What is it like to be a student enrolled in one of Marylhurst University’s accelerated online programs? This is a week in the life of Marylhurst University graduate Aaron Woods.
Student Profile: Aaron Woods
After working for many years in the professional world, Aaron decided that it was time to focus on improving himself and decided to finish his degree. He originally graduated from Marylhurst with an undergraduate business degree and after taking the online MBA he has taken his career to the next level as the Director for Strategic Partner Programs at Xerox Services. Aaron looks at his time with Marylhurst as a “life-changing experience” that was student-focused and solutions-oriented. Aaron is now helping new students as an instructor and would like to walk you through a week in the life of an online student in the business programs at Marylhurst.
Sunday
Aaron usually takes Sunday morning to relax and run errands. At the end of the day, he spends about two hours online to prepare himself for the upcoming week. He also pulls all of his coursework up online through “Moodle”, the web-based learning software that keeps online students connected in the program. After looking over the syllabus, he organizes and prioritizes his weekly reading assignments and schedule for the upcoming week.
Monday
Monday morning rolls around and it’s time to head to the office. Since Aaron has started back to school, he is able to use knowledge from his courses in his daily workload. During his Monday lunch break, he likes to use the time to go online and read one of the assigned weekly articles that the professor posts. After reading the article, Aaron posts his comments online and reviews other student’s comments too. Once Aaron is off work, he usually tries to spend some time outside to get some fresh air. In order to combine work and fun, he will bring his reading with him to the local park or Starbucks. Once he has read all of the assigned chapters, he will spend the rest of the night relaxing at home.
Tuesday
Since Mondays are full of office and classwork, Aaron tries to spend some time with his family and friends on Tuesdays. He will have lunch with friends and meets up with family for an early dinner after work. After this, he will head home and focus on finishing the last two chapters of his weekly reading assignment by the end of the night. This allows him to get started on the assignment or paper that is due at the end of the week.
Wednesday
Wednesdays are like Mondays and he tries to have most of the items finished before the weekend. During his lunch break, he will use this time to go online to read another one of the weekly articles and add his comments and thoughts on how it relates to their current studies. Aaron enjoys chatting with fellow students online. He is thankful for the online program because it has allowed him to grow as an individual by believing in himself and comparing his studies to real-work experiences. After work, Aaron heads home to start working on one of the weekly papers. Once he has a rough draft completed, he likes to use the rest of the night to relax and catch up on some of his favorite shows.
Thursday
Because Aaron has completed most of his reading and online postings, he will head to the gym or to the park after work. Once he gets home, he adds the finishing touches to his paper and emails it off to his professor.
Friday
The work week is over and it is time for Aaron to relax with friends and head out to their favorite restaurant after checking his class discussion boards. Since Aaron has started going back to school, he has learned that it is important to continue to learn and try things by networking with new and exciting people.
Saturday
Saturday is a day of complete relaxation, in which he can run errands, get a few things done around the house and hang out with buddies.
