When Online Degrees Find Acceptance

There’s an ocean of opportunities out there when you’re looking to pursue a degree, both regular and online. The advent and advancement of the Internet has multiplied the growth of online courses, some of them legitimate and most dubious. Although we all know the benefits of a regular degree over an online one, there are times when studying online is advantageous – when you have other responsibilities like children or ill and elderly parents to care for, when you don’t have the finances to pay the tuition costs at a regular college, when you need to work straight out of high school but still want to earn a degree, and so on.

The downside of online degrees is that not many employers view graduates too kindly – they’re of the opinion that online degrees are shortcuts taken by lazy people who just cannot be bothered to attend regular class and graduate in four years. To convince them otherwise, make sure that the online degree you choose conforms to certain criteria:

• They are offered by institutions that are accredited and well-known: What with the mushrooming of illegal degree and diploma mills that are ready to sell you degrees not worth the paper they’re printed on in exchange for money, you can’t blame prospective employers for being wary of online degrees. What you can do to get around this hurdle is study with a reputable and well-known institute that offers degrees online.
• They allow you to major in certain subjects: Research shows that employers are more likely to lean favorably to online degrees when they specialize in areas like the media, marketing, technology and other knowledge-based disciplines like accounting where the practical aspect can be tested online. Definite no-nos include degrees related to medicine and law.

Online degrees are more certain to be accepted:

• You’re dedicated: If you can aim for the highest in terms of online degree success, then you have a shot at convincing employers of your skills and talents.
• You have relevant experience: The best part of learning online is that it’s flexible and leaves you with enough time to work a part time or even full time job. If you have managed to accumulate work experience relevant to the field you’re now seeking employment in, most employers normally tend to turn a blind eye to the fact that you have an online degree. They’re just happy that they don’t have to spend more time and money in training you for the job.
• You’re able to market yourself: Even if you have an online degree, if you’re able to wrangle an interview with the company of your choice and able to convince the HR people that you’re the right person for the job, then it’s worth studying online. It’s just a matter of being confident in your abilities and being able to get other people to see that as well during the course of the interview.

Online degrees are not for you if you consider them as the easy way to make sure that you have a degree, because if you don’t do your part but still get a degree, you might as well have bought one from the various degree mills that abound on the Internet.

Guest Post By:
This article is contributed by Sarah Scrafford, who regularly writes on the topic of Online University Ranking. She invites your questions, comments and freelancing job inquiries at her email address: sarah.scrafford25@gmail.com.

As college expenses continue to increase, students and parents need to financially plan their overall costs for attending a college or university. The rising higher education costs can become a factor in deciding whether to attend a public or private school. Another key factor is to pay close attention to the expenses associated with an in state school vs. an out of state school. Both factors share the same dependents of tuition, books/supplies, room & board, transportation, and general expenses.

Being financially prepared for college can be aided by evaluating these key components of a higher educational institution. It is not always pertinent to attend an out of state school if it means causing financial distress on your life. There are many in state colleges and universities in the public and private sector that offer great degree programs to help off set some of these expenses. Although, you will always pay more for attending a private school instead of a public institution! Evaluating the type of education you receive from a private school and public school are often debated.

While private schools tend to be full of prestige, it doesn’t necessarily mean they are better schools. Sometimes private schools can offer a smaller class, making it a closer and more approachable setting for students and professors to interact with one another. The chart below demonstrates the differences in college expenses associated with attending a public or a private higher education learning institution.

Table 1: Average Estimated Undergraduate Budgets, 2008-09 (Enrollment-Weighted)

Enrollment-weighted tuition and fees are derived by weighting the price charged by each institution by the number of full-time students enrolled in 2007-08. Public four-year in-state charges are weighted by total 2007-08 full-time enrollment in each institution. Out-of-state tuition and fees are computed by adding the average in-state price to the out-of-state premium weighted by the number of full-time out-of-state students enrolled at each institution. Room and board charges are weighted by the number of students residing on campus.
* Average total expenses include room and board costs for commuter students, which are average estimated living expenses for students living off campus but not with parents. Source: The College Board, Annual Survey of Colleges.

The ultimate conclusion about college expenses of public and private schools is that the cost associated with attending a private school increases by almost four times the amount, in comparison to attending a public college or university. Whether or not you choose to attend a public or private school depends on your financial situation and what you make of your experience. Any college and university are good for students as long as you learn and take it as a good experience.

Do you think the education at a private school is better than public college or university, when you calculate four times the cost?

College Board Test Prep Exam ReadiStep Coming Next Fall

It may never be too early to prepare for the rest of your life. In an effort to aide in early educational development, the College Board recently announced the addition of a new test called ReadiStep which will be available next fall for eighth grade students, in preparation for the challenges of strenuous high school and college level courses. The College Board is a not-for-profit membership association whose mission is to connect students to college success and opportunity.

