Taking an Online Class

• I must log into the class discussion board at least 3 separate days throughout the week and post something each time.

• On one of those days, I must post my answer to the professor’s weekly question about the material we’re learning. This involves much thought and analysis, and it took some time to compile a clear, meaningful response that might help other members of the class. You can’t just recite what the textbook says; for a full grade, you must apply it to your experiences to really show that you’re grasping the topic.

• I must respond to 2 of my classmates throughout the week for a complete grade. At first, my classmates would respond with a quick sentence congratulating each other on a well-thought out post, but soon enough, polite debates began over some of the material, and questions were asked of each other, similar to a normal discussion that would be held in any brick-and-mortar classroom (Myth #2). The advantage to the discussion board is that you get to write and rewrite your answers before posting them.

Read more about this military discount.

]]> http://www.onlinedegreefinder.com/2010/08/02/military-discount-for-online-school-tuition/feed/ http://www.onlinedegreefinder.com/2010/06/29/criminal-justice-scholarship/ http://www.onlinedegreefinder.com/2010/06/29/criminal-justice-scholarship/#comments Tue, 29 Jun 2010 18:04:48 +0000 ttopor http://www.onlinedegreefinder.com/?p=4131 Applicants must be:

• full or part-time student
• graduate or undergraduate student at a four-year accredited university
• U.S. citizen
• have at least a 3.5 GPA
• a criminal justice, criminology, police administration, police science major

Application deadline is December 15, 2010.

Click here for more information.

Harlem Globetrotter Kevin “Special K” Daley was one of the 2,818 online graduates from Ashford University in May. Ashford University offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs online and at its Clinton, Iowa campus.

Daley’s determination and devotion helped earn his undergraduate degree in sociology. He also made the Dean’s list and graduated with a 3.6 GPA.

Daley’s higher education accomplishment fulfilled a promise he made to his father and to himself. In 2000, he left Azusa Pacific University to pursue a career in professional basketball, but told his dad he would finish college someday. Over time, Daley’s attitude towards education changed and he realized he needed to earn his degree, “I can’t preach education to my own daughter if I had the opportunity and didn’t do it.”

More than 98 percent of Ashford University’s students attend classes online, and represent the face of non-traditional learners like working parents, single moms, military veterans, and career changers.

Daley said the online classwork was more difficult that he imagined. He hopes that despite whatever obstacles people may face, that they go after their goals. He did - and earned his degree 10 years after leaving college!

Read the full story here.

Nowadays, earning a college degree that will actually be valuable down the road is important. Majors that incorporate mathematics and science into the everyday business world have the biggest earning potential.

Ten most profitable majors that turn into the highest paying college degrees:

1. Engineering. This includes (in order of highest first year salaries) aerospace engineering, chemical engineering, computer engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, industrial engineering, environmental engineering, and civil engineering.

   Average first year salary: $59,000. Average mid-career salary: $101,000.

2. Economics. Economics majors do a lot of statistics and math, and also study a wide range of topics including social science, psychology, political science and history. There are plenty of humanitarian efforts you can make in this line of work, as economists are needed to create public policy — domestically and internationally.

   Average first year salary: $50,200. Average mid-career salary: $101,000.

3. Physics. Physics majors can lead to a broad range of science, engineering, and education careers. With a BS in physics, students can pursue careers as a high school science teachers, laboratory technicians, computer programmers, and meteorologists, among others.

   Average starting salary: $51,100. Average mid-career salary: $98,800.

4. Computer Science. Majoring in computer science will allow you to navigate through the algorithmic processes that create, describe, and transform information. Other than going into Information Technology, there are plenty of career options for computer science majors, such as software designers, start-up company partners, and freelance computer programmers.

   Average starting salary: $56,400. Average mid-career salary: $97,400.

5. Statistics. As a statistics major, you observe patterns and useful information for everything from business applications to political strategies. Often statisticians collect and interpret data for marketing purposes.

   Average career salary: $48,600. Average mid-career salary: $94,500.

6. Biochemistry. Biochemistry majors can find work as lab technicians, analytical chemists, and researcher assistants. This major also opens the door to advanced or medical degrees.

