Introducing Carlisa, our Online College student
Posted by Carlisa on November 18th, 2009
I'm a new "blogger" and like most people today, I had personal goals and dreams that changed as life happened around me. In this blog, I invite you to follow along in my journey of getting an online college degree through AIU (American Intercontinental University).
I graduated high school in Alabama in 1979 (OMG, I just realized, it’s been 30 years!). To make long story short, "Life Happened". I met a guy, got married, had children, became a gymnastics/ballet/girl scout/soccer mom, a Sunday school teacher, and worked in various radio stations.
Jump ahead 27 years. I’m now divorced, my kids are grown and I have 2 grandchildren. The state of the economy caused the group of radio stations that I worked with to downsize, so I lost my job. I moved to Georgia to be near my parents and tried desperately to find another radio job. In my attempt to find "work" I saw the same requirements, over and over. It was quite apparent that to get a good job – a career – I needed to get a Bachelors Degree. All of a sudden I realized that the ringing in my ears was actually my dad’s voice in my head – something about having a "back-up plan"!
The thought of going back to school seemed crazy, but exciting! I mean, I barely graduated high school (again, 30 years ago!). I’m not a particularly "scholarly" person and just couldn’t imagine myself being able to follow through. Plus, I'll be turning 50 on my next Birthday. "Is there really any sense in getting a college degree at this age", I asked myself. Also "isn’t college expensive"? But everywhere I looked, there were ads enticing me "Moms, Go Back to School"! All the talk about getting government grants, student loans and scholarships to further my education peaked my interest.
My first step was to start researching all the possibilities. I’m not one to make quick decisions. I had to do a lot of investigating and compiling and comparing of information. It turns out that I was indeed eligible for grants, scholarships and student loans. I started calling area schools and researching the many online college and "brick and mortar" college options. I took lots of notes as I asked loads of questions and compared the details for all the colleges that I was considering. My phone was ringing off the hook as admission advisors were constantly calling me back trying to win my enrollment.
I weighed the pros and cons of being in an actual classroom with other students for classes, vs being at home alone with my computer for online classes. There were many decisions to be made. In my next blogs, I'll walk you through getting into AIU and my online college experiences.
- Facebook poll shows college students don't know VoIP
- Data Breach Alert: Student hacker puts 35,000 teachers and staff on alert
- Connecticut teens earn diplomas on the Internet
- Credit Cardholder's Bill of Rights includes special protections for college students
- Data Breach Alert: Massachusetts college exposes 20,000 personal identities
Washington Post predicts a "virtual revolution" for colleges
Posted by Caitlin on September 21st, 2009
A recent article in the Washington Post argues that the business model for private colleges in the United States is unsustainable, and that for future generations, undergraduate education may entail a different model altogether. The article points out that online classes are cheaper to produce, making online education a more cost effective option, as well as being more efficient. The Post makes a compelling argument for the increased influence of the Internet on educational institutions, standards and expectations, and predicts a cultural shift in the way employers perceive online degrees.
If you are considering pursuing a degree over the Internet, you may find our reviews and comparisons of the top online colleges and universities helpful.
New study reveals the benefits of online education
Posted by Caitlin on August 24th, 2009
The U.S. Department of Education recently released a report on online education. The study, which examined the comparative research on online versus traditional classroom teaching from 1996 to 2008, concluded that, "On average, students in online learning conditions performed better than those receiving face-to-face instruction." Most of the comparative studies focused on colleges and adult continuing education programs.
Barbara Means, the study's lead author, said, "The study’s major significance lies in demonstrating that online learning today is not just better than nothing — it actually tends to be better than conventional instruction." The New York Times points out that new online tools such as instant messaging and web-based video have helped to enrich the online education experience in recent years, and that online education fostors learning opportunities that are more specifically tailored to individual students.
NextAdvisor.com has reviewed many of the most prominent online colleges and universities. If you are interested in learning more about online education options, take a look at our helpful and informative reviews, comparison chart, and answers to frequently asked questions.
A cat earns her degree online
Posted by Caitlin on August 19th, 2009
A Georgia cat named Oreo was recently awarded a diploma from Jefferson High School Online. In reality, Oreo's owner, Kelvin Collins, paid the $200 fee and answered the test questions on the cat's behalf. Collins works for the Better Business Bureau and enrolled Oreo at Jefferson High School Online, which is based in the Carribean, in order to expose diploma mills. There are many online institutions that are more than happy to provide meaningless diplomas for a relatively low price. But those diplomas, and most of the time spent earning them, are utterly worthless.
