Online Colleges & Universities

Online academic advisor tools help incoming students

Degree navigator tools, which can be found at specific colleges and standalone online universities, are designed to help students find the major that is right for them, and plan coursework so prerequisites can be fulfilled all the way through to graduation. For masters, MBA, and postgraduate programs degree navigation also helps academics outline the best courses and availability to make a college career fulfilling.

Even with an online degree finder, it is critical to utilize the assistance of an academic advisor, who can look at your current transcripts and courseload in order to plan out the best path to graduation. Advisors in your program may also be able to offer valuable advice on the choice of classes, professors, and knowledge levels necessary to take certain courses, regardless of the information listed in the catalogue. In fact, a good advisor can help you avoid pitfalls or failing out of a program through lack of preparation or a misunderstanding of expectations. In some cases, instructors or courses may not be available in some academic years, and therefore it could be necessary to plan accordingly.

Online and Distance Education

Online colleges and universities, despite the association with easy coursework and lax standards, can actually be very beneficial to non-traditional students like people with full-time jobs, single mothers, and people who may have difficulties getting around a college campus. The ability to take a substantial portion of coursework at home, and on a student's own time, means that the learning experience does not necessarily have to be rigidly scheduled. However, these courses may still require in-person testing or presence in front of your computer at certain points in time, and as with any class your active participation and attention will give you a lot more value than simply "watching" the course as if it was part of a telecast. An online college degree may be viewed with some skepticism by many prospective employers, but if the coursework is congruent with actual work experience or associated in-person attendance then such objections may be overcome. In many cases, students may do some or most of their university courses online and augment that work with classes that may be attended at night or on weekends.

Choosing The Right College

Picking the right college is essential for success later on in life, if only because you will have a way to pay off your student loans faster if you can get a good job. While many students may want to go to universities that were attended by their parents, or have legacy scholarships, there are cases where more prestigious colleges would work for advanced students and more notable sporting programs would be better for students looking for more athletic pursuits. For those running on a full ride who just want to party, there is always ASU. While your author did not graduate from that school, he did have a house adjacent to the campus and enjoyed the sport of walking to assorted next-door parties where the end of the festivities was often heralded by lights and sirens.

On a much more personal and serious note, it may help to use your degree navigator to find a minor course of study that you can fall back on when your dream deflates amidst the slings and arrows of everyday life. For example, if you have artistic endeavors you could take some business courses which may assure enough income to get yourself off the ground or discover that you are better at office culture than dealing with the self-appointed cognoscenti who present a barrier to those who may embody more of the true spirit of the form. Someday you will figure out that petty politics play out everywhere, and it pays to have an income.