#DILO – A day in the life of an RKC master’s student – June H

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As a former Education advisor, if I had to pick one of the most frequently asked questions by prospective students, it would be “How many hours do I need to study?”  

The vast majority (if not all) of our students are working and leading hectic professional lives. Some are motivated and have already decided to undertake a master’s, while others contemplate the unknowns of an online programme. In my experience, two things affect their decision the most.   

First – finances, and second, being able to strike the perfect work, study, and life balance. While I cannot completely help you with the finances (partially yes – check out the discount offers currently being offered on our online MBA, MSc, and LL.M programmes), I thought what I could do to help was to bring some facts to light about the other unknowns – what does a typical day in the life of an online master’s student look like?  

Today, we’re looking at June’s typical study days. June, an RKC & University of Cumbria’s graduate, offered us these answers:  

An Introduction  

Which programme did you choose and why?  

I chose MBA programme as it matched my work experience and that is what I wanted to do after graduation.

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?  

Each Monday morning I would check the requirements for the modules I was registered into. I would then plan my week accordingly. I put in about 20 hours a week for each module, plus some extra time when completing the assignments, mid-term or final. Each week I tried to respond on the discussion board by Wednesday and then would respond to others on the discussion in the latter part of the week. Of course, sometimes life gets in the way, and I would have to put in more time one week, to make up for the time I missed due to other obligations.

What part of the day did/do you find most suitable to study? (e.g. early mornings, lunch break, evenings, weekends?)  

I work best in the morning, so this is my preferred time when possible. To study in the evening I would often go to the local library for a quieter atmosphere that at home.

To study in the evening June would often go to the local library for a quieter atmosphere that at home.

How much time did you devote for each assignment?  

Probably more than I should have! It depended on the amount of research that was needed for each assignment. On an average about 20 – 30 hours for mid-terms and 40 – 60 hours for finals, with the exception of the residency with the final assignment after returning – I’m guessing I spent closer to 120 hours on that final assignment.

Travelling and Communication  

Did you travel for work? How did travelling impact your ability to study?  

Studying would become difficult due to disparate bandwidth availability. Having said that, it was often an opportunity on the plane or between flights to study during quiet times.

How were you able to interact with peers and/or professors given the time differences?  

The five hour time difference between Ontario Canada and Switzerland was bit of a problem, especially trying to get assignments in on time.

A typical day as a master’s student  

What does a typical day as an Online Masters’ student look like for you?  

Since I work best in the morning, I would get my coffee and start by checking the discussion boards and making note of what I needed to give a response for. I mapped out my reading for the week, and so would spend my allotted time doing the reading and listening to webcasts. By Wednesday each week, I would put my contribution to the discussion board.

Any advice?  

Any advice you have for students to better plan their studies.  

Make a schedule early on to get the mid-term and final assignments completed.

Create files on your computer to keep your modules, assignments, and research organised so that when you are completing your assignments you can easily find your materials. I noticed that many students did not participate in the discussion boards, and I think they missed a valuable part of the learning. And potentially we missed out on their experience and perspective that they may have shared with the rest of the class.

 

June advises to create files on your computer to keep the modules, assignments, and research organised

All right, so this was a sneak peek of a typical day in  life as a master’s student. I hope you find it insightful and informative and that it gives you an idea of what to expect when you enrol for our master’s programmes. Watch this space as we have many more interesting insights coming up! 

Importance of Study plan in master’s studies

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Planning is imperative in every step of your master’s studies. Lot of thought process goes into deciding which specialization you choose for the masters, which university you want to apply to, when you want to start, how to finance master’s and planning the support from family and work to successfully complete the programme. 

Once you are past this stage of planning, having enrolled and started with induction module, comes the next stage of planning – planning for the studies for the next 1-3 years, until you finish the programme. You may encounter lot of bottlenecks, confusions, and/or lack of ideas, apprehensions while planning for the studying the master’s programme.

[Pssst: Follow our #Dilo – A Day in the life of a RKC student and find out how our current students and alumni organized themselves in-order to be successful.]

It is not just about creating schedule but formulating a study plan is lot more comprehensive. A study plan helps define your goals, defines methodology for preparation, and thinking ahead of any possible difficulties in a particular subject (your weaknesses). 

Planning is key to success

Before you plan your study plan (pun intended), take the following into consideration:

  1. What is your lifestyle like?
  2. Evaluate your learning style and habits
  3. Study your daily schedule at work and home
  4. Note what times of the day you have free time
  5. How many modules will you be studying at a time?
  6. Which subjects are your strengths and seem easier to study than the ones you dread the most?
  7. Plan how much time you would require reading study material and preparing for assignments
  8. Creating conducive study environment, family, peer and professor’s support

After careful analysis of above pointers, you should be able to formulate a master study plan and pledge to follow it through.

