Jennifer Buchholz's Archive
The application process was so intimidating! It was one of those times when I started to second-guess myself. Do I have the right background? Will they take me? Who will be my references? What will they say? So many questions ran through my head as I started the application process.
For the PhD program, filling out an application for the school was more complex than many job applications I’ve done. There were a number of requirements I needed to meet, including age, work experience, and academic experience. I was very young when I started the program - 27. Many schools had requirements that a student had to be at least 30, so I needed to get an exception, and my application and supplemental materials had to speak to my experience.
The application itself was long (thank goodness it was electronic). I continued to fine tune the application while gathering the other information. I needed to get 3 letters of recommendation - I asked my boss, a peer, and an instructor from my master’s degree program. I also needed to write an essay about why I was a worthy candidate for the program.
I think the essay was the most intimidating. Not only were they looking for post-grad quality writing, but they were evaluating the worthiness of the candidate - me. While the essay was personal in nature, I had a lot riding on it.
When you go to start your application process, here are a few tips.
1) Make sure you know everything you need to do to apply and when the deadlines are.
- Many schools will require transcripts, references, applications and essays.
- Some will have an application fee as well.
2) Contact everyone early and let them know the deadlines (allow a few days before the final due date).
3) Follow up with folks to make sure they’ve completed what you’ve asked.
4) Follow up with the school to make sure they have everything they need. Find out when they expect a decision to be made so you don’t go crazy waiting.
When filling out the application or writing the essay, just be yourself and be honest. Then get some proofreading/editing help to make sure your writing is clear - you want this to be the best work you’ve done so far.
Remember, a good application is the first step to getting in to the school you’re choosing. Don’t rush through this process.
When I was selecting a school, I did consider whether the school had a local presence or not. In my area, there weren’t a lot of options for PhD programs. I could choose to do a face-to-face program at our public universities - one was close by, the other was about 90 miles away. Neither school had exactly the program I was looking for. The online schools I was considering had no local campus presence anywhere, they were fully online. So my options were somewhat limited, but that made the decision easier.
I know that it can be reassuring to have a local campus nearby. Several of the schools I teach for have online and face-to-face components. The students do feel a benefit from being able to go to a campus, see real people, and get the help they need.
In my situation, that wasn’t the case. That’s not to say that having some resources close by wouldn’t be helpful, but we’re so accustomed to doing correspondence via the phone or the web, that in-person contact seems to be a thing of the past.
I actually treasure the fact that my school is fully online and has no local campuses. It puts everyone on the same playing field. We all have access to the same resources. Knowing what I know now, I would still choose Capella.
Thank goodness for the web! I know many of you have always been able to use the internet to do research, but for those of us back in the old days, there were HUGE catalogs of books in the reference section of the library that a prospective student would have to page through to determine what schools to consider and ultimately choose. The internet has made this research very simple - but now there’s almost too much information.
My search was conducted several years ago, but I know I looked closely at at least 5 schools. I contacted them via email and phone and started interviewing them to find out the basic information I needed to know. I had a hit list of questions:
- What was the program like?
- What are the classes like (self-paced, workload, etc)?
- Is the school accredited?
- What were the faculty like?
- How many classes at a time?
- How long to complete?
- How much money?
- What were the residency requirements?
- Would my credits transfer?
- And many more.
I felt that most sent literature that answered my questions. I had to make a few additional phone calls to follow up.
I thought that a phone call to a school was a good idea. They offered information I didn’t think to ask. The counselors were very helpful and professional.
I felt that I had all the information I needed to make an informed decision. As times have changed, and schools have come and gone, I am pleased with the approach I took.
I have some students who didn’t take the time to fully research the school they chose. They find that the school format doesn’t work for them and they go to another school. This trial-and-error approach might not be 100% avoidable, but if you learn about the different approaches each school takes, you can make an informed choice as well. Finding the program that works best for your learning style and discipline is essential to success.
When I decided to return to school and pursue the degree in an online learning environment, I had 2 key requirements: get the degree from a reputable school and do it in a way that was convenient for my lifestyle.
Getting a degree from a school with a good reputation is important. Accreditation is the first factor in the review - regional accreditation is a step up from national accreditation. Either of these accreditations give credibility to the school, the curriculum, the faculty and in turn, the degree. Without these factors, the degree is not necessarily transferrable and it may not be recognized. I also asked for reviews of the schools - getting personal and professional referrals was important. Finding someone who had successfully completed a degree from that school was helpful as well. Make sure the reputation of the school you choose is one that you can trust for the long term.
The other major factor was convenience. We all have different lifestyles and demands on our time. I wanted to attend a school that was fully asynchronous - so I could be online at any time. I also wanted a program that had structure - rather than an independent study. I needed to be held accountable for the work on a regular basis.
It can be hard to know what you’re looking for in a school until you try it. But ask questions, get feedback from others who have been in classes at those schools, and find out about their experiences.
When I decided to return to school, I knew that I would have to go into more debt to do it. I looked for a school that was reasonable in terms of cost, but that was still about $1000 a month for school. That was money I didn’t have, so student loans were again necessary.
I had worked while going to school for my bachelor’s degree, but wound up taking student loans to supplement my lifestyle. I think the same thing happened with my master’s degree. While my employer paid 75% of the cost, I still took some student loans. I hadn’t planned to pursue my PhD at that time, so I thought I would just pay off the balance as I progressed in the workplace.
