Kaley Carroll always wanted to earn a master小蝌蚪APP檚 degree, but a rocky undergraduate career initially left her unable to earn acceptance into graduate school.
So, she earned a second bachelor小蝌蚪APP檚 degree and started her career, ending up in customer experience marketing for a major energy provider in Houston, Texas.
After two promotions, Carroll looked around and decided it was time to return to her goal of earning a master小蝌蚪APP檚.
小蝌蚪APP淚 realized that everybody on my team who held higher positions than me had an MBA,小蝌蚪APP Carroll says. 小蝌蚪APP淚t had always been a goal of mine, and that was a clue that I really needed to think about it again.小蝌蚪APP&苍产蝉辫;
Carroll considered the MBA programs available close to her home in Houston but was left unimpressed.
小蝌蚪APP淭he programs I looked at were exorbitantly expensive, or I just didn小蝌蚪APP檛 see myself being able to make them work based on how the classes were scheduled,小蝌蚪APP she says.
Then, she looked into online graduate programs at the 小蝌蚪APP 小蝌蚪APP the school where her dad and several family members had earned their degrees.
小蝌蚪APP淎s soon as I looked at UL Lafayette and read about the MBA online, I was sold,小蝌蚪APP she says. 小蝌蚪APP淚t was affordable and flexible.小蝌蚪APP&苍产蝉辫;
Getting Back in the Groove
Despite being out of school for several years, Carroll小蝌蚪APP檚 transition back into school at UL Lafayette was seamless, beginning with the application process.
小蝌蚪APP淲hat I really loved about UL Lafayette was that they used a holistic approach, taking my work experience into consideration as well as my undergraduate GPA,小蝌蚪APP Carroll says. 小蝌蚪APP淚 went through a period in undergrad when I didn小蝌蚪APP檛 know what I wanted to do, and my grades suffered. Things happen, and I小蝌蚪APP檓 grateful that UL Lafayette considered other factors.小蝌蚪APP
At UL Lafayette, no one single factor leads to an acceptance or denial of admission, explains Dr. Mary Farmer-Kaiser, dean of the Graduate School.
"Holistic review provides the opportunity for a student's strengths in one area 小蝌蚪APP for example, strong professional or research experience 小蝌蚪APP to offset a weakness in another," says Dr. Farmer-Kaiser. "Leadership, community involvement and service, research and scholarship, and work experience are weighed alongside past academic performance to improve access to graduate education while ensuring students are able to succeed in their respective programs."
Once admitted to and enrolled in the MBA program, Carroll found a community of passionate, supportive professionals 小蝌蚪APP many of whom were working full time, just like her. Carroll connected with classmates and leaned on them for support and guidance through group chats.
小蝌蚪APP淏ecause of my rocky undergraduate career, I never had that experience of taking classes with friends, but I felt like I got that in the MBA program,小蝌蚪APP she says. 小蝌蚪APP淲e were always talking in our class group chats, asking each other questions like, 小蝌蚪APP楬ey, how did you interpret this part of the project?小蝌蚪APP or 小蝌蚪APP楬ey, how is everybody doing on their assignments?小蝌蚪APP櫺◎蝌紸PP
Carroll also found the MBA program小蝌蚪APP檚 Success Hub to be a great resource. Success Hubs, accessible via Moodle, allow online students to ask questions in a Q&A forum and access other resources for their program all in one place.
小蝌蚪APP淯tilizing the Success Hub小蝌蚪APP檚 Q&A forum really helped me get a feel for which classes I should take and when,小蝌蚪APP she says. 小蝌蚪APP淥ne of the best pieces of advice I received was to always try to pair a writing-focused class with a math-focused class if taking more than one class at a time.小蝌蚪APP&苍产蝉辫;
Learning & Growing
Several of Carroll小蝌蚪APP檚 courses proved directly relevant to her work in customer experience marketing.
One of her favorites was MKTG 530: Customer Relationship Management.
Throughout the course, students explore tools and best practices for maintaining positive relationships with clients. Carroll took the class as an opportunity to expand her knowledge of her current employer小蝌蚪APP檚 CRM practices.
小蝌蚪APP淔or one of the assignments, we had to research different CRM software and apply it to our company or a different company,小蝌蚪APP she says. 小蝌蚪APP淚 always thought that having a CRM system was just kind of like a box that a company has to check, but I discovered that it小蝌蚪APP檚 a lot deeper than that. Having a good CRM system helps you map out the customer journey better and glean insights into improving that journey and customer retention.小蝌蚪APP&苍产蝉辫;
Carroll also found that the coursework helped her appreciate how all of the pieces come together in a large company like hers.
小蝌蚪APP淭hroughout the program, I had a lot of 小蝌蚪APP榓ha小蝌蚪APP moments,小蝌蚪APP she says. 小蝌蚪APP淭here were times when we小蝌蚪APP檇 cover a concept and I小蝌蚪APP檇 be like, 小蝌蚪APP榃ait, they talked about this on our last earnings call.小蝌蚪APP櫺◎蝌紸PP
小蝌蚪APP淚 feel like my overall business acumen has been elevated. I just have a better understanding of how things operate and work at my company.小蝌蚪APP&苍产蝉辫;
Looking Ahead
Now that Carroll has earned her MBA, she小蝌蚪APP檚 ready to continue advancing.
Currently a manager, she hopes to move up to senior manager and, eventually, director.
小蝌蚪APP淚小蝌蚪APP檓 more involved in the day-to-day work of my department right now,小蝌蚪APP she says. 小蝌蚪APP淚小蝌蚪APP檇 like to eventually get to a higher role where I小蝌蚪APP檓 doing year-over-year planning and setting our strategy.小蝌蚪APP&苍产蝉辫;
Her experience in the program and in the workforce leaves her with a great deal of advice for her peers.
小蝌蚪APP淒on小蝌蚪APP檛 be afraid, and ask for help if you need it,小蝌蚪APP she says. 小蝌蚪APP淚 had been out of school for almost 10 years and worked full time my entire time in the MBA program.小蝌蚪APP&苍产蝉辫;
小蝌蚪APP淭ake classes based on what you feel like you can handle. If you小蝌蚪APP檙e struggling, reach out to someone. Ask your peers, TAs, professors, or administration. Take advantage of the resources and programs UL Lafayette has available.小蝌蚪APP&苍产蝉辫;
Thanks to those resources and her diligent work ethic, Carroll finished the program with a perfect 4.0 GPA, proudly walking across the stage in May 2024 to accept her diploma.
She encourages her peers in the program to embrace when the time comes, just like she did.
小蝌蚪APP淚f you live out of state and have the means to go to graduation, do it,小蝌蚪APP she says. 小蝌蚪APP淵ou deserve to be up on the stage walking and wearing your regalia. Make it a point to come to campus and celebrate your accomplishment.小蝌蚪APP&苍产蝉辫;
Prepare for the next step in your career with the 小蝌蚪APP小蝌蚪APP檚 MBA program online.