subject: How To Find The Ideal Online School For You [print this page] Searching for the best online college is definitely an exciting process. In fact, graduating from the right college can help to enhance your income, find a job in the field you love, and enable you to advance in your career. Read on and find out about the important aspects to think about when researching an online college education.
1. Career Goals and College Majors
The first step you'll want to take when examining online colleges is always to set a career goal and select a college major. Working with a college major picked out before hunting for an online school can save you time and allow you to select the right college that suits your career goals.
2. Accreditation
The next step you need to take should be to research which online colleges are accredited in your chosen field of study. The easiest way for you to research accredited online schools is to find the Association that accredits colleges in the field and perform a search of accredited colleges.
3. Investigate Courses
Once you've an index of colleges which have been accredited, the next step is to look into the online courses needed to get your degree. Ask yourself if these courses fascinate you and are worthwhile in preparing you for your future career. Compare each online course to other online courses and find out what you are interested in the most.
4. College Costs
The next step you should take would be to evaluate what will be the price of your online college education. Most online schools charge per credit hour. Each online course is usually 3 credit hours. So to calculate the price, consider the total credit hours required to graduate and multiply by the cost per credit hour. Also, include fees in your calculations since they can differ quite a lot between colleges.
5. Financial Aid
It's also wise to determine if the online school your thinking about offers any financial aid including Pell grants, student loans, and scholarships. Financial aid can certainly help quite a lot when determining the best way to pay for an online college education.
6. Graduation Rates
Most online schools post their graduation rates online. Compare the graduation rates of each college and that will make it easier to decide if the college cares about student success.
7. Job Placement and Rates
It's also advisable to explore what each online school does to help students find jobs within their career field upon graduation. Colleges can do a great deal to help you with finding jobs particularly in relation to increasing your job contacts.
8. College Professors
You should also look at the professors that will be teaching your online college courses. When researching professors ask yourself these questions: Do these professors have real world work experience within your field of study? Where did these professors go to college? What is their subject of specialization?
9. Location
Another question you'll want to take into consideration is whether you favor the college to be near where you live or at a distance. Many students enjoy having the ability to visit the college in person and having close entry to the support a college can provide. Other students feel fine about living far away from their college of choice because use of important services such as the library, professional articles, and job services are offered online.
10. Internships
It's also wise to inquire if the faculty offers online course credits for internships. Students who are employed in internships have better job opportunities upon graduation. Also, real-world work experience helps to solidify everything you learned in online courses and can help you see how theory applies in real world applications.
11. Student/Teacher Ratio
It's adviseable to inquire about student/teacher ratios in online college courses. The fewer the ratios the more likely you're able to get specialized attention and help if you'd like it.
12. Academic Rigor
You can also contact the college you are looking at and ask whether they have any alumni in your field that you could contact. When contacting alumni question their college experience, if they felt the college adequately prepared them for their career, and any other questions you may have. These alumni can also serve as a network if you are looking for a job upon graduating.
13. Requesting Information
After you have simplified a list of colleges you are looking at request more information online and a representative will contact you and discuss any questions or concerns you may have. Most colleges may also send you a brochure, course listings in your major, and any other information you need to help you with your college decision.
Finding the right online college for you personally is definitely worth the investment. It will ensure that you're satisfied with your education and with the career you choose.
