Degree Space

You’re cruising down the highway of life. Just when you thought you could put your academic track on cruise control, a brick flies through your windshield. Whether it’s personal health, military serviced, your curriculum is not for you, a financial issue, unexpected children or just plain bad luck, you stop going to college. This doesn’t mean you can’t go back…and online colleges offer an excellent way to get back on track.
 
There are now a lot of studies about why students drop out. Poor high school preparation, financial obstacles, unexpected disasters, health, immaturity, the reasons are many. What returning students should realize is the system is forgiving. Programs are actually being set up to get people back, even if it apparently is tougher the second time around.
 
There are five things student should consider if they’re thinking going back. It involves self-evaluation and, to be honest, that’s something that many people lack. Here’s what they are:
 
First, the returning student should evaluate why he/she left. Colleges are forgiving about health, military service or personal disaster (such as death in the family). They are more difficult, but not impossible, if it was poor grades, crime or maturity issues. If it’s the latter causes, a good idea is to go part time at first, repair any poor grades or damage you had previously, or at least to prove you really are serious this time. This is one area online colleges come in real handy. It’s oft times easier to improve your grades from the comfort of home and still hold down a job.
 
Next, a retuning student should ask if they want to pursue their original curriculum. Many high school seniors think they are the next Einstein, Obama or Mozart, and then switch major mid-stream. If that’s the case, there are always need for everything from engineers to tech writers. Just don’t be surprised if some credits get lost because of this shift.
 
Choose Your Target Schools – This is where online colleges really do come in. They are very familiar with “non-traditional” students, by that it’s meant both students holding down fulltime jobs and going part time or dropping out and coming back in. Target schools that offer the curriculum you’re really interested in, and then don’t be shy about getting advice from those school.
 
Financial Aid – If you had college loans you had better either paid them off or been making payments. If not, get on the stick or forget about it. There are plenty of college grants, scholarships and loans for those who want to return. Check with your schools’ financial officers on that count.
 
Pull The Trigger – Fill out the paperwork and apply. Don’t be surprised with the additional life experience you gained while away from school, getting an university degrees becomes a lot easier, too. That’s a lot of returning students to online school to receive their online university degree. That brick that went through your windshield could be the cornerstone of a more solid foundation.

As it happens, the President has made a number of changes in financial aid packages, figuring online college are a good way for single moms and dads to do just that. With the help of online grants, these parents can get two-to-four year degrees just in time for the (hopeful) economic recovery.

Single parents can certainly apply for Obama’s ‘Moms Return to School’ Government Grant Scholarship program if they want to study online instead of on campus. In fact, online study is a common path for single parents who want to be at home with their children while studying.

This “education stimulus grant,” is part of the Pell Grant program. It can garner around $5,000 annual tuition, with the final amount based on previous education, the curriculum desired as well as financial need. Another program, the American Opportunity Tax Credit program, can set it up so the first $4,000 of higher education is free.

Like all federal education grants, one must fill out a FASFA form to find out what they can get. If done correctly, they can even cover non-educational matters such as daycare, housing and other basic needs. A good way to start sourcing out these grants is to first decide what area you want to get an advance education in.

A good way to start sourcing out these grants is to first decide what area you want to get an advance education in. Then target the online schools that offer the right curriculum. Apply to those schools, and immediately introduce yourself to the institution’s financial officers. It’s this personnel’s job to help you obtain the single parent, and any other, grants they can get their hands on.

It is truly critical to realize that the federal government isn’t the only source for this kind of money. Your state and local governments have many programs, such as your local Lotto, raising funds for furthering education. The best way to find these grants is by visiting the counties family service or economic office. The unemployment office may also have state funded grants available to help single parents find a better paying job.

Another place to find out more about this is the website Grants.gov, which finds specific grants for many categories. Use “search grant opportunities” tool at the top of the page to see what grants are available. On the other hand, be very, very careful about those sites using the president’s name. What many will try to do is steer a needy student into spurious loans or similar situations.

Still, with the economy still in its doldrums, continuing one’s education could be a very solid offer for a solo parent with online schools. If their need is great enough, they can stay home to watch their children AND get enough college grants. to afford to. An ideal situation for any parent if there is one. The is more information about federal grants.

The County of Queens, New York Public Library system has a fairly enlightened approach to job recruitment. It realizes many of the people it needs don’t have degrees in library science. So it pays for them. The catch is you have to obtain that degree within a conscripted time period…and from an online school.
 
Even though such fine institutions as NYU, Columbia and the SUNY system are just a subway ride away, the Queens Library maximizes employee time against educational advancement. Its librarians don’t have to go to a separate campus, but home, to further themselves. You can bet Queens knows which schools it wants its employees to go to, but do you?
 
Maybe you would rather be an accountant or advance your programming abilities instead of learning the nuances of the Dewey Decimal System. In these days of the web, one can find an online school for those, and many other disciplines, too. The key thing is just finding the right school for you.
 
The first thing to do is narrow down the several hundred universities out there. A good place to start is Google. Just do a search under “online universities, accredited” and it will lead you to a number of data bases that will guide you to about 200 different facilities offering such college degrees. Obviously, trying to sift through several hundred online schools isn’t that efficient.
 
So it’s now time to narrow the search. Enter the field you want to specialize in. It can cut the number of schools down considerably, as much as 90%. Note that many online schools realize that students may not know what they truly want to specialize. Students are also notorious for changing their mind mid-degree. So see if they offer broad liberal arts or science-based programs until you make a final decision. Again, the list will be narrowed.
 
Now it’s time to refine further. Is the school truly accredited? Go back to Google, type the school’s name and something like “accreditation.” That answers that quickly. Does the school offer financial aid? The school itself usually will gladly answer that for you. Also, go to the Department of Education to see if there are programs outside the school’s for more aid.
 
Once you get the field narrowed to a dozen or less schools, it’s time to get to work. Go to the school’s web site and do some serious reading. Find out if there is anyone of note teaching the courses. If the program offered does fit your personal schedule. What are the costs and funds available for your entrance. Sort and sift until you get that list down to approximately three.
 
Then it’s time to pull the trigger and apply at those online college for your university degrees. Remember you’re in the drivers seat so go for what you feel will be the best deal. After this much work, the final choice about online universities should be pretty easy from this point on.