BK do you have a college near you? I really loved the convienence of online classes but really liked actual classes better. I did a mix for my degree and actually found the in class classes to be easier than the online ones.
BK do you have a college near you? I really loved the convienence of online classes but really liked actual classes better. I did a mix for my degree and actually found the in class classes to be easier than the online ones.
I do, but with having my son full time during the school year it just isn't feasible or something I would want to do. I have such little time with him during the week with my job and all as it is and I'm assuming with an online degree I could do it after he goes to bed.
BK do you have a college near you? I really loved the convienence of online classes but really liked actual classes better. I did a mix for my degree and actually found the in class classes to be easier than the online ones.
I do, but with having my son full time during the school year it just isn't feasible or something I would want to do. I have such little time with him during the week with my job and all as it is and I'm assuming with an online degree I could do it after he goes to bed.
Gotcha....I guess I was wondering if you had any flexibility at work where you could maybe attend a class over lunch or something like that.
Good thing you don't sleep so you'll have plenty of time to get your homework done!
Post by formerlyak on Sept 22, 2012 16:42:49 GMT -5
I have an appointment I have to get to, but I'll write a loner post with the info in a bit. Your time constraints with having a kid are similar to mine (and why I chose an online program), and cost was a big factor for me. I'll see who the admissions advisor is currently, too. They are really helpful!
Post by formerlyak on Sept 22, 2012 18:38:25 GMT -5
Ok, here are the answers to your questions:
1. No. I never have to actually go to campus. There is a summer elective you can take that requires you be on campus, but you don't have to take that as one of your electives. Also, the online "lecture" is exactly the same as the on campus one -- it is just recorded and then uploaded to the password protected website. So if you are ever in Colorado, you are welcome to sit in the actual classroom and view the lecture, but you can see the exact same thing online. They are also starting to have some class sessions via Go To Meeting or similar programs so people taking the class from a distance can participate in class discussions real time. Finally, in certain areas of the country, there are actually pretty good sized groups of people in the program, so you can request those people for your group projects to get that in person experience if you wish. I'm in the LA area, and there are a TON of us here.
2. When all is said and done, I will have paid about $45K. That includes tuition, books, required subscriptions and the new computer I bought when I started. It wasn't a requirement to buy the new computer, but mine was so old I needed to upgrade in order to be able to stream the lectures effectively. However, now they actually give each student a netbook when they start so they know everyone has a fast enough way to stream the lectures. So, I probably wouldn't have had that expense if I started now. I took out federal student loans for the entire thing. I didn't have any loans from undergrad or from my first masters, so taking out these loans didn't bother me and I was eligible for the full amount because I had no loans pending. You just have to be enrolled in at least 5 units at a time in order to keep your loans. You can do the 2 or 3 year plan of the program and keep that minimum number of units. I did the three year program.
A coworker of mine was just accepted to Colorado State's online program and a great local to LA program, and he chose the Colorado State one both for reputation and cost.
Another thing that would help make the program easier for you is that your undergrad is in business. Mine was in theatre and my masters was in art education. So classes like statistics or accounting were like learning a whole language for me. I was always good at math, so that helped a little, but I certainly needed to put more effort into those classes so I wasn't lost. Thank goodness I am down to just marketing and my capstone project now. This year seems so easy to me compared to last fall when it was all finance all the time!
There is also a great career network and it is growing all the time since they just rearranged their staffing so that one of advisors is actually in charge of MBA career center type stuff now.
Let me know what other questions you have. I'm happy to answer them. I really have loved this program and would certainly recommend it.
Post by blackkitty on Sept 23, 2012 6:44:09 GMT -5
Thanks AK this is really helpful! I do have one other question... with the online lectures, do you have to participate in them at set times or is it a recorded thing that you can do when you can? When you mentioned the gotomeeting, it sounds like it is set times which would be more difficult for me
I'm very fortunate that I got my undergrad for free so no student loans at all. Thanks for the financial info!
Post by formerlyak on Sept 23, 2012 10:07:48 GMT -5
The few lectures I've had that offered an interactive component, made that part optional. Each lecture is about three hours. I usually watch it over three days during my lunch break. The college is located near an Army base and they had a lot of issues with articulation because of people starting and then being reassigned or deployed. They created the program so that you can complete it from anywhere in the world regardless of time zone or restrictions on your personal time. I've had classmates who were on deployment around the globe in various classes and they've been able to fit it all in. I point this out because it shows how truly flexible it is.