Covid-19 restrictions).
4. Curriculum and focus
In an MBA programme, since it accepts candidates with fewer years of experience, the focus is on teaching and developing management knowledge from the basics. It has a broader choice available in terms of the electives that a student can choose from. An EMBA programme, however, has a higher bar set in terms of experience from its candidates. While some of the core modules are same as an MBA programme, an EMBA programme has a more focused approach.
Celebrating our Graduates – University of Cumbria
5. Financial implications
An EMBA wins over an MBA programme any day when we talk about financial implications of both. Firstly, an EMBA candidate can continue their day jobs and get paid to support their education. MBA programmes with full-time study schedules make it more difficult for students to continue with their jobs. Secondly, since a large portion (or in our case, all of the programme) is studied online, one saves a huge amount of money in travel and living expenses. Thus, the return on investment on an EMBA is typically much higher than a regular MBA programme.
Money matters..
There is of course the issue of programme cost – these vary wildly though, and you can find really expensive programmes in both EMBA and MBA settings.
I hope the above provides a few points to help you make the distinction between an MBA and an EMBA programme.
Robert Kennedy College offers online MBA programmes – which are much closer to EMBAs than they are to MBAs because of their flexibility and incredible value for money. We do that in exclusive partnerships with the University of Cumbria and York St John University. Check out the list of various MBA progammes that we offer and choose the one that best suits your interests and career.
What is the best way to study online? Should you do an online programme? How to better manage time when studying online?
Questions, questions, questions!
These are all questions that we at Robert Kennedy College (RKC) get asked regularly by students who are looking to join one of our online programmes. Undertaking to do an online master’s degree programme will be an additional commitment on your time and finances, and it is smart to get information before hand, cross your T’s and dot your I’s, before making your decision.
Through this series of blog posts, we asked some of our past and current students to share their thoughts and opinions, to give their feedback on how they handled some of these choices and situations. Hopefully this will help you to make an informed decision.
Learning from those who came before you is smart. I am not asking you to blindly follow what they are saying, but to take what they said worked for them, and see if it will work for you, maybe make a few changes (or a lot). In the end, only you know what works best for you!
The University of Salford’s (UK), M.Sc. programme in Procurement, Logistics and Supply Chain Management
Which programme did you choose and why?
MSc. Procurement, Logistics and Supply Chain Management. I have been a professional in the chosen career since 1996, when I obtained the Professional Certificate of the Nigerian Institute of Purchasing and Supply Management, now Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply Management of Nigeria.
The Study Plan
How did you plan to study each module, and what was the reality? How many hours did/do you have to put in each day/or in a week?
I planned to be flexible, juggling work and study! The reality for me was planning, and studying between work hours. I cannot specifically count the number of hours I study per day – I study according to time-window of opportunity.
What part of the day did/do you find most suitable to study? (e.g. early mornings, lunch break, evenings, weekends?)
I work tight schedules and was always exhausted during the weekdays. So, I found weekends most suitable to study – Friday evening through Sunday.
How much time did you devote for each assignment?
An average of one hour per day.
Travelling and Communication
How did travelling impact your ability to study?
Travelling helps me to relate life events with studying.
How were you able to interact with peers and/or professors given the time differences?
I explore IT facilities and internet resources – Email and WhatsApp messages.
A typical day as a master’s student
What does a typical day as an Online Masters’ student look like for you?
Dividing my attention, schedule, and activities to perform as both a Procurement, Logistics and Supply Chain Management professional and as a student. Balancing work and study as a mature man with the responsibility to cater for a family of 6.
Any advice?
Any advice you have for students to better plan their studies.
Identify your area of core competence and/or SWOT analysis of your personality. Evaluate your financial capacity in line with your regular income before enrolment for the online master’s programme.
Hope this blog has answered some of your questions, and please watch this place for more similar blogs. You can also chat LIVE on WhatsApp with one of our Education Advisors for more information on all the programmes we offer, application process, and for information on discounts we might be offering at this time.
