Be Consistent and Be Confident
Be Consistent and Be Confident
Be Consistent and Be Confident:
Monica Bansal’s Education at the University of Fairfax
After earning her PhD in Business Administration in India and having several years of international teaching experience, Dr. Monica Bansal began working in the University of Fairfax’s admissions team in 2022. Later that same year, she became the associate director of international admissions. Though she earned her PhD in Business Administration, Monica knew she wanted to learn more about the corporate and academic side in America through a practitioner’s degree. Now, as she continues her work in admissions, Monica also is earning her Doctorate of Business Administration through the University of Fairfax. Her hard work in her classes and dedication to her studies have earned her the role of Business Student of the Term.
While being enrolled in our Doctorate of Business Administration program, Monica has found that it has influenced how she helps prospective students: “I am pulling my experiences and making them learn what they can get into when they are enrolling in this program.” She explains that in her education experiences, students do not know what they may be joining until they are within the program. Now that she has experience as a student at the University of Fairfax, she can help students transition into their classes and tailor their expectations into reality. She says, “if you’re just enrolling for the doctorate program for getting the doctorate title, it’s more than that. You’re committing yourself into a long-term relationship.” In being a student and an employee, Monica can help students prepare for their degree programs. She also makes it clear that she does not look to solely increase numbers of students to the university, but to provide support for students looking for higher education:
“We’re not just here to add on to our numbers… I am just here to educate you on what this degree will encompass,” she explains. “If you are prepared for it, I am there to support you, and the whole team of University of Fairfax is there to support you in your journey.”
As a student, Monica’s experience at University of Fairfax is more than just her learning from her professors, but somewhere she can build her career and put her thoughts out to her peers. “Each course gives you enough time to delve deeper,” she explains, “it allows you to put out your thought process, accompanied with research. It makes you a well-versed, independent researcher.” She describes how she is not only working to become a better researcher, but she’s strengthening her soft skills, like writing and independently working. When it comes to certain professors, she names Dr. Lauren VanTalia as an influential faculty member for her education. When describing her, Monica says, “Dr. VanTalia is easy going… she lets you have your own way in your writing.” Like Dr. VanTalia, Dr. Rodney McIver has influenced Monica’s education greatly.
“He really expressed his experiences of his journey of a doctorate program and how he moved in his corporate ladder,” she says, “that is very important, as a professor, to have all the students understand all of their journey – so it can be motivation for them, too.”
Monica stresses the importance of students learning from professors who have real experience in their field – and the University of Fairfax provides that with career-professional instructors.
In her future, Monica wants to stay within the academic field as she loves being able to mentor and guide students to where they want to be and to succeed. One thing that she finds common across borders, from her over ten years of teaching internationally, is:
“Students need human touch in their studies. Once you’re there to support them, to talk to them, to make them understand – you’re just like them.”
This outlook has helped her not only in teaching, but when she aids prospective students in their higher education. She has goals of being in a role as chief academic officer to develop courses to make academic and career goals easier for students to reach.
Her advice to those looking to join the ranks of the University of Fairfax, that she extends to those in the admissions process, is “set all your inhibitions aside and join the program without any preconceived notions.” Her key phrase she gives to students to see them succeed:
“Be consistent, be confident.”
She says if students have any doubt, they should always talk to either their advisors or professors as they are “going to make your journey much smoother.”