Choosing the Right Online School
In today's job market, higher education is more important than ever before. Every year, thousands of young students follow the conventional path of high school - college - job, but that's just not a feasible option for everyone. The life of a traditional, full-time student is easy for teens with minimal responsibility, but it starts to get excessively complicated when classes must be juggled with jobs, mortgages and children. Twenty-first century technology has made things a good deal more convenient for non-conventional students - online schools are often more friendly to those of us who already live in the real world. They offer flexible schedules and a wide variety of options, and online students are not limited to whatever may be on offer at nearby campuses.
Perhaps the first step in choosing the right online school is to decide on a degree and curriculum. Are you a seasoned, already-educated worker looking to further your education and increase your skill set? Or are you contemplating a completely fresh start on your education? Online schools offer just about every type of degree that one can attain at a regular school - they range from basic certificates, to standard Associate's and Bachelor's degrees, to Master's degrees and Doctorates.
Your field of study can help determine the right school for you. Some online schools cover everything; others are more specialized. Some focus on art and graphic design, for example, while others might focus on nursing or technology. Certain areas that require a lot of hands-on instruction and physical lab work, such as some areas of medicine, science or teaching, might not be able to be taught completely online. Many online schools offer in-person learning in these areas to complement the electronic curriculum.
Once you know your goal, you can narrow your choices down by researching their accreditation. You want a school that is nationally accredited by a reputable organization, not a fly-by-night "diploma mill." A non-accredited school might save you a few dollars in the short term, but savvy employers will not take that degree as seriously. Also, if you decide to attend another school in the future, you'll probably find that it won't accept transfer credits from a non-accredited school.
On that note, if you have any credits from another school, you should also find out if and how your new online school will accept them. Transfer requirements can vary greatly, so check with a guidance counselor for an official transfer estimate. If one school won't accept any of your previous credits and another will accept 30% of them, your decision just got that much simpler.
And while you have the counselor on the phone, or the IM line, find out about "life credits," as they're usually called. If you've already been working in your field of study, many schools will award educational credit based on experience. There will, of course, be a cap on how many of your degree hours can be earned this way, but it will give you nice head start. Your guidance counselor can tell you exactly how to start the application process and what documents you'll need to supply. Typically, the school will want resumes, a job description, work samples if applicable, any awards, certificates, or publicity you might have received, and references from co-workers and supervisors.
Since students at online schools often have busy schedules, it's important to find out if courses are synchronous or asynchronous. Synchronous learning is the gold standard at conventional universities - students have class at a set time and take tests on a fairly rigid schedule. Some online schools use this model too - you have to log in for discussions, attend chat, audio or video lectures and take tests at certain times. For many online students, asynchronous courses are more convenient. They rely on deadlines for readings and assignments; with fewer time constraints, you can work when it's convenient for you.