Hello everybody!
Well, I will try to give you an idea of how it is to do an online Master at IE from the point of view of an “insider”.
Let me start saying that I live in San Francisco, California. If your first thought has been something like: “cool! California, sun, beaches, warm temperatures, “Baywatch”,…, well, let me tell you that probably you haven’t been in San Francisco, and if you are planning to visit “us” during the summer you better bring with you a nice and warm coat.
Why am I saying this? Because, in the same way, if you are thinking something like: “puf, an online program, this people don’t really work to get the degree they just pay for it and they learn nothing”, once again, let me tell you that you don’t have any idea of what it means to do an online Master with IE.
When I started to think about doing a master that was one of the main issues that I considered: quality. It is very convenient for me, but is going to be good enough a master online? Will it be worth the investment? I can tell you that so far it is. I am learning at an unbelievable pace. You cannot stop a moment, you work all the time so, you start to see results very soon (during the next posts I will talk to you a little bit about how it works the system online). From the very first day it become really clear that this is not a game, this is a very serious and highly demanding program, but let me tell you, that at the same time you will have a lot of fun with your “classmates” and also with the professors. This takes me to another point: the interaction with other students and with the professors. Probably, as I did, you think it cannot be very close because is not face-to-face, well, one more time I have to tell you that nothing further from the reality. I still don’t know how it is possible, but you will create very close relationship with these people, maybe because you will spend most part of your time talking with them (emails, chats, forums, skype…) and maybe because the program is so demanding that you need to share your worries and problems with the “only” people that can understand you: your classmates, who are in the same situation you find yourself.
In the next posts I will try to give you examples of my experience so you can, in a way, sense how it is to do an online program at IE.
C u!
Inma
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This is my first post in the IE Blog and I’m still asking myself if I will be able to write about all my feelings on this experience in just several lines… I guess not, but I’ll try.
This Master in Digital Marketing began in March, so we’ve gone through only 6 weeks. I’m an advertising agency professional who comes from the off-line world, so you can imagine that at the beginning of this course I didn’t know a thing about the digital world. Well, I’ve been a heavy user in the last 10 years but that’s all, I never had a professional approach on this. And how do I feel know?
I’m absolutely amazed with the learning curve of this Master. Suddenly I feel I can speak nearly about anything digital! Yes, I still know very little, but I don’t have this off layer anymore. In fact, I have decide to build up my own blog! Who would have said it just two months ago? Not me, you can be sure of that! 
)
And how have we been able to feel like this in only 6 weeks? I think because of two main factors:
- The topics we are studying: we are going deep into e-advertising trends, advergaming, legal aspects of digital companies, SEO, SEM… So there’s nothing missing related to this digital world!
- The scalability of the master: here you learn what YOU want to learn, nobody is putting the limits on the learnings, the contents are out there and it’s up to you how quick do you want to progress. This is a real challenge for me, because most of the alumni of my class are not natives but at least have a digital professional experience so they all put a brilliant level in class. The truth is that it’s been really hard for me to match their knowledge in so little time. But you can believe me, it’s been incredible up to now, and I’m very proud of this improvement.
Post (Natal) Digital Master Depression
Lessons Learned 3: YOU WILL MISS IT
One week ago I graduated
and now you are probably wondering why I still post but the blog is called „Living the Online Master“ and I am living (with) it so once in a while you will hear from me again- sorry by getting on your nerves 
So what happened after our Graduation?
- I received a nice email from an IE Master student send to me at 5 am in the morning stating “Now I know why you needed chocolate- I am currently having a brioche and try to finish my paper….”
- I received an emergency Skype call from a New Digital Master Student: “I don’t understand this subject and the book still did not arrive- and I have a test tomorrow-can you explain?”
- I received an email from my former student mate stating: “How are you back in “After master life”? I am having a Post Digital Master Depression”
- I received a mail from IE asking me for assisting in an Alumni project (I will write about it as soon as the project is live) because I was officially named as the “Alumni President MDAC2009” and as you can see I am taking this title very serious:
I don’t have a good sleep since I am back from Madrid. Can you believe this? I am solving case studies every night. It’s like my “Super-Ego” (Freud) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigmund_Freud
=Master-Super-Ego is fighting with my “It” and tries me to convince not to stop thinking about the Master.
