Posted by Jeff Davis on December 24th, 2008
It really is important to do your homework, especially when you are considering pursuing an online education where the final results will benefit you for the rest of your life! When choosing an online school, there are many things to consider such as whether the school is accredited or not, what programs and degrees are offered, and help with financial aid. Asking good questions can help guide you into making the right decision.
Before enrolling in an online degree program, I had requested information from 10 different online schools. Only 6 provided me with enough information from which I was able to make an educated decision (no pun intended). That helped to narrow down the online colleges field and so began my contact of the admissions office at these remaining schools which I deemed necessary in order to gather the final pertinent information needed for making my final decision on which online school and degree program is going to work best for me. Among the questions that I still needed answered were items like: the school and its history, financial aid, etc.
I feel that it is important to note that this decision was not one that I wanted to rush into since it would have long-term dire consequences in both my professional and personal life. To me, education is more than just getting a degree, but also about what the degree provides in terms of value such as the skills learned and the available career opportunities it provides.
Finally, let me say that nothing can really replace a good education. Education helps you in your overall development and broadens your outlook on life. As I look back on my research of information, the requests that I made, and the final choices that I made, it was arguably one of the hardest searches in my life but definitely the most rewarding.
Posted by Jen Zeman on December 22nd, 2008
When I started my search for an online degree program, I requested information from about three different schools, all within my home state of Maryland. I wanted to start my search local before considering out-of-state institutions, primarily because I knew in-state colleges and universities would accept more transfer credits and in-state tuition would be less expensive. The information I received included full admissions packets and I did find the information helpful since it helped me determine if the school offered online degree programs AND in the discipline I wanted to study (i.e. legal studies). As I have mentioned before, I was fortunate to find the University of Maryland University College (UMUC) offered an online legal studies bachelor’s degree.
I am very satisfied still to this day with the quality of education and the online experience with UMUC, so I do not have any regrets in not requesting information from additional schools for my bachelor’s degree. When I started a search for master’s degrees online, I broadened my search to include more out-of-state institutions and requested information from about three schools. I did this because I found most colleges and universities offer online graduate degrees mainly in business or education fields; I was looking for a liberal arts graduate degree. I found a few schools that offered an online graduate liberal arts degree and found a good program at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro. The best advice is to know what you want to study and keep searching. A larger variety of online programs become available each year, so you are bound to find what you are looking for. Requesting information is not a commitment to any particular school, so gather as much information as possible and then develop a pros and cons list for each. This will help you narrow your search to the eventual ideal institution. Happy hunting!
