Caroline liked uncertainty. In her job as a project manager, she relished being the one who found the way forward through a confusing situation.
But a particular kind of uncertainty threatened to slow down her career advancement. She wanted to apply for an MBA program, but just couldn’t complete her statement of intent.
Fortunately, the MBA program she was considering partnered with InsideTrack for Prospective Student Coaching, which connects potential applicants who have shown interest in a program with coaches who guide them through the admissions process.
Caroline was able to confide her struggles to her coach, Lisa. She told Lisa that she couldn’t write the essay because she couldn’t pin down why she wanted to get an MBA. The only reason she could articulate was a desire for career advancement.
Lisa drew on a coaching technique called the Five Whys to encourage Caroline to explore her motivation further.
“The Five Whys is the idea that you’re digging deeper into someone’s answers,” Lisa explained. “We’re getting to your core values, getting to the root of why you’re doing what you’re doing.”
Lisa kept asking Caroline why she wanted to advance her career.
“She came to the realization that she really thrives on not knowing things and being able to provide direction to something,” Lisa recalled. “The way she described it was, when something was put on her plate in project management, there usually wasn’t a clear, linear path. She liked bringing order to it.”
Caroline didn’t fully appreciate why she was drawn to the MBA program until she talked it through with Lisa. Equipped with a clear direction for her statement of intent, she completed the application, was accepted, and started her first term.
Prospective Student Coaching helped Caroline get her foot in the door of her chosen program. It also helped her program enroll a focused student who would thrive in graduate school, even when she stumbled into inevitable roadblocks.
Lisa noted that students like Caroline who experience InsideTrack coaching “are always going to know why” — why they’re enrolled in a class, why they need to finish the assignment, why they’re pursuing their degree. Remembering their initial “why” motivates students and keeps them engaged long after they receive their acceptance letter.
Student name has been changed
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