The Online Degree Dorm Room

Associate Online Degree Programs | Happy Thanksgiving!

Posted by bposton on November 22nd, 2006 — Posted in associate online degree programs

Hello, my online degree dorm room buddy!

Just wanted to let you know that I’m gonna be skipping a few classes and taking a little time off from my postings to enjoy Thanksgiving with my family.

I want to thank you for putting up with my crazy sense of humor and I hope you’ll continue to come back and learn more about getting your online degree.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday (if you’re in the US, that is) and I’ll be back soon!

Ben

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Associate Online Degree Programs | All About Associate Degrees - Part 7

Posted by bposton on November 21st, 2006 — Posted in associate online degree programs

I’d like to wrap up my posts about associate degrees with some things to consider when choosing a program, either on campus or online.

You need to make sure that whatever program you’re interested in is both fully accredited and the credits transferable. This is important even if you don’t intend to move on to a 4 year degree.

So how do you make sure of this?

Well, the best way is to follow the same rule that the US does in it’s relationship with Russia:

“Trust but Verify”

That means you need to verify with third party sources the accrediation status of the community college or junior college you want to attend. Don’t just trust what their information or website tells you. Check with the accrediting agency and even the department of education at the state or federal level if you need to.

Next, if you’re planning to transfer to a 4 year school, you should check with that school to make absolutely sure that the credits you earn at the community college will be accepted at the 4 year school. This is critical! Do just assume, and don’t take the community college’s word for it. Check it out for yourself.

Ben

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Associate Online Degree Programs | All About Associate Degrees - Part 4

Posted by bposton on November 20th, 2006 — Posted in associate online degree programs

Part 4 in my series, which I should be calling

Everything you wanted to know about an Associates Degree, but were afraid to ask

Here’s something you probably did already know. That the cost of getting an associate degree at a community college is normally much less than at a four-year college or university, even a public one. That’s why more and more students are choosing to attend a community college for two years to reduce the ever-increaseing costs of getting a bachelor’s degree. First, community colleges offer a great education in the way of associate degree programs at a great price. Second, many students are getting thier first 2 of their 4 year degree by going to a community college for 2 years with the intention of transfering to a 4 year school to finish their degree.

Be aware, however, that this is not as easy as it sounds. Especially for students who want to finish their 4 years in an out of state university.

That being said, it’s also been reported that even international students are now looking into the possiblities that US community colleges give in the way of lowering costs.

Even though the costs are higher for international and out of state students, it’s still cheaper that going a full 4 years at an out of state (or out of country) university.

So , if you’re on a tight budget, you should seriously consider associate degree programs at community colleges and junior colleges as way to cut costs.

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Associate Online Degree Programs | All About Associate Degrees - Part Deux

Posted by bposton on November 20th, 2006 — Posted in associate online degree programs

Here’s the next segment in my “All about Associates Degrees’ Series

Did you know that there are three different types of Associate Degrees you and earn?

Well listen up my dorm room buddy, here they are:

The first, and most commonly know of the three classes of US associate degrees offered is the associate of arts degree (also called the A.A. degree).

The second is called the associate of applied science degree (also called the A.A.S. degree).

And last but not least, there’s the associate of science degree (A.S. degree)

So those are the three types of degrees. Next, I’ll discuss the three types of people that typically choice to get an Associates Degree.

Ben

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Associate Online Degree Programs | Why do we have to lie about it?

Posted by bposton on November 18th, 2006 — Posted in associate online degree programs

This doesn’t make sense to me…

Why do people have to lie on their application?

Yes, it does happen, evidently a lot. According to a survey conducted by CareerBuilder.com, 57 Percentage of U.S. hiring managers say they have caught a lie on a candidate’s application.

Seems that lying to employers is done more often than lying to the IRS

So why do we have to lie? Are we that focused on getting the job - no matter what? Maybe so.

But it’s certainly not worth it. OK maybe if you lied on your application and didn’t get caught you think it’s OK. But lying has a way of catching up with you.

At least that’s been my experience

Oh by the way, that study also said that 93 Percentage of U.S. employers did not hire a candidate after discovering a lie on their resume.

Don’t you just wonder about the other 7 percent who did hire a liar?

Hey “hire a liar” - that rhymes!

Ben

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Associate Online Degree Programs | The USA Today Report - the Online Degree connection

Posted by bposton on November 16th, 2006 — Posted in associate online degree programs

OK, so after posting my heart out over the report in Tuesday’s USA Today about the US Dept of Education wanting to reform the higher education system, I’m left with this nagging question…

What about online schools?

There was absolutely nothing mentioned about the trend to online education in the report. Which may mean that the Department of Education doesn’t care or doesn’t track it?

That would be a shame, because to me it’s a very important trend that they need to follow and include in any policy regarding higher education.

There was one little stat in the report that could be an indication of this trend. It was reported that 39% of all students at degree-granting institutions were over the age of 25, and that nearly 40 of students go part time.

hummm, I that sounds a lot like the profile of someone in the online dorm room

Ben

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Associate Online Degree Program | More US Dept of Ed Stats

Posted by bposton on November 16th, 2006 — Posted in associate online degree programs

In an effort begin reforming the higher eduction system inthe US, The US Department of Education, headed by Margaret Spelling, referenced some interesting stats the other day in the USA Today.

