Online College Applications - Pros, Cons and Insider Tips

July 23rd, 2008 by tech blogger

Applying to colleges or universities is an exciting milestone for many high school graduates; yet far too often, the application process itself becomes frustrating and intimidating.

Faced with a myriad of information via booklets, forms and well-meaning but often misguided parents and peers, things can become a bit overwhelming.

Thankfully, the days of huddling over a typewriter with whiteout in hand have been relegated to the past. The modern-day offices of higher education not only accept electronic applications, but also encourage them for their mutual convenience and ease of use.

Electronic College Applications are becoming increasingly popular with higher learning institutions and students alike because of their contribution to a better level of customer service.

Electronic applications give both student and faculty an easier method of tracking the status of applications and of determining financial aid status. This results in a more time efficient method by providing immediate confirmation of receipt of applications and real-time status of its progress.

By taking advantage of a streamlined electronic entrance application system, institutions are realizing a marked increase in labor savings, which may lead to becoming a determining factor in helping to offset the high cost of post-secondary education.

Although electronic college applications are hitting the main stream at a progressive rate, there is still a modicum of fear by some that electronic filing does not offer the security or personal touch of hard copy applications.

Most institutions are largely allaying these fears by their rollover to more technologically adept software that makes electronic applications safe and secure.

By offering dedicated as well as generic applications online, some institutions provide students with the option of using the same information for various applications.

In addition to paving the way for a more seamless entrance application process, alot of colleges and universities have waived application fees for those students who opt to use the electronic application method.

However, there still remains a bit of grey area regarding the electronic online application process. There have been reports of an increased error ratio on electronic applications when compared to traditional paper submissions.

Once again, many of the higher learning institutions are attempting to address this problem by streamlining their forms while offering how-to advice that students can readily understand and use more efficiently. Careful consideration is being given to utilizing software that reduces the chances of a student’s online application being lost in cyberspace.

The diligent approach to eliminating online application errors, while being of the utmost concern, is not the only drawback to the universal acceptance of the electronic application process. Students’ access to technology, their level of technological expertise and their cultural backgrounds may militate against the successful completion of online applications.

This too is being addressed at the entrance level with more and more institutions offering viable alternatives for students who may not be as familiar or comfortable with the internet as a valuable resource.

University and college Registrar offices always have staff available to offer advice and support to all incoming students. For those who prefer a hands-on approach when completing their college entrance applications, the option of filing their application manually is still encouraged.

If you decide to go the online application route, here are some crucial tips to guide you:

1)The essay that is attached to a college application is vital so don’t rush it. You will more than likely need to write several drafts before submitting it. It is also vital to use proper grammar when writing it.

2)Proofread your work carefully. Minor proofreading errors can make a poor impression on admission officers. Print out online applications and proofread it since it can be hard to spot errors on the computer screen

3)Contact the admissions department if you need to ask questions concerning your application. Don’t assume anything. This is your future we are talking about so there is really no such thing as a silly question.

4)Don’t submit the generic applications to a number of different colleges even though this option is available. Treat it like a job application in the sense that just as every company is different, so is every college. This will have a more positive impression on the admissions officers who want to know that you have taken the time to know their college.

5) Don’t wait until the 11th hour to submit your online application. Put some thought into what you are writing. Furthermore, an unexpected computer crash could derail a last minute application resulting in missing the deadline. It is better to give yourself adequate time to finish and submit the application.

6)Double check to make sure your college application was received. Many colleges will issue you a password so you can check the status of your online application realtime.