Here are five reasons how a study plan helps you plan better for master’s studies:

1. Improved productivity

Keeping on schedule will help you know what is expected out of you every day and at what time. Without a plan you will loose focus and be everywhere without reaching anywhere. You can prioritise the high importance activities 

2. Better stress management

When you are studying for master’s, you will be juggling with work, home and, study balance constantly. And as our alumni always advice that there will be stressful times, but it’s all about how you manage it. There will one too many instances when you must send that urgent report at work, spend time with your spouse, kids, and pets and moreover, read the study material and prepare for assignment. 

Study plan will help you stay on track and meticulously complete all tasks in time.

3. Time management

All our students and alumni cannot stress enough on the importance of time management. Most popular advice given is – to start early and do not procrastinate. Setting a study plan in place is very effective in avoiding any time wastage and better utilization of this very limited resource – time!

Utilize the limited resources like time effectively

4. Assignment preparation

At RKC, there is no formal examination system. Assessments are done based on assignments. There is a lot of groundwork that goes in preparation and submission of assignments. This includes, and is not limited to, studying the course material, other reference materials, following the discussion on OnlineCampus forum etc. If you have planned what activity you will follow at what time, then it will become a process rather than a burden

Prepare for the unexpected

Life is unpredictable. There is always nice to have a back-up plan for any unforeseen situations. A study plan makes you better equipped to face such challenges and you will be able to navigate your way out of small or big troubles, quickly and easily

We offer personalized study plan that gives you a head start on how the modules are planned over the full-time or part-time schedule. 

Here is a sample personalized study plan for the York St John University’s MBA Leading Innovation and Change:

Talk to our education advisor today to get your own personalised study plan!

#DILO – A day in the life an RKC Master’s student – David

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As a former Education advisor, if I had to pick one of the most frequently asked questions by prospective students, it would be “How many hours do I need to study?”  

The vast majority (if not all) of our students are working and leading hectic professional lives. Some are motivated and have already decided to undertake a master’s, while others contemplate the unknowns of an online programme. In my experience, two things affect their decision the most.   

First – finances, and second, being able to strike the perfect work, study, and life balance. While I cannot completely help you with the finances (partially yes – check out the discount offers currently being offered on our online MBA, MSc, and LL.M programmes), I thought what I could do to help was to bring some facts to light about the other unknowns – what does a typical day in the life of an online master’s student look like?  

I asked a few of our students from different walks of life, occupations, and personal situations to answer a few questions on their study tactics and strategies, plans and reality, and so on.  So, through our ‘#DILO ‘a typical day in the life of a master’s student’ blog series every month, we bring to you one of our actual students or alumni sharing the insights.   

Today, we’re looking at David’s typical study days. David, an RKC & University of Cumbria soon-to-be graduate, offered us these answers:  

An Introduction  

Vidhi Kapoor (VK): Which programme did you choose and why?  

David Andaclio (DA):  MBA – International Business. I chose this topic based on my experience and the UoC partnership with Robert Kennedy College in Switzerland and the global diversification of international students.  

Stayed focused and consistent

The Study Plan   

VK : 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?  

DA: I dedicated time during the week and each day, stayed focused and consistent, and it took approximately 4 hours a day.  

VK: What part of the day did/do you find most suitable to study? (e.g. early mornings, lunch break, evenings, weekends?)  

DA: Early mornings were more suitable for me.  

David allocates approximately 4 hours a day for study

VK: How much time did you devote for each assignment?  

DA: I devoted about 8-12 hours.  

Travelling and Communication  

VK: Did you travel for work? How did travelling impact your ability to study?  

DA: Not at all  

VK: How were you able to interact with peers and/or professors given the time differences?  

DA: Not an issue. [Editor’s note: Interaction is mostly asynchronous through discussion forums] 

A typical day as a master’s student  

VK: What does a typical day as an Online Masters’ student look like for you?  

 DA: I had to learn to balance everyday work and family matters and dedicate time out of each day to the online master’s program. Being consistent and focused was key to managing the process.  

Any advice?  

VK: Any advice you have for students to better plan their studies.  

DA: Yes. Map out a study plan, identify the hours you will spend, develop a framework to stay ahead and once again, be consistent with the task. No procrastination.  

Develop a framework to stay ahead and no procrastination!

Alright friends, this was a sneak peek of a typical day in David’s life as a master’s student. I hope you find it insightful and informative and that it gives you an idea of what to expect when you enrol for our master’s programmes. Watch this space as we have many more interesting insights coming up!