Samantha Manton recently completed her Bachelor of Business through Swinburne Online. She tells us about her pathway from studying an online diploma to completing her bachelor degree.
Why did you decide to study a diploma before starting university?
I wanted to essentially dip my toe in the water before committing to a full university degree. I tried out a business diploma and I loved it! So after I finished I decided to continue on and enrolled in the bachelor degree.
Were you always planning to transition to university?
I actually studied a year at university but the course itself wasn’t what I wanted to do. I was applying for work through an employment agency and they were the ones that recommended I complete a business diploma.
After I finished I realised I wanted to continue studying. I still needed to study online as I live in Grafton in Northern NSW, just inland from Coffs Harbour, so I applied to Swinburne Online.
How do you find studying online?
I really loved studying with Swinburne Online – so much so that I recommended it to a friend and she’s now studying teaching through Swinburne as well! Online study in general is fantastic as it allowed me to be able to work and study at the same time.
Do you think it was useful that you did the diploma before applying to university?
It could be handy for someone that was completely new to study. Plus if you had studied diploma level and above prior to applying for university, often you will get credits for prior-learning.
I received credits from the diploma as well as my past university course so I was able to have 12 or 13 units of credit applied, meaning I only had to complete 11 in total to complete the degree!
Have you ever faced a moment of self-doubt? If so, how did you overcome it?
I was pretty motivated but a couple of times I had to complete three exams all pretty close to each other… and it was probably the most stressful time in my life ever! But everyone has those times and I did the exams online so I could work it around my work schedule.
Any tips for online students?
Definitely you need to give yourself one day off. Look after your mental health!
Did you attend the graduation ceremony?
I came down to Melbourne for the graduation ceremony which was so much fun! It was great to be there on the day.