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Advantages of Online School

July 22nd, 2008 by tech blogger

A child lives inside all of us, isn’t it? We often secretly wish to go back to those fun filled childhood days. And as you think of childhood, the first thing that crosses your mind is those colorful school days! Can you remember the thrill of going to school on the first day of a new academic year and the excitement over the worldly possessions like new books, new shoes, new lunch boxes, pencil case and so on! And above all the curiosity about the new things that are going to unfold before us in the new class! Most of us secretly wish to regain the excitement of joining a school and learning new things, isn’t it? Well, there is no need to think that you can no longer join a school and add a new chapter to your learning experiences. The online schools are there for the adult people just like you who want to continue with studies but can not give up the current profession to pursue a course by attending classes regularly. Then even if you managed to wrestle out a study leave from your employer, have you thought of the cost of the course? The cheap online courses may be the ideal solution for your thirst for knowledge.

Are you a staying at home parent longing for accumulating more knowledge? Just think about it, if you can study at your home you do not have to bother about hiring a baby sitter and you will be able to keep a vigil on your baby while you study. You can further save on the conveyance expenses as well. In most of the cases you will also not require to buy expensive text books; you get most of your study materials online.

One of the greatest advantages of the online education is that they allow you to pursue the course at your own pace. You do not have to rush to the university to attend a lecture. Instead you can receive the course-materials, complete assignments, and clear the exams as and when you feel you are completely prepared. It does not matter what your other occupations are, you are allowed to create and maintain a study routine that is suitable for you.

Online degrees have come to be recognized as valid and valuable alternative in most of the organizations.

Thus you find online courses come with a number of advantages and these are the reasons behind their growing popularity in the recent years.

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How To Avoid Wasting Money on Online Degree Scams

July 21st, 2008 by tech blogger

For every person hoping to achieve success and get an online education, there are many more companies and people trying to scam unsuspecting individuals. It goes without saying that these should be avoided at all cost. Of course, the best approach to avoiding online degree scams is to know your product before you buy.

Prospective online students should be on the lookout for things inside the degree offer that tout the benefits of distance learning, but provide little in the way of support for the student. A degree based on life experience alone may often not be worth the paper it is printed on. This can often be very hard for a “graduate” of diploma mills to understand, but most human resource managers would give you a blank stare if you mentioned this as a competitive qualification for employment.

A “money back guarantee” can mean nothing if the small legalese boilerplate says that only in extreme circumstances can you actually get your money back. If the work materials are out of date, poorly written, or the grading standards too harsh or unfair, to whom might you complain? The job market right now is extremely competitive. Gaining any kind of degree or credential that has questionable legitimacy can reduce your chances of being hired, promoted or recognized in your respective field.

Think about what you would do if your money was charged or your check for the “degree” cashed, and you received no diploma, certificate, or any documentation at all showing educational progress. Can you afford to sue a website or a company? Ask yourself before you enroll in any online program if there is not a more legitimate and trustworthy institution available. Why would you want to furnish identity information such as your name, address and telephone number (and IP address), credit, and social security data to strangers over the Internet anyway? Can you hire an attorney to travel to the place where the business is headquartered? Do you have a fine understanding of the legalities of suing a company that accepts money for 7-day high school equivalency courses? It’s likely they are ten steps ahead of you for any legal recourse.

Shop around and see why the “big” online schools near you don’t offer the same program, or call them and ask why. Often a look at the fine print will tell the story. Are there foreign or offshore company names, paragraph after paragraph of disclaimers, unlisted faculty, or minute clauses that state that the work being paid for is only coaching or instruction toward the goal of a degree and cannot be termed education? In order to prove you passed a course with a suspect, or possibly fraudulent, online company, could you produce screenshots of every question you answered correctly? Could you prove that these programs came from the company listed on your credit card? If you don’t receive a quality teaching experience, have you really achieved anything more than a piece of paper?

If you feel there is an online service you want to check, research the “school” or find discussion boards that tell about other student experiences. Do not trust testimonials from that site. Contact your state board of education or the county education offices where that school claims to be located. Ask the personnel there if they know of the school or have processed any inquiries or complaints. Keep in mind that a high school diploma obtained in another state may be legal there, but not where you live or work.

