Graduation Ceremony – To go or not to go?

∙ By ∙ 4 Comments

Let me start by clarifying, at least for those who don’t know, it is not mandatory to attend the graduation ceremony to be awarded your degree.

You have worked hard for your degree, completed all your assignments and submitted your dissertation, meeting all the criteria for completing and being awarded your degree. And not being able to attend the graduation ceremony will not deny you your degree. The graduation ceremony is just that, a ceremony. The ceremony celebrates the successful completion of your degree programme and marks the start of the next phase of your life/career.

The University of Salford, UK – Summer Graduation – Class of 2018

So, should you attend your graduation ceremony? Well, it is a personal choice. The internet is filled with vlogs and stories of people choosing to go or opting not to attend the ceremony. Unfortunately, I did not attend either of my graduation ceremonies (graduate and master’s). Both times, not by choice. I don’t regret it now; it was a long time ago. And I don’t think I regrated it back then, apart from the fun photo ops and wearing the robs and the funny hat. I would have loved a photo looking like a graduate celebrating my degree.

But the ceremony is important. Case in point, every year, a number of our (Robert Kennedy College) graduates fly from all over the world to attend the graduation ceremony at the university in the United Kingdom (UK). They spend a lot of time and money to participate in the ceremony – travel, stay and socialise. They do this because they see value in attending the ceremony.

York St John University, UK, Graduation – Class of 2021 (RKC students can be seen getting the award at 45.17, 54.47 and 59.53)

The following five points might give you some insight in helping you decide on whether or not to attend your graduation ceremony.

(1) Money

The bases of most decisions we make in our lives. Attending the graduation ceremony can be a significant financial commitment, especially if you are staying or working in another country. You will have to arrange a visa, for which you might have to travel to the embassy/consulate. Plan your travel to and stay in the university town, which is not a minor expense—changing your wardrobe to meet the requirements of the graduation ceremony—keeping a budget for food and other social activities. If you have family travelling to attend your graduation ceremony, you must budget for them all these expenses. These expenses could lead to a substantial financial outlay, so plan for it well.

(2) Time

Our regular readers know how much we stress the importance of effective time management. You must take time off work, time away from your family, and time away from regular life. While making time to attend your graduation can impact the normal working of your life, it can also be just what the doctor ordered. The graduation ceremony will be a joyous time; it will help you remove your mind from life’s worries. And if you can extend your trip into a proper holiday, you will recharge your worn energy and can return to your regular life with a bang!

(3) Networking

While attending the graduation ceremony is a time for celebration, it can also be an opportunity to expand and solidify the networks you have made. You will not only have the chance to meet your professors and coursemates face-to-face to build on the networks you have already created but also meet with the staff and students of the university, which can provide you with new opportunities to network.

(4) Travel

A number of our students use the opportunity of attending their graduation ceremony as a getaway. We all get so caught up with work and life that we forget to take a break; we keep pushing that long cherished and overdue holiday. So, since they are already travelling to another country to attend the graduation ceremony, they make it into a holiday, most of whom travel with their families. And the hardcore workaholics of our students find a way to squeeze in a few business meetings.

(5) Celebration

Gregory Foster at his graduation at the University of Cumbria, UK – Class of 2018

At the end of the day, your graduation ceremony is a celebration. It might be fulfilling a lifelong dream of earning a master’s degree. It might be the end of one chapter of your life and the start of another. It might be the opportunity for a new career or the advancement in your current job. Or it might just be a celebration of the hard work and long nights you put into earning your degree. Whatever your reason, the graduation ceremony is a time of joy and celebration, whether by yourself or with your friends/classmates/family. So, have fun, takes photos and proudly wear that funny hat!

Hopefully, these points will help you decide on the importance of your graduation ceremony and if you will regret not attending your ceremony. If you have any suggestions or thoughts on the impact that attending the graduation ceremony can have, please share them here.

If you are hyped about attending your graduation ceremony someday, consider joining our globally recognised master’s degree programmes. Look at our list of programmes and see if we have anything you are interested in doing.

You can also chat LIVE on WhatsApp with one of our Education Advisors for more information on the programme that is right for you, the application process, and details on discounts we might offer.

