Transfer student Brittany Kirksey, a senior in Early Childhood Education, answers some questions on how the Mount helped her achieve her transfer needs and education goals to maintain a work/life balance.
Why did you choose the Mount?
As you all can see from my bio, I am not fresh out of college as a transfer student. After graduating from Cincinnati State, my life picked up. I knew that I wasn’t done with my career path or my goals, but I needed a school that was going to be flexible to my work schedule, and my life with my family. As a working mom, finding a balance and a suitable schedule for school was pertinent. The Mount’s bachelor's degree transfer program and it’s afternoon/evening classes, offered the flexibility that I needed to manage life at work, at home and at school, thus making it the best option.
How did the Mount help accommodate transfer needs?
Amy Wolf and many others at the Mount worked with me in getting many forms that were needed to ensure my admission. Amy was also very flexible in working around my schedule to meet, and she even offered phone conferences when I wasn’t able to meet in person. I also loved how she and Dr. Saylor texted me personally to welcome me and see me through the process. From being admitted, to establishing financial aid and looking into the many grants possible to ensure my continuance in the program, and anything in between, the Mount was there to guide me through it all with an open door.
Are you involved with any on-campus activities/clubs/co-op/athletics? If so, please share your experience.
As a busy parent, full time student, and full time employee, I didn’t want to add anything extra to my plate. My focus was getting through school, while juggling everything else, and I feared that adding more responsibilities may be overwhelming.
What has helped you be successful at the Mount?
Success for me has been all about planning and seeing things through by any means. Instructors have made much of the content taught pretty engaging and relative, making it easier for me to understand. Even when I felt overworked, professors were there to guide me through it all, no matter if it was a simple question asked or feedback given. The support of the professors went a long way. A tool that has helped me has been the online library database. While taking OAE’s is no walk in the park, the Early Childhood department did one of the best things they could to help in our success of passing these tests--- making the guides and study materials free for us to access. This past spring and summer was spent looking through the many resources available free to us in the library database, which has been a lot of help.
How do you manage your course load with a job/and or your personal life?
This by far is not an easy task. The most important part to managing this for me is having the will to see it through. I could sit here and tell you to set a schedule for yourself, but if you’re anything like me, schedules never fall through and after a week or so you’re thrown off. For me that drive to succeed is what pushes me everyday. The number one thing that I would say to do is to get a calendar/planner and at least write your due dates down. That way you can see what’s needed and work from there. From the staff that I work with, to my family and friends, I have had a tremendous support system. Having people in your corner goes a long way when juggling things. Setting up that support system, is crucial. There’s been so many dinners brought over from my parents, so much housework and managing the kids by my fiancé and prayers and words of encouragement from my family and friends. Without any of that, this would’ve been a tougher journey.
How does the Mount help your accomplish your education goals virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic?
The time that we are in right now is a testing time that has led to many changes. The Mounts decision to go remote was one of the best decisions made. While in person learning trumps learning online, we have to adjust to our circumstances. And because of our circumstances, remote learning seems like it is the safest option. Of course all of this came sudden and there are lots of decisions to be made that are probably continually in the works, but I believe that the Mount has been there to help us through these trying times online, just as much as they were in person. Nothing is perfect, and at times, the workload of online learning can be trying, but the flexibility and accommodations made by staff at the Mount have been greatly appreciated through it all.
What advice would you give to someone looking to transfer to the Mount?
No part of your education process will be easy. Working towards your success requires effort and extra time on tasks that you didn’t think you’d have time for. There are going to be plenty of times when you question how you’re going to do it all, but remember that perseverance is your ladder to success. Take advantage of the many resources available to you. Talk to your professors. Talk to your advisors. Make friends, and talk to them. Even in the hardest and busiest of times, just know that there is always time to build on your success. And there will always be someone there to help you see it through.
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