For example:

According to a 2006 Report by the American Institute for Research, more than 50% of all graduating students at four years colleges did not have the skills needed to handle tasks like understanding credit card offers or summarizing arguments of newpaper editorials.

That number increases to 75% of students graduating from 2 year colleges.

And according to Spelling, most colleges can’t measure whether their student’s skills are improving and that’s not a factor in today’s rankings in US News and World Report.

The Department of Education says that to reform this and other measures such as degree completion rates, a Federal database is needed to track graduation rates and other factors more effiecently and to make this data easily available to prospective students. They also want colleges to publish data on how students are improving. What’s interesting is that a lot of colleges already are doing some sort of measurement - they’re just not making it available to anyone but themselves.

More on that later

Ben

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associate online degree programs | Spelling recommendations to college under fire

Posted by bposton on November 15th, 2006 — Posted in associate online degree programs

More about the government’s attempt to “improve” higher education quality.

US Education Secretary Margaret Spelling created a commission awhile back to make recommendations to reform the nation’s higher education system.

The process itself and the motives behind it have come under scruntiny in the past few months. One reason are some of the resulting recommendations.

One recommendation that is coming under fire is the creation of a database to track individiual students. That worries a lot of Student groups across the country because it could raise tons of privacy issues.

This month Spelling and her department will be meeting with the accrediting agencies and also asking for public comment.

One of the questions they’re likely to be asked is why are they spending so much time an money on this when what really need to do is make more money available for lower income students who can’t afford to go to college.

In my next post I’ll look at their side of the story, and let you in on some of the distrubing facts and figures that the US DoE has put out recently.

Ben

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associate online degree programs | How to combat College Stress

Posted by bposton on November 15th, 2006 — Posted in engineering degree online

So here you are, the end of the semester is approaching, and you’re and trying to balance exams, papers and projects. Meanwhile, the cafeteria food has you homesick for some good cooking, and your roommate’s pile of clothes is oozing into your side of the room.

Ah, but it’s so much easier here in the online dorm room

But hey, either way we all have to handle stress. With online classes, it might not come from roommates, but there’s always the stress of job deadlines and other family responsibilites trying to grab your time away from the classes you’re taking.

If the stress is more than you can handle, consider these tips:

 - Get organized. When your work space and schedule are organized,the rest of your life
becomes better organized. Take the time to arrange your papers into files by subject, putting your books on a bookshelf and clearing your desktop every day. Then, get an organizer or PDA and start putting due dates and social activities on the calendar.

Personal note - I currently use a Dell Axim PDA and I’m here to tell you, it really does make a difference when you’ve got your “to-do list” to refer to anywhere you want. It makes thing so much easier, especially for folks like me that forget half of what the need to do

 - Discuss any problems with your professors or an adviser. You should take full advantage of the knowledge your adviser has in helping you manage your schedule and to help you combat any problems you are having with certain subjects. If you have a spouse who supports your efforts to obtain an online degree, make sure he or she is involved and understands your issues. There’s nothing like having a supportive spouse to discuss things with.

It often amazing how much my wife knows that I don’t

 - Maintain a balanced lifestyle. It’s important to eat, sleep, and exercise regularly. I have to admit I need to get back on that expensive treadmill we bought this year. You should also make a point to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner, and carry light snacks with you to maintain your energy throughout the day. You should also have a goal to get eight hours of sleep each night, and exercise for 30 minutes at least three times a week.

 - Take your vitamins! Studies have shown some all-natural supplements can be beneficial in the fight against stress. So make sure you suppliment your diet with the right vitamins, minerals, herbs, and other suppliments that can help your body ward off the effects of stress.

Ben

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Engineering Degree Onilne | The IGeneration prefers online education

Posted by bposton on November 11th, 2006 — Posted in engineering degree online

I had another note on my online dorm room door last night, asking:

“Can you define the Internet Generation?”

Well, I’ve always wondered myself, so I began a search to find out.

What I found was that, officially, it’s anyone born between the years of 1985 abd 1999. It’s also called the IGeneration, which directly followed the MTV Generation.

This iGeneration has grown up with the rise of the Internet, most of whom do not remember pre-Internet times. More than 85 percent of this generation uses the Internet to check and/or send email every day, reports Greensberg Quinlan Rosner, a research and strategic consulting firm.

And here’s another important fact. Studies indicated that 66 percent of them have an interest in online education. Due to thier knowledge of technology, it only makes sense that these upcoming college studens will have an increased interest in online degree programs.

On a side note, it was also found that more than 65 percent prefer to be contacted by email over other methods.

In fact, nearly two thirds (64 percent), of this group agreed with the statement that “I don’t know how I would keep up with my friends or family if I didn’t have the Internet.”

More than 32 percent use email as their primary source to conduct business, communicate with friends, make purchases, and have exchanges with family members.

Ben

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