Online education can be a valuable and worthwhile option, but it's important to do your research and select a reputable institution. A degree from a reputable online college or university can help you advance your career, increase your salary or break into a new field. To learn more about some of the top rated online degree programs, take a look at our reviews and comparison chart.
- Connecticut teens earn diplomas on the Internet
- First online girl's school set to launch in 2010
- Data Breach Alert: College students receive social security numbers of classmates over email
- WalletLock takes the worry out of losing your wallet
- How to set up automated online hard drive backups with Mozy
First online girl's school set to launch in 2010
Posted by Joe on June 24th, 2009
A group of exclusive private all-girl's secondary schools in Tennessee, Maryland, Ohio and Connecticut are joining forces to launch the Online School for Girls, the first online school focused on same-sex education.
The school will offer a variety of secondary school schools including math, science and humanities according to a report in the Nashville Business Journal. Faculty from the Harpeth Hall School, Holton-Arms School, Laurel School and Westover School will all be involved in creating and teaching the curriculum.
Classes will begin this fall and be affordably priced so that secondary school aged girls from around the world can take advantage of the opportunity. The Online School for Girls joins a growing number of online educational opportunities for high school students. It is estimated that more than 1 million secondary students took an online course during the 2007-2008 school year.
This explosion of online secondary school options will undoubtedly continue to feed the growth of online universities in the United States and around the world.
We have reviewed several online colleges and universities. You can read our comparison and reviews of online colleges and universities to learn more.
- Connecticut teens earn diplomas on the Internet
- Attend a MIT physics class in your pajamas
- Data Breach Alert: College students receive social security numbers of classmates over email
- Data Breach Alert: Hundreds of financial records exposed in Michigan
- Data Breach Alert: Stolen laptop leaves thousands of Connecticut State students exposed
Credit Cardholder's Bill of Rights includes special protections for college students
Posted by Joe on June 8th, 2009
While the Credit Cardholder's Bill of Rights offer protections for all Americans, there are a few amendments that specifically designed to help prevent college students from racking up thousands of dollars of debt while they are still undergrads.
First, there are much more strict limits on the amount of credit that can be offered up to a college student by an issuing bank. A student without a co-signer is limited to the greater of 20% of that students annual income or $500. While this may limit some students access to credit, it ensures that the particular individual is not put in a position where they have more spending power than they are reasonable able to pay back. We believe this should help most students develop positive credit usage habits and prevent heaps of unpaid debt from racking up.
Next, banks are prohibited from providing inducements to students in exchange for completing a credit card application. Anyone who has spent any time on a college campus over the last two decades knows how common the practice of providing incentives such as t-shirts, mugs, hats or even candy bars in exchange for signing up for a credit card. We see this as a positive move in that it removes a certain level of frivolity from the process of signing up for a credit card.
Finally, banks must disclose the terms of so called "affinity agreements" between credit card issuing banks and universities. These agreements typically give a bank exclusive rights to market credit cards with the college or university's logos to students and alumni in exchange for marketing fees. This is good for several reasons, but probably the most important has to do with privacy. Often affinity agreements allow banks to have access to significant amounts of personal information and we think it is good that this part of the bill of rights allows students to know exactly how their information may be used by outside parties.
You can learn more about credit cards for college students and tools to monitor credit reports and scores by reading our reviews and comparisons.
- Data Breach Alert: College students receive social security numbers of classmates over email
- Facebook poll shows college students don't know VoIP
- Data Breach Alert: Harvard hack exposed more data than initially thought
- Data Breach Alert: Stolen laptop leaves thousands of Connecticut State students exposed
- Connecticut teens earn diplomas on the Internet
Does University of Phoenix offer financial aid?
Posted by Caitlin on April 10th, 2009
The following post in our Reader Question series is an actual user submitted question. To maintain the integrity of the original question, we do not edit or change reader questions in any way.
Q: Does University of Phoenix offer financial aid? If so, what are the requirements to apply for financial aid?
A: University of Phoenix has several financial aid options available for students. If you are unable to pay your tuition partially or in full, you need to find a primary source of financial aid to cover the balance. If you cannot find a single source to cover the balance, you will need to find multiple sources of financial aid.
If your employer is willing to reimburse you for educational expenses, the University of Phoenix will defer your payments for 60 days from the beginning of your courses. Some companies allow direct billing, which means that you can send your tuition invoice directly to your employer.
If you have served in the military, the University of Phoenix will accept Military Tuition Assistance funds. You will have to consult directly with the University of Phoenix's financial aid department in order to utilize these benefits.
Student loans are another option to consider.You should contact the financial aid department directly regarding private loans, which will vary depending on your major and location.
