The Sustainability Management School, located in Gland, Switzerland as well as Milan, Italy, offers on campus and online programs in Sustainability Management, Sustainable Hospitality, Sustainable Fashion, Sustainable Tourism and Finance and Responsible Investment.
However, as it is online and not face-to-face courses, it is important to follow a few vital steps towards successful online studies.
Here are 4 tips on how to be successful during your online studies with SUMAS.
1. STAY ORGANIZED
This tip seems like an obvious one, whether on campus or online. But for online studies, time needs to be managed by the student. At SUMAS, readings and assignments are given on Monday for the week. Therefore, it is important to schedule time to study during the week.
One tip to stay organized, besides scheduling the right times to study, is to check projects deadlines that are distributed at the beginning of every course. Plan some extra time to prepare the projects, or to revise the information before the tests.
Since most of the online students are working professionals, it would be wise to check your work schedule beforehand and be prepared for any business travel and busier times at work.
Thankfully, for students that travel a lot, it is possible to download any SUMAS material needed for the online course. This makes it easier, as no student needs to rely on an internet connection.
2. ENGAGE WITH PROFESSORS AND CLASSMATES
Since online students work in their own time and with no obligation to come on campus, it is crucial to engage with professors as well as classmates. There are less networking possibilities when one chooses to follow an online program. Thus, the need to engage and be active with professors and peers.
Another solution to make networking easier is to come to numerous events organized for both on-campus and online students. A great idea would be to attend Brown Bag Lunches, which take place in the IUCN building, and discuss sustainability issues and solutions that IUCN, WWF, MAVA and other partner organizations are working on, or come on campus and listen to a guest speaker lecture.
The important thing is to network and engage as much as possible!
3. BE PREPARED TO WORK HARD !
It is crucial to understand that an online MBA, in any of SUMAS programs, is still an MBA as it would be on campus. The course work and the expectations are the same, thus the need to stay organized, schedule time to study, respect deadlines and engage.
Working hard is key to success during online studies.
4. USE ECOSIA AND AVOID PRINTING
Start the sustainable mindset when you start your studies. Being an online student is already being quite sustainable, however, there are ways to make it even better.
For example, the use of Ecosia, a search engine very similar to Google, is a great way to help the environment while searching for information online (something we do a lot during the day and our studies !).
Ecosia plants one tree each time a search is made using their search engine. Interestingly, they use their profits to plant trees. If that is not a huge step for search engines on their way to being eco-friendly, what is ?
In addition to this, avoid printing material unless it is necessary. Planting trees is awesome but let’s not destroy them by printing unnecessary paper.
These 4 tips will be useful once you start the online program of your choice with SUMAS. Concerning SUMAS online programs click here to discover all the possibilities regarding which MBA or Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS) you can take with SUMAS.