Four benefits of Taking a Break

∙ By ∙ No Comments

After reading this blog’s title, most of us would have thought, “yeah, this is a no-brainer”. But the fact is, not many of us even realise when we are overworked, close to burnout and in desperate need of a break.

In 2011, I was overworked and struggling professionally, my personal life was dragging its feet, and I did not even realise this. Luckily for me, my friends were planning a month-long trip around South-East Asia and forced me to go with them. No matter how much I said NO!

And so I went. It was the best thing I ever did in my life (until then).

When I came back, I was almost a completely different man. I felt like I wanted to go swimming with sharks and skydiving, and within the year, I was a married man (what does that tell you?). I wanted to do something that pushed me professionally and personally, and all this happened because I went on a break I did not know I needed.

The following are four reasons why I feel it is essential to take a break from work (or school).

Mental health

Photo by Aarón Blanco Tejedor on Unsplash.

No matter how much we love what we are doing, our jobs will add stress to our lives. Those lucky enough to do something you love might not even realise that some form of work stress is still always added to your lives. Then there is personal stress of managing the family, the kids, school work, etc. We have covered managing stress in a number of our previous blogs.

Taking a break from the daily grind of life can help you get away from the routine of life, giving you the time needed to reflect on your life and the choices you have made. But even if you don’t reflect on your life choices, don’t underestimate the power of relaxing your mind and letting it go blank.

Physical health

Photo by Israel Andrade on Unsplash.

Between work, family and being stuck in traffic (or since the coronavirus, being stuck at home), there is no time. Or at least that is the excuse most of us use for not exercising. Having a healthy body goes hand-in-hand with having a healthy mind. Taking a break might just help you kick start your physical system, reminding your body that it needs to be exercised.

One of the countries we went to on our break in 2011 was Cambodia, and my God, just walking around the temples in Siem Reap felt like a year’s worth of exercise. So you don’t have to go on nature walks or hiking on your break to get in your physical activity. You could get it from club hopping, swimming, or playing a game with your kids on the beach.

Take advantage of this added physical exertion and try to keep it going once you return to your routine.

Sleep

Photo by Kate Stone Matheson on Unsplash.

Sleep is one of the first things we compromise on when we fall behind on our routine. We always think that we can make up for the loss of sleep at a later time, but chances are bad sleep habits will be cultivated and will become regular sleep habits. Getting optimal rest at night is vital to having an efficient day. I know I am much more motivated to get to work when I have slept well and am a lot more pleasant to be around.

A break is an excellent opportunity to fix your bad sleep habits and to correct and better regulate your sleep cycle.

Productivity

Photo by Andreas Klassen on Unsplash.

There are several studies that have shown the correlation between taking a break and an increase in productivity, from being able to sleep better and being in a better mood after vacations to a rise in productivity and less exhaustion. And this proof is necessary because you should never just take someone’s word as fact. But speaking from personal experience, I know that taking breaks improved my productivity. And the break I took in 2011 was a life-changing one for me!

So go on your break. Recharge your cells. And when to get back to your routine, challenge yourself!

If you have taken your break and are ready to challenge yourself and have been thinking about doing a master’s degree, then take a look at our list of programmes and see if we have anything you are interested in doing.

You can also chat LIVE on WhatsApp with one of our Education Advisors for more information on the programme that is right for you, the application process, and details on discounts we might offer.

3 reasons to start your master’s degree in 2021 at Robert Kennedy College

∙ By ∙ No Comments

There are only eight days left this year. Some of you must be reflecting on how they fared on their resolutions for the year, while others will be setting new resolutions for the new year 2022. I know it’s been an extremely challenging year for everyone around the world; with Covid-19 restrictions, life has not been ‘normal’ for the longest time. And it’s far from over. I do not mean to end 2021 on a sad note. On the bright side, there are still last few days left of 2021 to do something meaningful and progressive in your life. If starting a master’s degree has been one of the resolutions for 2020, it’s still not too late. You can still embark on the journey before the year ends.  

Everyone looks for “the right time” to start something new in their life. And when it’s about starting an online masters, there are many factors to consider, such as work-life balance, flexibility at work, financial factors etc.  

