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Student Profiles
- Aimee: Entrepreneurship - Byron & Janet: Education - Chris: Edu. Leadership - Clair: MBA - Debbie: Business - Elaine: Business Admin - Gary: Strategic Intel - Gorana: Graphic Design - Jeff: Psychology - Jeremy: Web Design - Joe: Cyber-security - Martine: Writing - Patrick: Business - Pierre: Human Services - Robert: Marketing
Professors - J. Halverson, Higher Ed - S. Coleman, MBA
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Home | Education Articles |
Student Profile: Robert B.
What happens if you move out of state while working on your degree?
Online degree program fits working professional's career
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Robert B., who is currently working full-time
in the Internet industry, has been working on his Bachelor of Science in Business/Marketing
at University of Phoenix.
A new resident to California, Robert has brought
his online degree program with him state to state, as his career has taken
him across the U.S.
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World Wide Learn chatted with Robert about his online education choice, and how
he fits studying into his busy work schedule.
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World Wide Learn:
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Why did you decide on an online degree program, and why University of Phoenix?
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Robert B:
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I had just finished up my Associate's degree at Chattanooga State in Tennessee
and started looking into the University of Tennessee's programs. Nothing there
really excited me very much, and there were some pain points associated with
attending a campus school. Things like: one class will be available one semester,
but not the next semester, waiting in week-to-month-long lines to talk with
a counselor, and the commute time between the University and my home in the
suburbs.
I worked a 40-hour work week so none of these pain points made the local University
very attractive. I was also fairly sure my career would be taking me places
beyond Tennessee very soon, and didn't want to commit to a program that I might
have to get out of, and lose credits from upon transferring.
I researched online schooling by chance to see if there was another way I could
get my degree while addressing each of the things that made it difficult for
me to go to school. I happened across University of Phoenix and
filled out a request form asking for more information. The speed at which they
got
back to me was very impressive. Three different people were available helping
me with financial aid, degree choices, and class scheduling. If you had a request
or question, UoP policy was to get back to you within the same day by email
or by phone. It was very different from the type of treatment I was accustomed
to from campus schools.
Suddenly I found myself in a relationship with responsive counselors, no commute
time, and credits that didn't need to be transferred if I moved somewhere else.
University of Phoenix seemed to be the perfect fit.
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World Wide Learn:
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What has surprised you so far about your program? What are some things
that you hadn't expected?
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Robert B:
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I didn't expect to encounter any of the interactive learning software the classes
will sometimes throw at you. There are very well put-together simulations where
you call the shots in various business scenarios based on your knowledge of
the subject matter and the advice your simulated advisors give you. It's pretty
cool and the themes vary depending on what class you're currently in. I get
a kick out of them. |
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World Wide Learn:
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How do you fit your coursework into your busy work schedule? How much
time do you spend per week?
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Robert B:
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It's not easy but it doesn't kill me either. I usually end up doing the
majority of my assignments over the weekend and keep up class attendance during
the week. Monday – Thursday is usually 1-2 hours a day interacting with the
class for attendance and going over the material, and some of that time is
also spent with team members preparing for a group project. On weekends I spend
anywhere between 5-7 hours on personal and group assignments depending on the
workload. If I'm feeling energetic I can get it done in one day, but if I'm
lazy I'll take the second day to do it. University of Phoenix only requires
you check in 5 days out of the 7 in a week so if I do finish on Saturday (and
that happens pretty frequently), then my Sundays still belong to me.
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World Wide Learn:
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What are some challenges you've faced with respect to your degree coursework?
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Robert B:
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I found the business accounting course very challenging. I've never been
a math wizard and I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to make the cut.
Luckily the teacher was very helpful and the PDF documents the University provides
were pretty instructive. In the end I made it through the class with a decent
grade.
Sometimes working in team groups in an online environment for certain projects
has been challenging as well. I'm currently in my 14th UoP class with only
4 left to go. After working in so many online group projects, you eventually
learn to establish ground rules very early and the rest of the project runs
smoothly.
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World Wide Learn:
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How is it communicating with your instructor, or other students, in a
completely online environment?
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Robert B:
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Efficient! I like how the environment forces us to get right to the meat
of any problem or discussion. Every thing that is ever said is neatly organized
in threads so note-taking isn't needed. You never have to second guess what
someone wants from you because there's a record of it that stays for the remainder
of the class.
Sometimes being in a different time zone than one of your team members for
a project can make things a little tricky, but as long as everyone is accountable
and agreeable, it doesn't affect the final outcome of your finished group product.
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World Wide Learn:
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What advice would you give to someone considering getting their degree
online?
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Robert B:
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Make sure you're willing to commit the time to completing the degree.
Just because you're at home doesn't mean you get to relax and drift through
the course. Being an online student puts the onus on you to reach out and grab
hold of the program material. If you're capable of properly motivating yourself
to learn from home in an online environment, getting an online degree can be
a very rewarding and efficient alternative to campus schooling.
If you work full time and or plan to move throughout the course of your college
career, definitely look into what an online university has to offer. It's worked
out great for me, and I'm looking forward to graduating with a bachelor's in
marketing this coming April.
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