The University of Phoenix also offers scholarships. You can browse scholarship options at the University of Phoenix alumni association website.
Federal financial aid is limited and is contingent upon your degree or certificate program. If you have been accepted to a degree or certificate program, you may be eligible for the Federal Pell, Academic Competitiveness, National SMART and SEOG Grant Programs, the Federal Family Educational Loan Programs (Stafford subsidized, Stafford unsubsidized and PLUS Loans) and/or the Federal Perkins Loan Programs.
It is also possible to defer tuition payment for the duration one school term but after this time, the deferment must be renewed and you must meet certain requirements.
Financial aid can be revoked at any time if you do not meet a minimum enrollment or GPA requirement. You can learn more about financial aid options by contacting the University of Phoenix financial aid department when you request information or apply.
For more information about University of Phoenix or other online universities, see our reviews and comparison chart.
The Internet can save you gas money!
Posted by Caitlin on June 20th, 2008
On Earth Day, we posted some tips for living a more eco-friendly lifestyle with the help of online services. One suggestion was to attend an online college or university, since it reduces the environmental impact of getting an education. ABC recently ran a story informing viewers that online classes are gaining in popularity as a result of high gas prices. Driving to and from classes is getting pretty pricey at some campuses, but with the help of the Internet all that money can be saved.
Other online services can save you time and gas as well. With an online DVD rental service like Netflix, you avoid driving to and from the store every time you'd like to watch a movie, and online diet programs give you support and encouragement in the comfort of your own home.
To learn more about online education programs, online DVD rental services, and online diet programs, take a look at our reviews and comparisons.
5 tips to live a more eco-friendly lifestyle this Earth Day
Posted by Joe on April 22nd, 2008
In honor of Earth Day we thought we would post a handful of useful tips related to the various services we review and compare here at NextAdvisor. The great news is that most of these techniques will not only reduce your impact on the environment but are also make your daily life easier.
1) Eliminate junk mail
We have posted previously on the hidden identity theft risk in junk mail, but in honor of earth day, we also wanted to point out that junk mail and other marketing communications you receive in the mail are very bad for the environment. Check out the original post for more tips on eliminating junk mail.
Additionally, we came across a new service today called Catalog Choice which allows you to select which catalogs you would like to receive. The service is free and allows you to opt out from receiving catalogs that you no longer wish to receive while still allowing those you want reach your mailbox.
2) Receive your credit report online
Whether you are ordering your free credit report from AnnualCreditReport.com or from one of the credit report monitoring services we have reviewed and compared make sure you opt for online delivery of your credit report. Not only will this lower the overall carbon footprint of your order because the reports don't need to be printed or transported by postal mail, but you will also receive immediate access to your credit file information.
3) Go paperless when you have the option
Opt for paperless billing where you can. VoIP services such as voip.com and Vonage offer a paperless billing option and so do other companies such as cell phone providers and credit card companies. Accessing your billing information online is not only more eco-friendly but it is also more convenient.
4) Attend an online college or university
Think of going back to get a better job or just for personal enrichment? Consider an online college or University. We have reviewed and compared dozens of e-learning institutions and found that they are every bit as reputable as their traditional counterparts with the added convenience of being able to attend classes from your home computer. Since you don't have to commute to and from a physical campus and most of the course information is distributed digital the impact on the environment is greatly reduced.
5) Store your data "in the cloud"
Use an online backup service such as Mozy to store the information on your computer's hard drive. Online backup services are much more environmentally friendly than the hardware based alternatives because they cut down on the number of home storage devices that have to be produced and shipped all over the globe.
Do you have your own eco-friendly and convenient tips that you would like to share? We would love to hear from you! Just leave a note in the comments below.
Attend a MIT physics class in your pajamas
Posted by Joe on January 4th, 2008
While we have reviewed e-learning programs offered by online colleges and universities for some time we have noticed an exciting trend in web based learning over the last year. Many of the top colleges and universities in the United States and Europe have begun releasing full audio and video lectures as well as other course material for free on the web.
Schools like UC Berkley, Princeton, Harvard, Oxford and hundreds of others offer thousands of hours of course material through video services such as YouTube and iTunes. MIT was an early pioneer in this space having launched their OpenCourseWare initiative in 2001 which now includes information from 1800 different courses ranging from Physics to scuba diving.
Students cannot earn actual course credit as a result of these programs, but they do represent a great move towards opening up some of the world's greatest academic thought to the world.
Check out our free online education guide to learn about schools that will offer course credit for online classes. We have reviewed hundreds of these online learning programs and have ranked to best e-learning institutions as a service for our readers.
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