Which leads me to another problem how should I loose my Master weight if I still studying every night and need to have tons of Chocolate?
Don’t know but one of the most important things I learned during the last 13 months is to solve problems and to monetize digital projects. So lets see maybe tonight I am dreaming about a great digital business idea which involves some of my “excess baggage”
and how to monetize it Remember Mr. Berlusconi’s fat becoming Soap? http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_1424471.html
Good Night and Good Luck from Switzerland
Michaela
Ok I was participating a Master in English but I have to admit I was sometimes quite frustrated not to be able to understand my fellows or the inhabitants of Madrid.
The second intake is much more diversified (90% foreigners) but in my class 90% spoke Spanish. So you can imagine that if emotions went up or secrets got shared they moved into their language. Not by purpose just a normal behavior as I would do too. It was interesting to see how much you can understand as a foreigner not speaking the language just by watching body-language, feeling emotions and concentrating on expressions. I definitively learned a lot.
But there are still many people in Madrid who do not speak English (unfortunable) and in the long hand its not fun to sit in a restaurant unable to order or to try to get internet access in your apartement from a weared reception guy. Its also not fun to follow your new friends on twitter and they tweet in spanish and I am so curiousssssssssss- common I am a woman- its in my genes;)
Ok I only had two residential periods here but I would have love to be able to integrate even more.
Therefore in my free time after the Master- I WILL LEARN SPANISH
Greetings from Madrid
Michaela
My faces when trying to understand the world around me:
Lessons learned: 1. Organization
Back in Madrid- fantastic weather, more fantastic to see everyone offline again-mixed feelings:
- We are tired
- We are proud
- We are happy
- We are sad
Exactly one year ago we started with the first residential period and now 13 months gone like nothing.
I met one girl from the new intake last night for dinner and it is interesting to see how different they are compared to us. I would say much more serious- more nervous and tensed. But maybe it’s just because we are now quite relaxed compared to them. We know we have the most difficult part behind us and there are just some little steps to go.
So for all of you who just started don’t worry you will make it.
In case you feel a bit lost, pressured and anxious I suggest the following general advice:
- Structure yourself- I have to say one of the most important things I got out of the Master is how to organize myself better- now I am so organized and structured that one of my Master colleagues even called me “German Police” last time as I ask to be more structured ha-ha
- Find the courage to skip things- now I can admit it because the subject is over- I never read the Marketing Book we received I just picked some structures out of it (Sorry Maria)
- Learn to prioritize (concentrate more on subjects who are difficult and show the professors that you have problems with it but that you try they will not cut your head off – promised – they are all very helpful)
- Don’t hesitate to ask for help- i.e. send me a mail if you have problems with the Master in Digital Marketing I am happy to support you
- Talk to Marta she is fantastic
- If you think it’s too much and can’t stand it anymore have a break- eat a KitKat or just have a beer.
Greetings from sunny Madrid
Michaela
It’s almost a week since I posted my last blog and that’s mainly because I have been working so hard I haven’t had time until today.
Before I started the course I wasn’t sure how I would manage to balance work, personal life and study; being honest I think the main thing I do less of now is watch TV! The course has to be stimulating for the brain, so perhaps I can now also give up the Dr Kawashima’s Brain Training on my Nintendo DS or perhaps not as I may now be able to recapture my youth and return my brain age to 20-something!
The classes on line take a bit of getting used to, but actually they are really good. For example I have noticed that some people who didn’t speak much in a large class of people are making excellent contributions to the on-line discussions.
The discussion board (DB) is very addictive though and I am finding that the first thing I do when returning from a meeting or if I have a spare moment is to access the DB. Partly, so that I’m not left with lots of posts to read at once, but also because I’m interested to see what everyone thinks.
The professors are very experienced at directing discussions and as a learning tool they are good because you can also go back and review the comments as they are in hard copy, which would not be possible if we were in a class and making the comments verbally.
Well I’m off to get my DB “fix”, see you next week!
I think I’m getting a very serious disease… It is just 4 weeks to I finish the MBA and I’m already missing it… why?? I’ve been suffering a lot!
