College Search: How To Solve Your Dilemma On College And College Degree Selection
Deciding to go to college and finish a degree is a life-defining move. You must agree that the choices you make in this stage of your life will most definitely affect your career path and your future in general.
Since this is so, be sure to read these tips in choosing the best college degree:
1. First, you must know what your skills are, academically speaking, that is. Are you mathematically-inclined? Or are you much better in the languages and science? You see, it would be a nightmare for you to take up law when you are much more interested in, say, writing.
2. If you can, sign up for internships so that you can get a ‘feel’ of the work environment in each college major option that you have.
3. Aside from your skills, choose a course that offers flexibility when you start job-hunting. Is this course that you’re deciding to take up gonna require more training before you are hired?
Now that you have some degrees in mind, the next level is to choose the college that you will attend. Here are, again, some tips in choosing the best colleges that would offer your chosen field:
1. First, be certain if you would rather attend a college near your home or one that would take you miles away from family.
2. Consider if you would want a big and famous university or a small and private campus. Your personality would dictate this. If you are the type that likes crowds, then go for the university that offers it all. If you are more of an introvert, then, by all means, go for the college with less population.
3. If you are sports-oriented, be sure to check out campuses that offer gyms or outdoor fields that can support sports of your choice. If you are more of a computer geek, there are colleges that offer a much subdued environment that is conducive to learning.
4. If you belong to a different denomination, as much as you can , look for a university that supports your belief or, at least, respects it. For example, Mormons have the Brigham Young University which was founded by people that share their belief.
5. The next thing to consider is your budget. There are several public and private colleges in the country. By rule, private colleges are much more expensive than the public ones but that doesn’t mean that they provide a less quality in education. Just be able to scout for the right public school.
These tips are just here as guidelines. What matters most is still YOU. What does your heart dictate and crave?
Will an Online College Degree really help me in meeting my Career Goals?
Will an Online College Degree really help me in meeting my Career Goals?
Online college degree is going to help you in meeting your career goals but this will only happen when you take admission in an accredited online college. Stay away from online colleges that are not accredited by the US Department of Education. Employers these days reject job application of individuals that have earned online college degree from a non-accredited college. There is always serious doubt regarding the quality of education at non-accredited online colleges and therefore there is no surprise that students earning degrees from such colleges are not able to compete with students that have earned degree from accredited colleges.
How Online College Degrees assist you in meeting your Career Objectives?
When you get yourself enrolled in an online college degree program, you can study at your own pace. With no pressure on you in terms of studies, you can work solely on meeting your career objectives. In this day and age where experience is quite a big factor in every field, you need to gain work experience by working part time when you are still studying in a college. This is not possible in a traditional classroom setup. However, with flexible class schedule in an online college degree program, you can work part-time without worrying about your study. Even a work experience of one year can go a long way in helping you meet your career goals.
Practical Training
Most of the online college degree programs offer practical training to their students so that they can use their theoretical knowledge in a much better way. Before taking admission in any online program, you need to be clear in your mind what you are going to achieve with that particular program. Role of faculty is quite important in a practical training and therefore make sure that you check the qualification and experience level of faculty well in advance. If you want to make a career in the technical field then you will certainly require a right kind of practical training.
Earning online college degree
There are number of accredited online colleges from where you can earn online college degree. Find below details of some of these online colleges.
University of Phoenix- One of the best online universities in the world, University of Phoenix gives you an opportunity to study at your own pace. University of Phoenix is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission.
Kaplan University- By taking admission at Kaplan University, you can earn Associate, Bachelor and Masters Degrees in the subject of your choice at affordable rates.
Deciding to Home School – The Do’s and Don’ts
If the idea of home schooling is something that you and your family are considering there are a couple of important things to make sure to decide before you make any decisions. This decision is something that will affect your children for years and needs to be taken seriously and not on a whim or when you are upset with a current situation. Following are a couple of do’s and don’ts when making the decision if home schooling is right for you and your family.
Do’s:
Learn the laws for home schooling in your state. The home school legal defense group, hslda.org is an important stop to make while you are making your decision on home schooling. Another great support system to find is local home school group in your area, visit some and find one that you feel comfortable in. One last stop in helping you make a decision is to find and visit a home school conference, there will be a lot of information presented to you and lots of different schooling options. Just don’t bring your checkbook, make no purchases. You will be tempted but that is not what you are there for, its education for you to make a decision you need to seek right now.
Make sure you and your spouse both agree on your decision. For the most part if you make the decision to home school there will be only one income coming into the home. Even if only one of you do the teaching you will need the support of your spouse. There will be naysayers about your decision so you will need to present a united front.
This can be a very exciting time for you and the kids. But before you do anything else write down a mission statement. What are your personal reasons for deciding to home school? What are some goals you want to accomplish the first year what are your long range goals for your home schooling. You will need this statement to fall back on when you are having rough days. There will be times when you doubt yourself and the decision you made to school at home. Believe me, there were times that if I hadn’t of had that paper to look at I would have quit many times.
Don’ts:
Decide to home school and work outside of the home. This is the education of your child; they deserve your attention and leadership for their education. This will be especially important the first year of home schooling no matter what grade your child is in they will need your help in knowing how to adjust to this new phase in their lives. And mom and dad this will be new for you and you will need to do some learning about how to home school yourselves.
Jump right into textbooks. I know this sounds like I’m now giving you the conflicting advice but as you will soon learn on your home schooling journey there is so much more to education they textbooks. If you have little ones play games that will teach them, read books and play. If the kids are older and have been in public school they may need some down time, some time away from textbooks, maybe some educational computer games, sports. Some free reading time, spend some time connecting with them and forming a relationship. Find their learning style so you can use it to help them love learning again. Warning: this is not permission to let the kids turn on the TV and zone out all day.
