杏吧原创

鈥淭he lesson is to think about where you see yourself in the future and how this degree impacts that path.聽聽If you see there are many barriers to getting where you want, a bulletproof plan will mitigate and even remove some of these barriers.聽聽So, remember that anything is possible, should it be your priority.鈥澛�-Savannah White, MSM

In my interview with Savannah White she gets real about her experience as a student at Excelsior College. Masters degree in hand, Savannah is on the fast track and is not looking back. She will be starting her new position as an Academic Advisor with a concentration in nursing and health sciences in our Student Success Center very shortly and is excited to utilize her skills as a Success Coach in this role. Read more to learn more about Savannah as you may find that you relate to her as a student yourself at Excelsior College.

Hannah Lynch: What challenges did you face while getting your Masters of Science in Management at Excelsior College? 聽

Savannah White: My overall challenge is motivation.聽聽It was hard for me to see the importance of it towards the end of the degree.聽聽I had a lot of motivation in the beginning.聽聽Courses go by fast for eight weeks and that three week break over the holidays helped me recoup.聽聽As I reached the end of my program I was really struggling with energy, positivity, and effort to produce quality work.

How did you push forward?

For me it was reminding myself of the benefits that a Masters degree would provide for me and what sort of doors would open up upon its completion.聽聽Also, just know there is a means to an end, so I knew at some point in time I would never have to do this again.

A very big one is support.聽聽I think a lot of people don鈥檛 think it is a big deal to tell others they are in school or what they are working on, or even if it is relevant.聽聽Because I think for some it could seem random to have a conversation about being in school, or it is just expected.聽聽But the more people I told and the more I spoke about it with them they asked me about it.聽聽Whether it is coworkers, my superiors, they hold me accountable because they are expecting me to finish this.聽聽It can help give you some motivation if you know others are counting on you.

What did you do to stay motivated?

This is a hard question.聽聽Sheer determination and willpower were helpful, but I do not have a good answer for this.聽聽I would say, referring back to support is the accountability piece.聽聽The accountability from others is what sustained my motivation.聽聽If I didn鈥檛 have that I don鈥檛 know if I would have finished this course.

What was the hardest part about getting your degree?

I would say maintaining my momentum.聽聽I went straight through with no breaks and doubled up one term, taking two eight week classes.聽聽Would I recommend this approach to others?聽聽I鈥檓 not sure.聽 Because I know for some it is not feasible.聽聽However, should you take a break there must be a plan in place for you to start again.聽聽In terms of my motivation problem, I think that since I motored through the degree I felt burnt out a little.聽聽Maybe if I had some scheduled breaks this last course would not have been as much of a struggle.

As a Student Success Coach at Excelsior College you help students daily making sure they have everything they need to be successful.聽 Did you find yourself using some of your own advice that you give to your students?

Yes. Be kind to yourself.聽聽There will be some weeks where you will ask if it is all worth it. And there will be times when you feel very accomplished.聽聽Remember those times.聽聽I think there can be a stigma around not making progress quickly and that is false.聽聽Little progress is better than no progress.聽聽And when you feel that you are stuck remember how far you have come.

Any lessons learned?

Being busy is a myth.聽聽You make time for what you think your priorities are.聽聽Are there certain obstacles and challenges that prevent progress in school? Yes.聽 However, bulletproof plans do exist.聽聽The lesson is to think about where you see yourself in the future and how this degree impacts that path.聽聽If you see there are many barriers to getting where you want, a bulletproof plan will mitigate and even remove some of these barriers.聽聽So, remember that anything is possible, should it be your priority.