This is a guest post from Sigrid Wilson, a MAT@USC student in the September 09 cohort. Sigrid was instrumental in facilitating our July Los Angeles meetup and continues to be a connector and helpful resource for many of her peers. Thanks, Sigrid!
One of the components that any online program lacks is real contact with your classmates. In the case of the MAT@USC, we get to see our peers in class, on Skype, Facebook, etc. This is more than other online programs, but it’s still not quite the same as seeing, touching, and making real connections in a physical setting. Luckily, that’s starting to change as our program grows and more students are connecting in their local cities.
So how do you make offline connections when you’re a student in an online program?
I have to say that I have been pretty successful at meeting wonderful people in this program. Part of this has to do with my outgoing nature and my general desire to connect and be proactive. I have many classmates that I communicate with on a regular basis including Aaron Kubo and Erica Shillinger. Aaron and I are proofreading partners and have become good friends. He lives on the Big Island in Hawaii (just like I do), and so we’ve had had the opportunity to meet in person and hang out. Erica on the other hand, who I affectionately refer to as my little owl, lives in California. She’s sweet, smart, and a great writer. We’ve had a few classes together, but we didn’t get a chance to meet in person until this summer.
Erica (left) and Sigrid (right) show that you can make real friendships as online students
One day, Erica invited me to spend some time with her and go to Los Angeles. The timing was perfect since I was already in the middle of planning a family vacation. On the plane ride over, I was praying, “Please make this work!” It almost felt like a match.com date where I was meeting someone online for the very first time! Luckily, I was immediately at ease when Erica greeted me at the airport with her beautiful smile. We talked and laughed just as if we knew each other all our lives. It was absolutely surreal. For anyone who doubts the types of friendships you can make online, we’re proof that it can be done!
You wouldn’t believe how much fun we had (and how much shopping you can get done in such little time!). We went to campus and I got the grand tour that I had been dreaming of for so many months. I even got to meet Dr. Kaplan! Of course no school visit would be complete without a stop at the campus store. There I managed to buy shirts, hats, and sweaters for my children and myself so we could proudly show our Trojan pride.
Sigrid shows off her Trojan gear at the LA meetup.
My last night was spent at the first MAT@USC meetup in Los Angeles. Everything was perfect: the place, the food, the company! It was so much fun! I was able to hang out and connect with more students including three of my classmates: Kathleen Donovan, Carol Dawson, and Sara Morris. I felt so blessed to finally be able to hug them! I also met others including Job Springer, the Assistant Director for the MAT@USC and Alana from Student Support!
All in all, my trip was a success!
Graduation and Beyond
Many people don’t realize that even though we’re students online, we get to participate in graduation just like on campus students. Our degrees are exactly the same after all. I’m currently in the middle of Guided Practice and thinking back on these fond memories from summer, May cannot come any sooner! Now, graduation is more than a graduation. It is the celebration of a great accomplishment, a new beginning, and the best part of all: new, long lasting friendships!
Gracias USC!
