The Enrollment Timeline for Online Education
Posted by Jen Zeman on January 20th, 2009
The entire enrollment process for the University of Maryland University College (UMUC) was approximately 6-8 weeks in length and was easy to complete. The application was completed and submitted online, which only consumed about 15 minutes of my time. The longest part in the enrollment process was requesting my official transcript from Harford Community College be mailed to UMUC and for that transcript to be evaluated. Before I received my transcript evaluation I had already downloaded my program requirements (Legal Studies with a minor in Humanities); therefore, I knew the core courses that had to be completed regardless of what my transcript evaluation contained. In doing this, I was able to register for the upcoming fall semester before receiving my evaluation. I was fortunate with my evaluation because UMUC transferred nearly all my credits from Harford Community College, so I only had two electives to complete that were not within the core requirements of my program. I also had an advisor at UMUC that helped me with my transcript evaluation and selecting the right courses for electives in my program. An advisor can prove to be an invaluable asset!
A perspective online student should plan well ahead of their anticipated start of their online program. If you have already decided upon an online school and if you want to start classes in the fall, get the application process underway in the spring. Give yourself enough time to apply, have a transcript evaluation, and then have plenty of time to select your desired classes. If you still haven’t decided upon the school and/or program you want to attend, I would allow an additional three months to conduct this search. By allowing yourself enough time (i.e. “wiggle room”) to enroll will alleviate the stress of doing everything at once and then jumping head first into an intense new schedule of school work.
