Anyone with online school experience?

BerettaLove32 · Post by **BerettaLove32** » Mon Feb 25, 2013 8:34 pm

I was looking to get into a masters program to get myself into a a slightly different career path. I work full time now so online is really the only option for me. Anyone have experience with online schools? I was looking through reviews online and the major online schools have the usual good and bad reviews. Some smaller online schools will get good reviews but only have 5 or less reviews.
I was looking at a degree in Information Systems. Keller School of Management (devry) has a lot of classes but is ridiculously expensive. So, any experience or input is greatly appreciated.

Z26_T · Post by **Z26_T** » Tue Feb 26, 2013 2:44 am

Look into your local Universities if you want to save money. Most of them offer online classes. I take both online and face to face classes. Honestly, online sucks. They generally require more work with less help from the instructor. That's about all I can say since every teacher and school is different.

themadness · Post by **themadness** » Tue Feb 26, 2013 8:07 am

what he said....

masters degrees are absolutely necessary for any decent paying job since a bachelor degree is the new high school diploma. but if you can take some classes at a local community college that would add credits toward your masters that seems better IMO. the wife has her masters and if she took X amount of hours in some lower and mid level psych classes it qualify her to teach online psych classes at another college. those particular classes arent available at the college she works at but she has found them online at other nearby schools. a few online classes in a similar field of study as her degree could boost her earning potential by around 80%......sounds like winning to me.

BerettaLove32 · Post by **BerettaLove32** » Tue Feb 26, 2013 8:04 pm

Yeah, I've been looking at local schools but most of them don't offer a full selection of online, its online and face to face. Right now I just can't take face to face classes because of my work hours. I would prefer face to face but it is what it is right now. I did find a state college that offers a full online degree and I found a few reviews that say the instructors are much more involved than most online schools, so I may take a course and see how it is. Thanks, guys.

DanteGTZ · Post by **DanteGTZ** » Wed Feb 27, 2013 7:36 am

My wife and I are BOTH back in school, taking 99% of our classes online. There is a LONG road ahead, but it can be done. We started in Spring 2011 and have gone straight through, every semester, including Summer. There is method to the madness, provided you understand what you're really getting into.....

First, you need to really research the program you wan to pursue. A degree doesn't have to begin and end at one place. For instance, if you have a local Community College near you, use it to save money on the core classes you'll need for any degree. My collegiate journey started at my local community college and will end at Oregon State. It's just very important that you understand which credits are required, which are transferable, etc. You have to call and speak with any/all schools you plan on attending to make sure things are transferable.

To give you an idea of a typical online course journey - I've started at a local community college - Next fall, I will graduate with an Associate's Degree and hopefully, begin working in my field with this degree while then transferring my credits to Oregon State, where I will begin my Bachelor Degree program online there. Again, a slow process, but I'm 31 and understand that this is the best possible route for me, as a married, working adult.

As for online, here is the REAL scoop from someone who has been taking them for over 2 years now. I have taken 2 courses online now for the each of the past 7 semesters - Yes, it is slow going, but I am seeing progress each semester as my credits have started to stack up. Taking any more than 2 courses online would be too much on the plate for me. I have had great success taking online courses like English, Math, and History. These courses typically cover materials that are widely available on the web - ie, virtually all Math/Algebra/Trig/Calculus has some sort of help video on YouTube. You have to use more than just your book and course materials when taking some of these online classes. Sometimes getting help is a bit tougher than just asking the instructor, and that's where using as many references as possible will help. I've had mixed success taking science classes online and I'm currently taking Biology 1120 on campus.

One thing I really like about online courses is that they are very structured - You'll know on day one what is expected of you and what the due dates for everything are. As long as you have the self discipline to sit down and take time to do the work, they are fine. It is soooo nice to come home from work, unwind from the day and then set your study schedule when it's convenient for you. Typically the only time you have to visit a proctor or testing center is for Finals and sometimes, midterm testing.

Any other questions? Just ask. The key is to begin and end your collegiate experience with a brick and mortar school. Stay away from places like University of Phoenix, DeVry, Kaplan, etc - Stay away from "for profit" schools. Use the local community colleges as much as possible.

BerettaLove32 · Post by **BerettaLove32** » Wed Feb 27, 2013 8:03 pm

Thanks for the detailed response, Dante. My Bachelors was a similar route that you took. I started at a community college to knock out my general education requirements and then finished at Illinois State. I was on the fence about Keller and the more I read online about it, the less I want to take classes there. Plus, I think a degree from Keller or University of Phoenix, has less 'value' on a resume as a real college would. I think I've got my next move figured out. Thanks!

bonecrrusher · Post by **bonecrrusher** » Thu Feb 28, 2013 12:01 pm

What are you majoring in?

My masters program was down in Dekalb @ NIU.

BerettaLove32 · Post by **BerettaLove32** » Thu Feb 28, 2013 8:03 pm

I have a degree in criminal justice from ISU. I'm looking at a masters in Information Systems or something similar to it.

bonecrrusher · Post by **bonecrrusher** » Mon Mar 04, 2013 10:20 am

Nice - I have a masters in Operations Management and Information Systems from NIU.

If you can get out to Dekalb a few times a week - I highly recommend it - using there Alumni network - I landed my job down in NC.

Post by **Styluss** » Wed Mar 06, 2013 1:00 pm

Online classes are a catch 22. They offer you the freedom to work at your own pace, bt if you are not committed / dedicated, you can easily fall behind. Also, it is rather easy to simply do enough work to "get by", therefor easily screwing you out of the actual education you should have received.

Trust me, an Associates Degree in web design that I have is essentially a joke due to this.

BerettaLove32 · Post by **BerettaLove32** » Wed Mar 06, 2013 7:49 pm

Styluss wrote:Online classes are a catch 22. They offer you the freedom to work at your own pace, bt if you are not committed / dedicated, you can easily fall behind. Also, it is rather easy to simply do enough work to "get by", therefor easily screwing you out of the actual education you should have received.

Trust me, an Associates Degree in web design that I have is essentially a joke due to this.

That's kind of the impression I got after reading lots of reviews online. People say you can pass classes with minimal effort and you only get out of it what you put in to it. I'll just have to make sure I work hard at it, because with my work schedule it's either online or nothing at all.

Ozzwoman9 · Post by **Ozzwoman9** » Thu Mar 07, 2013 2:11 pm

Doesn't matter if you attend online or on campus...you have to put in the effort yourself and make it yourself.

I attended classes in campus for graphic design. First day of class was given our midterm assignment and the date it was due and told we could just come back in that time to turn it in, or we could attend the classes every day and make use of the computers and read through the lesson material. When midterm time came, we turned it in and were handed our final assignment.

Obviously I attended classes for the most part and made us of the computers and asked any questions I had to the instructor.

I passed and graduated college with honors. But I can very easily see how many others didn't make it.

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