The worst thing about education scams is they injure the very people who are most deserving of help; the ones who are trying to better themselves and do what’s needed to get ahead. It is recommended that students act in their own defense first and contact local public school counseling offices or boards of education for advice first.

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The World Of Distance Education Online

July 20th, 2008 by tech blogger

Education, as they say, is the biggest investment you can make for your future. For this reason, considering distance education online is a great way to go about getting educated for the future and getting ready for the technological challenges that life may hand your way as you go through it.

Finding an online degree or course program that suits your needs is the job of many web sites that specialize in providing links for other web sites that specialize in distance education online. Because the world is growing, distance education is becoming a great field to get in to and to get involved with. A good starting point is taking a course online to familiarize yourself with the basics of online education.

There is a wide variety of distance education online programs that are available for many walks of life and educational preferences. You never know what type of course you could get from using your home computer and an internet connection, so be sure to spend some time browsing the web sites for information.

Collecting the information about the educational courses available online is the primary job of the sites that specialize in providing that information. You can trust them to provide you with ample informational packages in reference to the courses available as researching the education is their primary purpose of existence.

Types Of Degrees Available

In today’s market, there is virtually no limit to what type of education you can obtain through distance education online.

You can coordinate any type of educational outcome with a school through online education and find your career path without leaving the comfort of your own home all that often. Many places even offer a form of online instruction involving a web cam or chat set up clients that allow you to engage in actual real time discussion without leaving your computer chair. This type of interactive education is part of what is making distance education online popular.

You can find online associate degree programs, online bachelor’s degree programs, online master’s degree programs, and even PhD programs available online. A wide variety of distance education online web sites offer those courses to you in full educational property functions. This makes getting your education even easier because you do not have to leave the comfort of your own home and you can use your skills at the best of their ability within your field of study.

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Has Online Education Reached A Plateau?

July 19th, 2008 by tech blogger

Online college courses are more popular than ever, with enrollment reaching a record high in 2006, according to a report released by the Sloan Consortium. The report, entitled “Making the Grade: Online Education in the United States, 2006″ gives the results of a recent study based on responses from more than 2,200 colleges and universities across the United States.

In recent years online enrollment grew at a much faster rate than the general college student body. But last year’s Sloan report showed a lower percentage rate of growth, prompting speculation that growth in online courses has started to level off.

Those concerns were proven groundless with the release of this year’s report, which shows no indication of a plateau in the growth of online enrollments. More than 3.2 million students took at least one online course in the 2005-2006 school year. This record enrollment is a whopping increase of over 800,000 more than the 2.3 million online students the year before.

The report brings some other interesting facts to light:

- Online students are generally older than the more traditional student, and are often working adults with family responsibilities.

- The majority of online students are undergraduates, although the proportion of online graduate students is a bit higher in comparison to the overall higher education population.

- More than 96 percent of the very largest institutions with 15,000 or more total enrollment offer online courses. This level of enrollment is more than twice the rate of the smallest institutions.

- About 2/3 of the very largest schools have fully online programs versus about 1/6 of the smallest institutions.

- 62 percent of chief academic officers believe that the quality of online instruction is equal to or superior to that of face-to-face learning.

- While a majority of chief academic officers believe online courses are high quality, only 4.6 % of chief academic officers thought there are no significant barriers to widespread adoption of online learning.

- 2/3 of academic leaders believe a lack of discipline on the part of online students is a critical barrier to online learning.

- Barriers to online learning include faculty issues, with the acceptance of online learning and the need for greater time and effort required for teaching online as important barriers. On the other hand neither a perceived lack of demand on the part of potential students nor the acceptance of an online degree by potential employers was seen as a critical barrier.

With a record online enrollment growth on a numeric and percentage basis, any fears that online enrollment levels are leveling off can be laid to rest. Each year, ever increasing numbers of students are finding that online courses are an integral part of their learning experience. And while the rate of increase is sure to eventually slow at some point, it appears that online education is here to stay.

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