UCF Online Student Interview Series | Episode 2

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[Music]
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hello my name is Renee Montgomery and I
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am an online success coach for the UCF
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online connect Center I’m joined today
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by UCF online student John and we’re
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gonna dive into a bit of discussion
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about what it’s like to be a UCF online
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night let’s go ahead and get started so
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John tell me a little bit about yourself
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yes I currently live in Cincinnati Ohio
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and were cats in st. charles hospital
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and i recently completed my master’s of
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research administration degree in
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December of 2019 and enjoying the
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finishing it up and going with my career
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wonderful thank you so much so a little
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bit about you know looking at grad
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school what in particular
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drove you to want to enroll in a
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graduate program yes I had completed my
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bachelor’s degree in 1998 and during
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that time I was waiting to get my
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master’s degree but there were no other
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programs that were in my fields of work
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until recently back in 2014 of 2015 I
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saw a brochure from UCF it was an all I
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think online brochure that I talked
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about the Masters of research
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administration and I thought that’s
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something I’m currently doing at work
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and then something I wanted to kind of
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pursue so during that time I kind of
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want to do some thinking and talk to my
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family about and my wife was finishing
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up her doctorate degree in music so once
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she got done I was gonna jump in and
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start pursuing my master’s degree so
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once she got finished in the fall
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actually followed 2016 I started the
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process of getting my paperwork
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I contacted UCF to get some information
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and started putting my application in to
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start in fall 2017 so it was it was
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something I finally saw that I can get a
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master’s degree with something I’m doing
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in my career
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so a follow-up to that John was there
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anything in particular that made you
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choose online learning as your preferred
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method to complete your degree yes maybe
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in a husband and father and working
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full-time I just did not have time to do
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in class in class after work and so what
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I had to do is you know I’ve taken
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online classes before and I thought this
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would be the easiest way plus UCF to
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Orlando to since noise a little bit
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difficult to try to travel that far each
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day so but I knew that this was an
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online program it would be it would fit
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with what I do and so it was a perfect
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perfect scenario that’s awesome so being
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a UC former UCF online student do you
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have any tips that you’d want to give to
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anyone who wants to be an an online
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student or learn online yes if you’ve
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taken on online classes before this
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shouldn’t be any any more difficult or
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actually should be easy for you to to go
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through but if you’re a student that’s
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done in class work and have never taken
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online courses it’s a little different I
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mean you’re gonna have you’re not going
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to have as much communication with your
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faculty as you did in class and making
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friends is a little more difficult
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because when you’re in class you meet
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other people you get to know who they
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are or online most of time you they’re
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people all over the country so it’s a
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little difficult to to do that but with
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academics the way they are in the way
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the life is today I think online is one
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of the best ways to get through to get a
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degree and whether it’s a bachelor’s
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degree or masters or PhD degree I think
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it’s something that’s a very good
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alternate instead of in-class work
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that’s awesome feedback on that John so
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with an online student and that being
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your preferred method to learn for the
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master research administration program
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did you have a favorite part of being
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specifically a UCF online student
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okay word my favorite I mean they they
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were wonderful they worked with me if I
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had any questions they got back to me
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quickly and I especially dr. Mike Jones
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was fabulous I mean I love her to death
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and she really helped me through this as
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well I mean not only she’s the director
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of the program she’s also a faculty and
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teaching several the classes and so I
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give her a lot of props and I think
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you’re hurt you know I was gonna make
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sure I thanked her and I whenever I’ve
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communicated with her just to let her
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know that she helped me a lot awesome
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yes she’s very wonderful absolutely so
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as far as your experience specifically
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kind of shifting from the online focused
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more of the coaching focus what were
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your initial thoughts on coaching and
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having a success coach with your online
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program I think it’s absolutely
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essential to have one I think you as a
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coach helped me so much in preparation
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for getting through the program sitting
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in my courses and without you I would
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probably be still sitting figuring out
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what I’m supposed to do so it’s it’s I
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think for any university that’s doing
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online coursework I think it’s essential
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to have success coach or some sort of
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counselor type person that communicates
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with the students so that way it makes
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the transition easier to go through the
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online course through the program and to
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graduate so I think it’s very yeah it’s
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wonderful thank you for that now did you
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notice if anything shifted for you or
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how things may have changed throughout
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your time with your program with your
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coach I thought my coach did great from
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the start to the end I never had any
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issues with with what you did and
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helping me out so I commend you and
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thank you personally and you know for
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anyone that is going through the online
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program you know rely on your coach
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she’s there to help she or he is there
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to help you and so just ask questions
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ask for help
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if you need it thank you so much so to
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wrap up then John do you have any advice
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for students wanting to apply to UCF
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online as a potential grad student yeah
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I would say contact UCF the school or
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program that you wanting to get into ask
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questions get all the information you
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want to take some time to think about it
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before you just rushing in so you know
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exactly what you’re getting into so
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because I think some students think okay
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this is what I’m going to do I’m gonna
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go in I’m going to do it and find out
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it’s the wrong program so I think by
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doing so taking a little time and then
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once you know that’s the right program
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for you and you get to know the people
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that’s at that school and the program
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then apply get your paperwork in and
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rely on them because they’re gonna be
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there to help you out so wonderful it’s
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excellent advice thank you so much John
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again for taking out some time today in
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your busy work schedule and life
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schedule to speak with me a little bit
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and reflect on your experience at UCF
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and with coaching in general and I hope
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you have a wonderful rest of your day
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thank you you too thank you