   Average starting salary: $41,700. Average mid-career salary: $94, 200.

7. Mathematics. Majoring in mathematics can lead to a wide range of fields, such as banking and finance, computing services, insurance, industry, or education.

   Average career salary: $47,000. Average mid-career salary: $93, 600.

8. Construction Management. A construction manager’s job is to plan, oversee, and organize construction projects.

   Average starting salary: $53,400. Average mid-career salary: $89,600.

9. Information Systems. Every business uses information systems to keep track of their products and payroll. You can major in management information systems or computing and information systems.

   Average starting salary: $51,400. Average mid-career salary: $87,000.

10. Geology. Geology majors are knowledgeable of physical and chemical processes of the earth’s atmospheric, oceanic and land systems.

    Average starting salary: $45,000. Average mid-career salary: $84,200.

Source: WalletPop.com

Choosing your college courses is an important decision that can be overwhelming. Here are some tips that you should keep in mind:

Look Over the Course Catalog

The courses listed in the catalog will include core requirements (classes that all students must take), requirements for each major, courses offered within each department, and electives. There will also be different levels of courses, ranging from introductory-level courses to challenging seminars. Choose classes that interest you. If you know what you want to major in, choose classes that are required by that major.

Plan for Registration Day

Registering for classes can be stressful. Some schools require you to register for classes online, while others will make you stand in line, or enter a lottery system to get into specific classes. Popular classes, or the classes you want to get into may already be filled by the time you register, so you should always have several back-up courses lined up just in case.

Take Required Classes Early

Since all schools will have some courses that are required for all students to take, get these out of the way early on. The specific courses that are required by each school will vary, but generally include a foreign language, or math and science course. Spend the rest of your time focusing on classes that interest you or classes required for your major.

Balance Your Courses

Make sure you take a combination of hard classes and easier classes at the same time. Some courses will require more time, reading, and work than others, and taking on too much will put a strain on you and your grades.

Also, make sure the classes you are taking don’t all require the same type of work. Some classes like history, literature, and poetry will require lots of reading. Math and science classes will require problem solving and analytical thinking. Choose a variety of subjects so that you aren’t stuck doing a lot of reading or a lot of writing all at the same time for your classes.

Ask for Advice and Help

Most colleges will assign you an academic advisor when you start school. Make sure you set up a time to meet with them to discuss your education goals, and the classes you are taking. If you are feeling overwhelmed or need advice, make sure you ask your advisor for help. You may also ask your professors or the department heads.

Take a Writing Course

You should take a writing class the first year at school, even if you aren’t required to do so. You can apply the writing skills you developed and learned in this course to all other courses throughout the rest of college, as well as towards writing your resume, and for your future career.

Browse accredited college degree programs now!

According to a survey done by MyPlan.com, here are the Top 100 Colleges based on Overall Satisfaction & Happiness with School Choice. The data was collected from MyPlan.com users from the past three years, and was constantly updated as new users provided data. If a school is not listed, it’s because there wasn’t enough significant data compiled during the survey to represent that school.