Here are three reasons why it’s a good time to start your master’s right now:  

ACCOMPLISH YOUR RESOLUTION 

As I mentioned above, it’s never too late to accomplish your ultimate goals. While you may procrastinate or become complacent with your goals or even postpone them for next year, you might regret the decision one day. So, take a quick decision and enrol yourself for the master’s degree programme. Applying for the master’s is simple. The process involves applying online and providing us with necessary documents like your CV and highest education certificate.   

Accomplish your resolution to attain master’s education

CHRISTMAS PROMOTION DISCOUNT OFFER  

We are currently offering special Christmas promotion until 26th December. With this limited-time offer, you can start with a deposit of just 500 Swiss Francs and receive a discount of 1000 Swiss Francs. (Yes, you saw that right!).  

Or if you pay between 25% and 50% of the fees in advance, you can receive a discount of 1500 Swiss Francs, or if you pay 100% of the fees in advance, the discount is 2000 Swiss Francs. You can find more details on this page where you can also convert the fees to your local currency: https://chf.help/#/christmas  

Save money with our Christmas promotion offer

STUDY AT UNIVERSITY RECOGNISED BY THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT  

Put your mind at rest as the University of Cumbria, the University of Salford and York St John University are fully accredited by the British government and duly listed on the United Kingdom’s Department for Education list of recognised UK awarding institutions. You can verify their official University status directly at the UK government website.  

So, above are three of the many reasons you should start your master’s degree now. Talk to our advisors on WhatsApp, who can guide you through the admission process.  

Let me know in the comments section below your reason for starting the master’s programme! 

Express gratitude this holiday season

∙ By ∙ 8 Comments

2020 has been nothing but challenging for everyone in one way or another. Some people experienced greater difficulties than others. Nevertheless, everyone’s life, career, family, ambitions, dreams, and expectations from this year were affected. And as if matters were not bad enough, the world witnessed and was torn apart by numerous natural and man-made calamities: floods, wildfires, earthquakes, hurricanes, civil unrest, humanitarian and refugee crises. 

Now I do not want to sound all negative. There is another side to the coin too, a side that we very often fail to recognise and acknowledge. It’s the positives, no matter how small, that happened in our lives amidst this mayhem. We should acknowledge every little moment of happiness, joy, and success we received in the past one year and be grateful for it. Someone might have a new job (even in the pandemic), got a raise, bought a new house, started a family, explored local places (as it is advisable not to travel), got healthier and fitter, had time to be with family during quarantine, enrolled for that online master’s programme that was put on the back-burner, something that positively impacted one’s life. 

Let’s reflect and be thankful for everything! 

For me personally, the holiday season brings a sense of joy and happiness. I forget my worries and enjoy the holiday cheer and bright lights that are all around. It humbles me in many ways. 

Expressing gratitude may sound easier than it actually is, because humans are prone to complaining, blaming, finding fault, and making comparisons with others. However, I would urge you to take a moment and instead understand your own shortcomings and if you do compare, compare yourself with the less fortunate. You might come to realise how blessed you actually are! 

There are many ways to feel thankful and express gratitude: 

1.  Introspect: self-introspection can be very powerful to analyse one’s true self. 

2.  Have faith: it pays off to be patient and trust that everything happening is part of the bigger picture and it will help in developing you in better ways. 

Give back to society

3.  Give back to society: you can make your contribution and give back to society in various ways by volunteering, providing food, shelter, clothing to the needy, providing financial  or emotional support. It will make you feel better and useful. 

4.  Maintain a gratitude journal: as it is said, a man is but the product of his thoughts. The more you write about positive happenings and events in your life, more your thoughts become positive. 

Your thoughts become positive when you capture positive happenings in your life

5.  Express yourself: It’s important not only to feel grateful but also to express your gratitude and spread the cheer to your near and dear ones. 

Gratitude plays a very powerful role in transforming lives. Express your gratitude towards your family, peers, friends, colleagues, bosses, teachers and professors. I am grateful to all our readers who have enjoyed reading and have benefited from our blogs. 

Season’s Greetings and Happy Holidays!