Financial Aid Assistance. Confirm that you will have access to all applicable financial aid information regarding available programs and student eligibility, and that financial aid staff are available to help you complete and process the required paperwork. Information on loans, college scholarships, and grant programs as well as on eligibility for federal, state, and private financial aid are all important to anyone seeking financial assistance. You should be given a clear understanding of what they are required to do if granted financial aid and have a source of information if any questions arise.
Registration Process. There should be clear instructions regarding the registration process, with staff available to assist you in completing this process quickly and easily from a distance. Look for programs that offer online registration and/or toll-free registration numbers rather than on-site, arena-style registration.
Tuition and Fees. Clearly defined tuition and fees, as well as any other expenses you will incur, are instrumental in determining the total cost of your education. Be aware of hidden costs that many times are not reimbursed by employers who pay only tuition. There are many institutions that have dramatically increased various fees while maintaining low annual tuition rates.
Library, Computer, and Other Support Structures. Check into what kind of support structure is offered to complete the required course work, such as library access, Internet sites to obtain materials, and access to textbook providers via email, phone, and fax. Make sure you know the exact computer specifications, both hardware and software, required for completion of the course work. A technical help desk should also be provided.
Sympathetic Faculty. In most cases, students completing courses from a distance have professional and personal priorities that can get in front of their educational priorities. It is important, from a student standpoint, that faculty have experience mentoring students from a distance and realizing the full-time work responsibilities that many students have while engaged in such programs. Because of the demands on students, faculty may need to be flexible regarding assignment deadlines and requirements. If you're employed full-time, seek out classes that allow you to apply your work experience to class assignments.
Michael Cronin graduated from Empire State College with a Bachelor of Science in fire administration. Michael had a long career in the New York Fire Department and used this experience in pursuing a degree through distance education. He explains his motivation for pursuing and completing his degree:
"Like many young people, I attended college when I graduated high school. However, I left school before graduating to start a career with the New York Fire Department. Advancement in rank was determined solely by highly competitive examinations. A college degree was not a requirement for promotion. During my career, I was promoted to the ranks of lieutenant, captain, battalion chief, deputy chief, deputy assistant chief, and assistant chief. Unlike most people who pursue a college degree to advance their careers, my career was already successful. Not having a degree left me with an unfulfilled feeling, though. I wanted a college degree not for what it might do for me professionally, but rather what it would do for my self-esteem.
"External learning made it possible for me to finish my bachelor's degree. I enrolled at the Center for Distance Learning at Empire State College with 80 transfer credits, and over a period of several years earned a Bachelor of Science degree in fire administration. My mentors took a personal interest in my success. They were hard taskmasters who held me to a high standard of excellence, and I hold them both in high regard and deep affection.
"My assignment before retirement from the fire department was chief of training. In collaboration with John Jay College, I had the New York Fire Department Training Academy designate a satellite campus where a Master of Science degree in protection management would be offered to members of the fire department. I enrolled in the program along with 25 firefighters of all ranks. Two years later, 21 of us received our Master of Science degrees. The program is ongoing, preparing the future leaders of the fire department to meet the challenges that face today's fire service effectively. The success of the program is an achievement of which I am most proud.
"I am now president of Michael F. Cronin Associates, a fire consulting firm that provides expert witness testimony and litigation support to attorneys. This field of endeavor is neither uncompetitive nor uncrowded. While few people in the field share my experience, even fewer people match my formal education. It is my degrees that establish me as a credible person whose opinions should receive serious consideration."
Jason Bock completed his Bachelor of Arts degree in business administration from The Union Institute's Center for Distance Learning, located in Cincinnati, Ohio. Jason describes his experience:
"It was not supposed to take 15 years for me to graduate from college. I began taking college courses when I was 15 at the University of Texas at Arlington. By 16, I was a full-time college student at St. Gregory's College in Shawnee, Oklahoma. Two years later, I graduated valedictorian with an associate's degree and a 4.0 grade point average. I received a full scholarship to complete my education at Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio. After my father died a year later, I bounced out to the University of Texas at San Antonio for several semesters. Finally, I got a full-time job and moved to Dallas.
"With the support of an associate's degree, I was able to build a successful career in retail advertising. Unfortunately, it was difficult to take even part-time courses having a career with constant deadlines and requiring late nights. I did manage to grab a few more courses at Oklahoma State University before lack of funding gutted many of the evening and weekend courses in my degree program.
Three years ago, I accepted a senior advertising position with a small grocery retailer in Ohio. As part of my job package, I was offered support in completing my degree. Deadlines, late nights at work, and a lack of funds kept me out of the classroom for the first two years. In July of 1997, I realized that I needed to get serious about completing my degree. I had 131 credit hours . . . and no degree.
"Initially, I investigated two nearby private universities and a public university. Both of the private universities had weekend college programs and some evening classes. Weekend classes were not much of a solution since I often worked or had activities with my family on the weekends. However, the majority of these classes were lower-level classes. Only a few upper-level classes were offered. It would take me four to five years to fill a degree plan at either of these schools. In addition, the cost was high. The public school didn't fare much better. While costs were lower, most of the upper-level classes were still offered infrequently at night, limiting my ability to earn a degree short of an additional four- to five-year span. Frustrated, I turned to the Internet. I had seen a banner advertisement on the Web for an online college. There are a variety of online baccalaureate programs. I was looking for a flexible business program at a school that would consider my prior coursework.
"I chose The Union Institute (TUI) due to several important factors. First, Union was located in Ohio. I appreciated the fact that it was a nearby university. Union also included a face-to-face component. I appreciated the idea of meeting professors and other learners face-to-face, even for a weekend. The Union Institute also offered student-directed degree plans and coursework, a reasonable residency requirement, and easy transfer of credit. These were all good reasons to select Union but there was one event that sealed my decision: At Union, the faculty is not insulated from students at all. On my first phone call to TUI, I was put in direct contact with an advisor and faculty member for the Center for Distance Learning. Being able to talk directly with a member of the faculty made a huge impact on my decision.
"One of the tremendous benefits of distance learning is the option of taking a full-time load which would have been virtually impossible in a traditional setting because of my job. However, it can be difficult to get started. Since there are no lectures, distance learning requires reading and writing well beyond a traditional college course. My first semester, I fell behind quickly in my studies and had to do some marathon weekends to get caught up.
"To succeed, a distance learning student must be able to manage their time. I did a lot of my coursework late at night after my family was in bed, something impossible in a traditional environment. I also organized a lot of my courses around topics of interest to my business, allowing me to study and work during the day effectively. Each semester after my first, I made a schedule with projected completion dates for each assignment. I kept track of these target dates to ensure I wasn't falling behind. This system worked well and allowed me to take breaks from time to time. There wasn't a "typical day." Since I tend to cluster activities, I might not work on my schoolwork (aside from reading) all week. Then the following week I would work extra hours completing assignments.
"Distance learning is certainly not for everyone, but it can solve many problems that traditional coursework cannot. Distance learning is self-driven. Someone who is typically self-motivated and able to figure things out on his or her own is an ideal candidate. While professors will gladly help and assist, they are not there to babysit. Distance learning was very challenging for me, even while traditional college coursework had been relatively easy. Still, completing my degree in a challenging environment was much more rewarding. For a student new to distance learning, I would recommend spending a lot of time investigating the options. Make certain that you have good communication and a solid relationship with at least one professor or your advisor. That will help solve any problems you might have. If you are generally uncomfortable with writing, spend a few weeks or months practicing before you begin classes."
This article was excerpted from Complete Book of Distance Learning Schools by Dr. Jerry Ice and Dr. Paul Edelson
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