So I hope that these tips will help you and your family in making the right decision about home schooling. It will be a wonderful experience if you make the decision to do this. But if you can’t honestly say that you can make this the most important thing in your life, before your job, what others say about your decision or anything else, then maybe home schooling is not for you.
Colleges May Require Students to get Health Insurance
While the health-care debate rages in Washington D.C., another totally separate debate is going on in our state.
This one involves college students.
For many students, college is a time of serious learning.
And Florida college students who don’t have health insurance could soon learn they’ll have to get some if they want to remain in school.
Lexie Yanes of Weston and Erica Parnell of Loxahatchee are both freshmen a Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton.
Their school does not require them to have health insurance.
But that soon might be a requirement that they and thousands of other college students across Florida will face.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea,” Yanes said.
Neither of these young women is thrilled with the idea of being required to have health insurance to attend college.
“If it passes, less kids will go to school. I think it should be left up to the students. We’re the ones paying. It’s our lives. It’s not, they don’t need to take care of us,” Yanes said.
Under the plan, students at all 11 of Florida’s state-run schools would have to get health insurance. It would increase the cost of going to school by an estimated $1300Â year per student.
The University of Florida and University of Central Florida are backing the idea, and FSU already requires its students to have health insurance.
“The proposal is bound to be controversial. A recent survey showed that at some of Florida’s state universities, more than 40% of the students have no health coverage.
Erica, a nursing major, and Lexie, a biology major, live in the same dorm at FAU. They say they both have part-time jobs to help pay for college.
But they feel mandatory health insurance is just too much of financial burden to place on students.
“I pay for a lot of stuff myself as it is. And I work and I have to save up all my money and I have to watch what I spend. And I already have a lot of loans taken out. A lot of kids can barely afford to come to college now because of the economy, so adding more money to their tuition isn’t gonna help them,” Parnell said.
Supporters of the plan say if all 11 state-run universities in Florida require students to carry health insurance, they can negotiate a lower premium on insurance policies that are now offered through the schools.
The measure did not make it through the state legislature last spring.
But it’s expected to come up again in the next session.
Educational Consultants Assists Students With College Search, Essays, And Applications
The National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) recommends that high school counselors work with no more than 100 students. Most public high school counselors have a student load of at least 350 students. On average, high school counselors spend 38 minutes helping students with the college search, applications, and admissions process.
Educational consultants are not associated with a high school or college. They have the time, training, and expertise to provide individual attention to students with their college search, applications and essays, financial aid and scholarships, and the college admissions process.
Here are five reasons why hiring an educational consultant to work with your high school student might be the best investment you ever made:
1. Educational consultants understand the college admissions process and visit colleges and universities regularly to discover what makes one school different from another. They meet with college admissions officers at each school so they know about the continuous changes that take place on individual campuses.
2. Educational consultants help your student find colleges that are a good fit, not just a big name. They want your student to be successful in the college admissions process and to have a variety of schools from which to choose. They know that students have been bombarded with all kinds of information from schools. After a while, each college begins to look and sound alike. They help families separate the hype from the facts.
3. Educational consultants are able to work successfully with your student because they do not have the emotional investment that parents do. They provide reliable college information and objective advice. They give your family another opinion and try to make the college admissions process as stress-free as possible.
4. Educational consultants know that applying to college and college admissions can be a time for students to discover themselves. Students learn to assess their strengths and weaknesses. They determine what it is they want out of a college experience. This helps them with the college search and encourages students to make better college decisions.
5. Educational consultants assist students with their applications and essays. They brainstorm topics that will enable your student to write the most compelling essays that will strengthen their applications. They encourage students to consider topics that have real meaning for them and will convey their personality to an admissions committee.
Educational consultants can provide the guidance that will make the college admissions process a less stressful experience. They are experts in helping students find the right colleges and assisting them with the college application process. Contact the HECA organization online to find out how an educational consultant can assist your family.
Online College For All Stages of Life
In the 1960 film High Times, late entertainer Bing Crosby portrayed the role of 51-year-old Harvey Howard, who decides to enroll in college for the first time in order to earn his bachelors degree. That would have been unusual for someone at that age and at that time, but today, people are attending college into their 70s and 80s.
Of course, one thing we have today that the fictional Harvey Howard did not is the miracle of Internet technology – and online college makes it easier than ever.
On Your Own, At Your Pace
One of the problems Bing Crosby’s character faced was the fact that he was old enough to be his classmates’ father – and while he was a sober and mature middle-aged man, his fellow students loved to “party down.” In earning an online college degree, this is one problem that you won’t have to deal with. This is also an aspect of online college that can be challenging; it is a solitary pursuit, and it takes real self-motivation to succeed. But if you are even considering going through an online college program, chances are you are pretty motivated already.
The other aspect of an online college degree is that it can be completed on your own time and at your own pace. You are not bound by the traditional semester or quarter system; typically, you have up to twelve months to complete an online college course.
A Thrifty Way To Go
An online college degree doesn’t require that you pay many of the fees that are traditionally associated with college. Obviously, your commute is only a few feet, from your bedroom to your PC terminal; in addition, you won’t be assessed for things such as lab fees and ASB fees.
In addition, online college is eligible for the same loans and grants as a traditional degree program.
Fully Accredited
The face is that online college degree programs are offered by virtually all major colleges and universities today. These institutions are fully accredited, which means that your online college degree carries the same weight as any other.
Self-Improvement
Of course, you don’t have to complete a full online college program; you may simply wish to take an online college course or two in order to brush up on an old skill or develop some new ones.
Get Started Now
There are thousands of online college options available; your biggest challenge may be narrowing your focus and deciding which one is best for you and your goals. There’s no time like the present however to get started in finding the right online college.
