​Transcript: Oscar’s experience with Grad Coach

My name is Oscar and I did a degree in PPE. Before I joined Grad Coach, I was in a position at university where I was really struggling. I found myself constantly butting heads with the teachers because every time I was talking to them and they were giving me feedback, I felt that they were not really explaining it to me in the way that it would be explained. I felt that I was not really learning the way that was compatible with my style of learning. That just put me into this loophole where I was constantly going down and down the spiral, because I didn’t really know what I should be doing and how to make improvements. And every time I would work harder and harder to improve, I just felt that the feedback was getting worse and worse, because there was this mismatch between what I was doing and what they expected.

If I had to describe in a few words how the challenges made me feel, I would say anxious, self-doubting and lacking communication, in a sense. As time progresses, I’m heading towards my deadline and I feel that I’m not making the progress I should be. And this means that more time is wasted, more effort is wasted, and I’m not making any sufficient progress. And then I question myself. I think, is it just me? Am I an idiot? Is there something wrong with my learning technique? And then I think, okay, maybe I’m just the problem. Maybe I don’t know what they expect me to know. Maybe I’m just not capable. And then, of course, that’s going to put me in a position where I’m doubting myself, having a lot of concern about what I’m doing, not only with a thesis, but in general with this degree. Because I think if I can’t do this, if I’m not a competent student, what does this mean for me going forward? So, of course, all these doubts arise.

And this is exactly why I thought I need to go to another source. Because if I go to another source, then I can get fresh perspectives. And a fresh perspective would say, hey, listen, I see what you’re doing wrong, but I also see what you’re doing right. So instead of just receiving a whole lot of negativity and a feedback loop that is just going down and down, I thought, you know what, someone who can provide me not just with criticism, but constructive criticism, will help me go a long way. So I was looking around and talking to people that I know. And then via friends or family, I was able to get help — they said, we know someone or something that could possibly help you. Would you like to give it a try? I thought, okay, I am desperate. I will give this a try. So this was Grad Coach. I don’t even know what this is. But they look like they know what they’re doing. They look quite professional. So I contacted them and I said, I’m Oscar. This is my situation. Do you think that there’s any chance that you could help me and that we could figure things out? And just from there, that’s where it really picked up. And then once I went to the introduction with my coach, he assured me that we can push through this, that he can help me, that there is a possibility of working together and making sure that I’m successful in what I do. Because I just thought, okay, no matter how hard I work, I’m just not going to make it. But he said, no, we can do this. We’re going to put together a plan. We’re going to make this work.

Working with Grad Coach definitely helped me regain my confidence. I was lacking confidence. I was anxious and I was really doubting my own capabilities. I thought, I’ve made it this far in university, I’m not an idiot. But at the same time, maybe I’m just not the kind of person that has the competencies to successfully complete a thesis project. And then working with Grad Coach, I noticed that these doubts and concerns were slowly falling away. Because after taking it step by step, talking about issues slowly, giving each other feedback and explaining our processes of reasoning and going through everything in a very structured manner, I thought, okay, now I see that this project can be broken down into all these little bits. And as long as I can do one little bit at a time and tick each box and even go through one subsection at a time — if I feel like I can make progress bit by bit, then that assures me that in the long term, I am competent and I have the ability to succeed in this project. And that’s really a game changer for me. I can actually do a thesis. I am a competent person. I am intelligent enough to complete this.

My favorite thing about Grad Coach — there’s a number of things I love about Grad Coach. Of course, their website was useful. The resources they provide were useful. The templates, also the way of structuring things. Even just the general feedback they provide and how easy it is to schedule meetings. But the most profound reason that Grad Coach was such a success for me is because I worked with my coach and he was an excellent tutor. The way we worked together and the communication we had, the click that we had, and the feedback he was constantly providing were all of such high quality. This man was able to understand my concern, understand what needed to be done, and provide the most precise instructions of how we can tackle this project. This really boosted my confidence because he assured me over and over, we’re going to get through this. You will succeed. You can do it. And every time I said, okay, here’s some work that I’ve done, he would give me feedback. He would acknowledge exactly what has been done right, and he would explain what has been done wrong, why it’s been done wrong, and also how I can fix it in a very understandable manner. Even the way that we planned out this whole project and the steps we took were all really well coordinated. And this just made the whole experience so pleasant, which is why I only have positive things to say.

I would recommend Grad Coach to anyone that is doing a thesis project. The best step you can do is contact one of the coaches, have a quick discussion — say, this is what I’m doing, this is my situation, what do you think? And do you believe that you are equipped to deal with my particular situation? And they will give you a very honest review of not only if they can deal with your situation, but also how they will do it and why they believe they’re equipped to do it. Because that is, of course, their reputation on the line.

For anyone who is contemplating joining Grad Coach, I would say do an evaluation of the pros and cons. Yes, of course, it is pricey. It’s not for free. And I can understand a lot of students are in a position that they don’t have money to simply spend. But then again, they must wonder, okay, is it worth spending a few hundred euros on getting assistance and finishing university in one go? Because this could be the difference between passing and failing. Or do I want to risk doing a whole new year, which can cost between a few hundred to ten thousand, twenty thousand? So you have to ask yourself from a financial perspective, what is the best move? And I would say, well, you’re paying for a service that can make a massive difference between passing and failing. So yes, if you’re on the edge and you’re contemplating, why not do it? And don’t start with the most expensive package. At least start with the cheapest package if you’re hesitant. And then you can for yourself evaluate if these feedback sessions and the content they provide is worth it for you. Because the worst that can happen is you don’t, and then you end up failing and you have regrets. Whereas if you do, you might have spent some money, but at least you’ve learned something. You will gain something of value. So I can honestly recommend: at least start small if you’re not sure, and then go further from there.