The limits for the federal student loans do go up as the type of the degree increases. So I knew the limit for Stafford Loans was about $140,000. I am pretty close to that limit at this point. Now that I’m nearly at the end of my degree program, my cost is reduced to approximately $1000 per quarter and I pay that out of pocket.
I know I should have looked for scholarships, but there just wasn’t time. Also, there didn’t seem to be as many scholarships targeted toward my demographic, field of study, or degree level. I also didn’t think my school provided many resources for financing - they basically presented the bill and expected the student to figure it out.
Knowing what I know now, I do wish I had been more fiscally responsible and minimized my loans (and my lifestyle). I am now still in deferment, but make small payments each month to help bring this balance in line before I graduate.
Going back to school was a big decision for me. I decided that it was a good time to start - I was in my late 20’s, no kids, no significant other, life was easy. I wanted to finish school before my life got too complicated. While that sounds very neatly packaged, I had several fears about returning to school. Could I do the work? Could I balance the schoolwork with my work and social life? Could I afford it? Would I stick with it? What happens if I’m not good at it? I had to work through each of those quesitons (and still do have to work through them) as I am still working on my degree.
Could I do the work? I think we are all afraid of failure to some degree. While I enrolled in a PhD program, I wasn’t sure I was ready. My master’s degree program came relatively easy for me - I got a 4.0. One reason I selected the school I enrolled in was because they graded on a Pass/Fail basis. That meant I didn’t have to strive for the A’s, but could do the best I could and likely would pass. That took some of the stress off.
Could I balance the schoolwork with my work and social life? While I was working on my courses, I took every opportunity to do my schoolwork. I read chapters during my lunch at work. I often stayed late at work to post or write papers (I was more focused at work and tended to slack off - oops, I mean become less disciplined - when I got home. I found that discipline was the most important key to success. My social life took a hit, but I tried not to lose too much of that. I didn’t want to miss out on all the fun - then being in school might have been too much for me.
Could I afford it? Money was a big challenge. It was costly to return to school and I wasn’t making a lot of money. I took out students, but I knew that if I did that for the whole degree, I would run out of available loan money. I have always paid my way through school and wasn’t going to start asking for handouts for this degree. I did eventually move in with my best friend to save on some living costs - that was a huge help!
Would I stick with it? Honestly, this was where the discipline came in. My track record has been, if it gets tough, get out. Why put myself through the pain if there was an easier way out. It has continued to be a long, challenging road, but I am determined to finish. I want those letters (PhD) after my name!
What happens if I’m not good at it? This was another major hurdle. I did not get a lot of feedback on the quality of my work. I thought it was good, but was it PhD level? I really didn’t find out for sure until I completed the Comprehensive Exam and was successful. That was my validation that I was good at this. Too bad that came after several years of classes.
I’m still afraid - but now I’m afraid of not finishing. I’ve put a lot of time, money, sweat, and tears into this pursuit. I think if I stopped now, I’d be letting myself down as well as those who have supported me. So I must persist. It’s still scary, but it’s doable.
Online education. When I first enrolled in my online program, I had one thing in mind - convenience! I was working full time, and taught college classes part time at night. I was trying to earn a PhD, but there was no way I could give up my life (and my livelihood) to go to a traditional school full time to do this. So I started looking for alternatives. I settled on Capella University in Minneapolis - just after it transitioned from being The Graduate School of America. I had already selected my degree program - Organization and Management, so I just needed to find out where to go. When selecting a school, I was looking into a number of comparative factors - accreditation, scheduling, cost, residency requirements, quality of instruction and rigor. I didn’t want to just spend money to get a degree and have it be meaningless once I was done. I would suggest that anyone considering online education start with those basic factors (although a residency doesn’t apply to most undergraduate degrees).
Accreditation - there are two levels of accreditation - regional and national. When selecting a school, you should know whether or not it is accredited. Generally, if it is accredited it will advertise this fact on the school’s website. Accreditation means that the school has passed a review (sort of a calibration) to ensure the degree is being earned, not just given. Accrediting bodies do a regular review of the schools to ensure the standards aren’t slipping. Generally, your credits have a stronger chance of transferring to another school when you attend an accredited school.
Scheduling - there are so many factors to scheduling, you will want to learn how each school does their schedule and how that works with your schedule. For example, one school I teach for has online classes that go for 5 weeks and most students take one class at time, while another has classes that go for 10 weeks and most students are taking 2 at a time. It is up to you to find a school that has a schedule that will work best with your learning style and attention span. There are advantages and disadvantages to all the options.
Cost - look at this factor closely. How do you plan to pay for your education? Will you get tuition reimbursement from your employer? Will you get help from financial aid? Do you have the resources yourself to pay for school out-of-pocket. Some schools have fees per class or credit (make sure you know the breakdown of how those fees work so you can compare them fairly). Some schools have feels per semester or term - and you can take as many classes as you wish during that term while paying that flat amount. Knowing how the financials of school will work is essential to your long-term success.
Residency Requirements - this almost always required for PhD studies, but could be required for Master’s degree online programs as well. This is a time when you are required to physically attend a conference in-person. Again, how these work will vary by school, but find this out in advance.
Quality of instruction or rigor - accreditation is the first step to ensuring you will get a quality education. After that, you should do some additional research. Google the school you’re looking into and “review”. Look into news articles about the school. Find out what qualifications the instructors are required to have.
Making the decision to attend college online is a big decision, and often it is done swiftly, over the phone or over the web. Do your research to be sure that the structure of the education is what you want so you stick with it and see it through to graduation. I am still (slowly) finishing my final requirements for the dissertation and I hope graduation will not be far off!
