October 8th, 2007
WorldWideBlog Wants YOU…
…to talk to us about your experiences. (Is this because I’m too sleepy to come up with a well-thought-out, full-fledged post today? Bite your tongue.) Are you considering a college degree, either online or on-campus? In the middle of one? Already got one? What would you like to know before you get started? If you’re in the middle or the end of one, what do you wish you’d known when making your choice?
Here’s an added challenge for you. If you’re reading this blog, chances are you’ve perused other blogs and forums about online education, and seen exactly two types of comments:
1. X University is a horrible diploma mill. Here is a play-by-play of my hideous experience with their customer service team and how they confused and alienated me. [may occasionally be posted by X University's competitor]
2. Education isn’t for everyone, 1. Clearly you just weren’t working hard enough. I have had an excellent experience with X University and am about to get my degree. [may occasionally be posted by X University employee]
So, your challenge is to give us your thoughts, ideas and feedback on your educational experience (or the one you hope to have) without falling into one of the two traps above. If you really feel like being eloquent, we might turn your comment into a post.
Talk to me, baby!
I attended several colleges before receiving my degree and the experiences varied greatly from institution to institution. Made the mistake of blowing off all my scholarships from high school (I was a national merit student and had a boatload of free rides on my shelves and I let them go).
Took a year off to get over the school burnout, worked in a factory, then a fast food joint. Enrolled at night at College of the Sequoias in Visalia, CA Needed a lot of individual attention in calculus (after being out of school a year) and got it. A community college was perfect for me at the time–affordable and provided classes I needed when I could take them. My boyfriend, who was dyslexic, was even able to get special help and they showed me how to work with him. In a year he improved his reading by 6 grade levels.
Then I got 2 certificates–one in computer operations, the other in computer programming at a private trade school called Computer Learning Center. Helped me get an awesome job with an aerospace company and get off the minimum wage treadmill.
Next school was Cal State Long Beach. Like it’s own city within the city, I was able to take classes from famous profs (like Betty Edwards who wrote Drawing On the Right Side of the Brain) but it was overcrowded and hard to get into classes. At that time the bar at Long Beach State served more beer than any other bar in the entire state of California. I had a great time there.
Job required travel and flexibility, so I switched to a private college and took one class a month at night and on weekends. I think it was Naional University, and my employer paid my tuition. Knocked out a big chunk of my accounting / finance degree in 14 months.
Final destination was the University of Nevada Reno. For the first time, I was able to have the whole college experience–join social clubs, go to classes during the day, attend events and football games. I got scholarships and an internship and graduated with High Distinction. Everyone knew who the tough profs were and I sought them out and got an amazing education. The School of Business was excellent and I was well-prepared for my career.
All these colleges met different needs for me at different periods of my life. That’s why there are so many out there–what’s right for me isn’t right for you, and what’s right for you now may not be right for you later. It’s great to have a choice.
Comment by renos2k — October 8, 2007 @ 5:15 pm