Top 100 Colleges: Overall Satisfaction & Happiness with School Choice

1. Williams College
2. Ohio University, Main Campus
3. Elon University
4. Yale University
5. Stanford University
6. University of Notre Dame
7. Smith College
8. Appalachian State University
9. Carleton College
10. Vassar College
11. Humboldt State University
12. Amherst College
13. Bryn Mawr College
14. California Polytechnic State Univ, San Luis Obispo
15. California Baptist University
16. Wellesley College
17. Columbia University in the City of New York
18. Fordham University
19. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
20. University of California, Berkeley
21. Oklahoma State University, Main Campus
22. Reed College
23. Brigham Young University
24. Brown University
25. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
26. Dartmouth College
27. Cornell University
28. Harvard University
29. Abilene Christian University
30. Gordon College
31. Wake Forest University
32. Wittenberg University
33. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State Univ
34. Harvey Mudd College
35. Westminster College
36. Goddard College
37. Oregon State University
38. University of California, Santa Barbara
39. East Carolina University
40. Worcester Polytechnic Institute
41. Pennsylvania State University, Penn State Main Campus
42. Middlebury College
43. Brigham Young University, Idaho
44. Dickinson College
45. California State University, Chico
46. Mary Washington College
47. University of Chicago
48. Wesleyan University
49. University of Texas at Austin
50. West Virginia University
51. University of California, Davis
52. College of the Holy Cross
53. University of Southern California
54. Auburn University Main Campus
55. University of Virginia, Main Campus
56. College of William and Mary
57. Princeton University
58. University of South Carolina, Columbia
59. University of Wisconsin, Madison
60. Michigan State University
61. Central Missouri State University
62. Eastern Illinois University
63. Saint Louis University, Main Campus
64. Southern Oregon University
65. Xavier University
66. Creighton University
67. University of Kansas Main Campus
68. Marietta College
69. St John’s College
70. Georgetown University
71. SUNY College at Purchase
72. University of Hawaii at Hilo
73. Vanderbilt University
74. SUNY College at Geneseo
75. Dakota State University
76. Georgia Institute of Technology, Main Campus
77. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
78. University of Washington, Seattle Campus
79. Juniata College
80. Colorado State University
81. Oberlin College
82. Macalester College
83. University of Alabama
84. Pomona College
85. Randolph-Macon College
86. University of Florida
87. Louisiana State Univ and Ag and Mech College
88. Centre College
89. United States Naval Academy
90. Furman University
91. Evergreen State College
92. California Lutheran University
93. Florida State University
94. University of Oklahoma Norman Campus
95. Saint Johns University
96. Tulane University of Louisiana
97. Jacksonville State University
98. Valparaiso University
99. Lehigh University
100. University of Iowa

Do you need a summer job to help pay for your school bills? Are you searching for a summer internship to earn experience and advance your current career?

Search GetTheJob.com for summer internships or jobs in your community!

GetTheJob.com has a large database of various jobs submitted by companies. You can search by location, companies, or job categories. You can sign up for free on the website, set up a personal profile, and connect with other professionals.

GetTheJob.com’s blog provides articles on popular careers and the job industry, as well as helpful advice and information for anyone seeking a new profession.

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To what extent can an applicant’s Facebook profile be viewed and considered by an admissions office?

If you post things on Facebook, they become public material and essentially anyone can possibly see it.

Although the admissions department doesn’t check profiles and pictures on a regular basis, IF there is anything compromising on the Internet or on your Facebook page (photo, comments from friends, your interests, groups, videos, etc) that you are not proud of, you should do everything you can to delete or block things before starting the admissions process.

If there is something on the Internet or on your Facebook page that will make the school’s admissions department doubt your character, they will investigate it (if it hasn’t already been brought to their attention).

Remember: anything you post on Facebook – even it if is only shared with certain people or one friend – can somehow get copied & pasted, shared, or emailed to other people.

The opinion the admissions department has of the applicant can be negatively affected if they happen to see something inappropriate online. Their decision to accept the applicant may also be negatively affected.

A report showed that of all the recent application acceptances that were then rescinded, almost 7% of those were due to inappropriate postings on a website.

What is an inappropriate posting that could jeopardize an applicant’s chances, either before or after they have already been admitted?

Possible scenarios:

• If students that have been accepted to a school (or currently attend a school), and they discuss any drugs and/or alcohol they use or will be using.
• Anything that would make the school’s officials concerned about the well-being of other members of the community. If someone came across something compromising on Facebook and brought it to the school’s attention, it would need to be investigated to make sure that the community’s best interests and safety were being taken care of.
• Any ethical issues, that violate the school’s own honor code

To recap: If you have a Facebook or social networking profile, it is open to the public. People you don’t even know may have access to it, let alone the admissions department of a college you are applying to.

Delete and block any inappropriate pictures, posts, comments, videos, etc BEFORE you apply to a college. You don’t want something on your Facebook page to be the reason why you were not accepted.

In general, you always want to represent yourself as a respectable, mature human being. Make sure your social networking and Facebook profiles portray that image.

After you have carefully checked your Facebook profile, check out accredited online degree programs in your area!