​Transcript: Renee’s experience with Grad Coach

My name is Renee and I just completed a master’s in international education at King’s College London. This program was tailored and developed for the teachers of Nord Anglia Schools, which is the third largest international company for their teachers.

Before I joined Grad Coach, some of my main challenges were understanding the expectations from the program, within the assignments — understanding the level of rigor, the critical analysis, really knowing what they wanted. I didn’t know what they wanted. With all the resources and everything that they gave me, it just wasn’t enough. I needed a support system.

Having these challenges made me feel like I was faced with something that I couldn’t overcome. I didn’t know how I was going to get to the end. There were times where I would go down a rabbit hole and not know where the answer was. And I just needed direction. At the time, I didn’t even know if there was an answer or if there was direction.

I decided to choose Grad Coach because of the platform. I watched a few videos at first and I did a little research and I went into, okay, does this match where my program is and what my professors want thus far? And it seemed to align really well with the criteria. I also appreciated what I saw when I went online — all of the helpful samples and helpful tools kind of led me to, okay, now I need a coach. So, watching the videos, using the tools, and then realizing, okay, now I think I need someone to actually guide me through.

Working with Grad Coach helped me to create a framework for every paper. After a few sessions, I realized, okay, I need to have my rubric here. I need to look at my word count, look at what’s important, and then align it to the expectations. Having that framework that was given to me allowed the assignment to feel so much less stressful. It wasn’t as insurmountable as it was at the beginning. So I was able to focus and achieve my goal.

The most impactful piece for me throughout my time at Grad Coach was — first, I came in not understanding the expectations of my program or how to write papers. But then when I would meet with my coach, he would unpack what things meant. That unpacking piece, which I was missing in my modules and my classes — like, what is a methodology chapter? What do you want me to do? I bought all the books, I read all the themes, and I would look at the slides that the professors would give me, like, okay, now what? And so then the coach was there to list it out, bullet point by bullet point. Step one, step two, step three. How many words do you have? This is the purpose of it. Understanding the purpose and understanding the why helped me answer the questions and write my papers.

My favorite thing about working with Grad Coach was the availability of my coach. Being able to shoot an email, shoot a message, and getting detailed responses were so helpful to then draw back on my paper. Another thing about Grad Coach that I really appreciated was the feedback — the intense, line-by-line analysis of my work, the honesty, and the guidance. So it wasn’t a “I’m going to give it to you and do it for you,” but “this is where you need to go,” which allowed me to continue to learn as a student. So no matter what the professor gives you and what’s sitting in front of you, I knew that I could email, I could send a message and say, hey, could you look at this? Could you review this for me? What do you think? And it just feels so much better to know that your coach is there.

I wish I signed up earlier because I realized that the skills and the tools that were taught, and that I learned through my experience, could have been used for my first year in the program. I waited until my dissertation. When I looked ahead and thought, oh my gosh, how am I going to do this alone? My previous papers were such a struggle and I just knew I needed a support system.

I would recommend Grad Coach to someone that is in a program that feels overwhelming, that you feel as though you’re not getting the proper direction from your professors and your school and your program — whether it’s a master’s or a doctorate. I really feel as though Grad Coach can provide the support system that you need, and comfort, and help you align your paper. And then also outside of the paper, I learned about the school and how it works, and understanding how the entire system breaks down. It also gave me comfort to know I’m not alone, and that I can do this, and others have been there and they’ve made it.

For anyone not sure about joining Grad Coach: you’re on the site and you’re looking for a reason. And so if you’re here, then you know that this is what you need to be successful. It’s really, really, truly worth it. Really is.