ReadiStep is a low stakes middle school assessment that helps teachers provide the guidance middle school students need to start preparing for high school and college. Developed by College Board professionals in partnership with middle school teachers and other education experts, ReadiStep provides early feedback on students’ skills. It identifies areas students need to develop as well as students who are ready for more advanced coursework.

ReadiStep is a vital step within College Board’s College Readiness System and helps schools and teachers measure achievement, monitor progress, and gain information that enables informed decisions in the classroom.

It’s important to stress that per a recent news conference College Board Vice President Lee Jones emphasizes, “This is not at all a pre-pre-pre SAT. It’s a diagnostic tool to provide information about students’ strengths and weaknesses.” ReadiStep is intended only for assessment and instructional purposes and has nothing to do with college admissions, College Board officials said.

Among the many benefits of assessment for younger students interested in preparing for a successful transition into high school, and eventually college, we have listed those chosen directly by the College Board. ReadiStep delivers:

• User-Friendly Format
  Paper and pencil test formatted in three multiple choice sections – reading, writing, mathematics
• Early Feedback
  Allowing teachers to gain insight on students’ academic progress
• Flexible and Easy Administration
  Can be given all at once or over the course of three class periods
• Comprehensive, Timely Results
  National and local comparisons relative to other eighth graders – guaranteed within four weeks.
• Alignment with State Standards
  Aligns with College Board Standards for College Success, a national model of rigorous academic content standards.

The College Boards ReadiStep Benefits for Students & Parents

ReadiStep’s comprehensive evaluation answers the question – How can I help my child prepare for the future? Through ReadiStep, you and your child will learn which skills they need to work on and what types of classes they need to take. In addition, ReadiStep will identify areas where they excel and may want to consider taking higher-level, advanced placement, or International Baccalaureate (IB) level courses. The International Baccalaureate (IB) offers high quality programs of international education to a worldwide community of schools. There are more than 661,000 IB students at 2,410 schools in 131 countries.

You may contact a Regional Representative on the College Board or ReadiStep web site, and we encourage students & parents of eighth grade students to contact your school to find out more about ReadiStep testing. Representatives have informed us that the cost for testing will be less than ten dollars per student, and will be funded by local schools/districts. ReadiStep is not mandatory, and will be used as a learning tool simply for an assessment basis. The testing structure will consist of three multiple-choice sections covering mathematics, critical reading, and writing skills. The exam will also be targeted for student completion within a two hour or less time frame, avoiding rigorous testing time for the young eighth grade students.

The U.S Department of Education launched a new college education website to answer questions and reasons for attending colleges and universities.  The site is a very informative resource for potential students, parents, and counselors in guiding our youth into a more educated society.  Providing testimonials for each of their three main categories of Why, What, and How.

1.) Why go? This is a question that every college student once asked themselves before attending a college or university.  Which is answered through in depth reasoning of opportunity, personal growth, and lifting of family?

2.) What to do? An important question that requires in depth research to find needed resources for attending a college or university, including knowledge about admissions, preparation, and schools.

3.) How to pay? Paying for an education can often be the largest concern for most potential students and parents.  Having all the appropriate material to make an informative decision for obtaining educational financing can be critical in achieving an education.  Whether it is through federal loans, grants, or scholarships.

The desire to increase your education is becoming more prevalent every day.  Making yourself standout from the crowd is what separates a person from the next.  Especially, in capturing the career of your dreams!  The best way to ensure your closer to accomplishing these goals begins with furthering your education.

Do you believe this government resource website offers a non biased one stop shop for education information and decisions?

An inspirational professor of Computer Science Randy Pausch, gave an amazing last lecture at the Carnegie Mellon University on September 18, 2007.  The lecture included topics about childhood dreams, life, and philosophy.  The lecture was titled “Really achieving your childhood dreams”.  The tenured professor began his discussion with startling slides of his pancreatic cancer tumors. 

The battle with cancer did not stop this energetic professor from delivering a high powered speech to over 400 attendees.  His philosophy on life and achieving your childhood dreams was very moving to watch and read.  Randy Pausch didn’t focus on his battle with cancer, but rather his amazing accomplishments and life history.  The lecture really made you think about what is important to you and your family.  Pressing on importance of family values and obtaining your dreams.

After reading his book “The Last Lecture” and watching his taped video, I have taken another look at whom and what I want to be.  The book was written by Randy Pausch and Jeffrey Zaslow as a national best seller.  This is a book that everyone can relate to and should read in their development as a person and values.  Highly recommended!

This post is dedicated in memory of Computer Science professor Randy Pausch, who died on July 25th, 2008 of pancreatic cancer.

What would your last lecture to the world be about?  Do you feel you have focused on the important things in and life and not the plastic things?

“The Last Lecture” by Computer Science professor Randy Pausch – Launch in New Browser