I’ve been through 2 accountabilities, I don’t know how many strategies, 2 financial subjects… I’ve been sleeping less than 6 hours a day, eating like an obsess and missing my friends’ parties and meetings… but still… I WILL MISS IT A LOT!!
Sorry guys… I have to go to the doctor… this must be very serious! Talk to you when I enroll in the next program… LOL
Cheers
Virginia
PS: We have a PARTY the 2nd of APRIL in Madrid just to celebrate that we finish our classes, you are more than welcome if you want to join; there will be also some professors and people from other intakes that will join us! If you are interested send me an email we will be glad to meet you as well!
PS2: I think what I will miss specially is my colleagues…
Just got back home this week after two weeks in Madrid; the first introduction to the professors and our first Face to Face period. It was really great to meet the MSM2010 crew, who are from such diverse backgrounds and have vastly different experience. The best thing was that we all had a common set of values and in our different ways we all seemed to want to make a difference to the World of Sport. Having spent the last two weeks with them (almost 24/7) I am certain we all will!
A few highlights of the group - we have a gold medal winning Olympian, who is an icon in Ecuador, plus he is such a nice guy too! Our youngest colleague is German, she had a really promising tennis career, but had to retire because of injury, so Germany will have to wait a bit longer for another Steffi Graf! We have a Basketball guru, who can share his experience of managing a Sports Club, and then there is me, who at the age of 44 and after 20 years in the financial world, I have decided to follow my dreams.
My goal is to set up a Global Sports Knowledge Brand and ultimately use much of the profits from the business to set up a foundation that will fund ground breaking feats in Sport (pioneering products, new methods, pursuits of individuals and teams to break records; to advance Sport and the way we think about it in Society).
The MSM2010 crew all share one common passion – Sport. Whilst the reading and preparation for each of the classes in Madrid was really hard work, the interest level in the subject matter had the adrenal kick in, to provide a turbo boost for the learning.
We are now a virtual team, which at first is strange, especially for me as I enjoy the verbal interchange and banter with team colleagues. Consequently, this week has been a bit flat, no friendly faces to meet and greet and of course we are all getting used to how we operate as a team working remotely. We have today submitted our first case brief and whilst we didn’t all agree on the content, I think we did a pretty good job and I for one was pleased with how we all worked together.
I must sign off for now, as work calls; the Sports Governance case brief for next week, so I’m off to check out the Chicago Olympic bid, to undertake a critical evaluation of issues associated with Code of Ethics and Governance! CU later………………
PS: Next time I will share some photos of our visit to the Bernabau Stadium (fabulous facility!) with you. Once I’ve figured out how to access the file my our MSM2010 IT expert has sent to me. Dimitrios help!
General thoughts are the studying online is kind of less serious. Every time I say my Master is online people tend to think that that means easier… that’s very far from reality.
Studying online is an everyday effort, I need to check forums everyday, to add ideas, read documentation and I spend my weekends trying to do my group work (you can’t let your colleagues down!), after one year of studying the Digital Marketing Master I can say it is exhausting… but I can say as well it has been worthy.
Therefore before going to study online you have to be ready to make a great effort, on daily basis, it is not just going to classes and then study for the exams, it is more holistic concept based on perseverance and that for me is the right way of learning, it is perseverance that takes you to have a deep understanding of subjects and how you incorporate your studies in your daily work.
I guess the subject says it all … my cousin “Hams”, always calls me to have a drink and meet, and my famous lines are:
-”I am reading” ;
- “I’m online researching” ;
- ”I have a quiz due in an hour <yes I keep myself till last minute>” 
- “I have a skype meeting with my group” ;
- “The blackboard is open Tuesday – Friday and i need to read through the 3 subjects & participate”;
- “I have an internal group deadline feedback” ;
- ” I have to submit our group case to the professor’s <Digital Dropbox>” ;
- OR “I am socially chatting with a fellow IXMBA …”
The IXMBA language << Am I really a Nerd by choice! >>
I cannot help it, the program is very interesting and you get to know many things about the real life business and economy. I have read one of the posts earlier about “is it a good time for an MBA”? well I say yes since in these crises its not just about getting a raise or finding a better job, its about creating positive CHANGE and assist our countries which will lead to long term achievement and reward …
PEACE
Julian
