I started looking at online colleges shortly after I had my first baby and then found Kaplan University. I am a Healthcare Aministration major and here’s what I think so far!
How to find out if an online degree is right for you!
This student got her Master’s Of Education completely online from the University of Illinois. In her video she wanted to share her experience and give you three things you should think about before getting your degree online.
Get clear about your goals for your life and for your education ahead of time.
“I knew I wanted to work at a community college while I got my master’s degree but there were no good master’s programs in my area so I knew online college would be the best option for me.”
Write down your priorities for your life and your career and ask yourself if an online degree is going to help you achieve your goals without sacrificing your top priorities.
Isa says that she knew that an online learning environment with little social interaction wouldn’t be a good idea for her. That’s what drew her to the University of Illinois program because there was a cohort of people that she took class with every week for two years. There was a live online component where she could see the profession and have group discussions, she absolutely loved.
“Be diligent about what you need to best learn and complete your programs and don’t compromise.”
Look for alumni of the school you’re interested in, on LinkedIn. Send them a connection request and ask them about their experiences with the school. You can also ask an admissions counselor and have them introduce you to an alum and then you can ask questions about their specific experience in the program you are interested in.
Where you go to college doesn’t matter as much as the effort you put into it. However, this doesn’t mean quality doesn’t matter, especially when it comes to accreditation. There are some great online only colleges out there however you might choose to take online classes from a college that has a history, has a campus, and has a good reputation – that also offers online class.
“I wanted to get an online degree from a recognized university with a history and a good reputation, just to take the guesswork out of it.”
She goes on to say that’s why she was excited to attend UOI because of their good reputation and their recognition for the graduate programs she was interested in, which was a Master’s Of Education. Regardless, do your research online and read student reviews.
The final tip is to reach out to someone who has the career that you want and ask them how they value their degree and if they think it’s worth it. And remember that although online colleges allow you tons of freedom they also require a whole lot of time commitment which means you’ll have a tremendous amount of responsibility. How you manage your time is up to you, but the time required to succeed does not change