Choose your top 5 schools and apply for admission

Select a handful of potential schools that you would like to attend, since there is a possibility that you may not into your first, second, or even third choice. If you’re extremely ambitious and would like to apply to as many schools as possible, that can also be beneficial. Keep in mind that many schools require application fees, personal essays, letters of recommendation and transcripts; meaning, costs add up quickly and you could spend a lot of additional time preparing these additional academic requirements. Also remember, you don’t have to enroll with the first school you talk to. Make it a priority to thoroughly research the schools you are interested in.

Financial Aid is available. Apply for it!

Financial Aid, also known as the Free Application for Federal Student Aid or FAFSA, is a federal student aid program from the US department of Education.

You could be eligible if you meet the following requirements:

• You are a US citizen

• You are a high school graduate or a GED holder

• You are not in default on a federal student loan

• You do not owe any money to the government for other grants or loans

You received your accepted admissions letter, now what?

Take the time to thoroughly examine and discuss the pros and cons of each school. The school you choose needs to meet your criteria: your interests, your career goals and your financial situation.

Here are some important factors to consider when evaluating each school:

• Degree programs offered

Which one of your chosen schools offers degrees that you are most interested in? Do any of your chosen schools offer graduate or certificate programs? If you decide to change your major or transfer credits to another school, will you be able to do so?

• Accreditation

Are each of your chosen schools regionally or nationally accredited?

• Cost

Is the annual tuition within your financial budget? If not, are there scholarship opportunities available?

• Location

Are you looking for a traditional campus or would you prefer to take online courses?

• Denominational vs. Non-denominational

Are you looking for a denominational or non-denominational college/university? Thoroughly examine how important this factor will be in determining the school that is best for you.

It’s exciting to begin the next chapter of your academic life and it’s great to begin researching prospective colleges. You still want to end your young academic career with the best grades possible, so keep focused. Your future awaits you!

Utilize your TA

        Each branch of the military including the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard offer tuition assistance (TA) programs. Depending on the branch, these programs either cover the cost of tuition for approved courses up front, or reimburse the soldier upon successful completion of each class or block of classes. TA can cover as much as $250/credit hour. You may be require to get courses approved in advance through your Education Officer, so be sure to discuss your options with them before you commit to a program.

Research your GI Bill Benefits

        The Montgomery GI Bill was established to help veterans pay for college education. While designed primarily for vets, there are options available for active duty soldiers to use GI Bill benefits. In order to determine your eligibility, it is important to do your research. There are many different types of GI Bill benefits. The VA classifies veterans into various “chapters”, based on your service experience, and each chapter is eligible for different amount of assistance with a maximum award amount of $1321 per month over 36 months, or $47,556 total. In order to determine your chapter classification, call the VA or visit their website below. For specific information, visit the GI Bill website or call the VA education dept directly at 1-888-442-4551.

Apply for Federal Aid and Grants

        Any US citizen who meets the general criteria for financial aid should consider the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) application as an option for funding school. The FAFSA puts you into consideration for Loans and Grants, and upon determination of your eligibility, gives you the option to accept or decline various types of funding. You will have the option to accept some, all, or none of the financial aid offered to you. The FAFSA application is FREE and requires no commitment. Remember, if you DO chose to select loans, be prepared to make payments on those loans upon graduation from the program. You can find the FAFSA application and more info at the Department of Education website.

Contributed by Dave Tarner.

Daily To-Do Lists: Make a list of the tasks that you need to accomplish with an end date. Be sure to list in order of priority, and then check it off as you go.

Get Started: Bite the bullet and start your task(s); whether it’s homework, a project, a take-home test or a paper, you will alleviate a great deal of the anxiety associated with doing it. Even if you still have a long way to go, the project seems much more approachable once it is underway.

Make a Schedule. You will save both time and energy: Make a daily activity schedule and designate specific study times. Be realistic–even if you don’t always stick to the schedule you will become more aware of how you are dividing your time.

Avoid Self-Criticism: Being excessively hard on yourself when you have put work off only perpetuates the problem. Concentrate on what you can improve on next time. Keep in mind that low self-esteem is habitually associated with poor time management.

Find your motivation: We are motivated by the direct consequences of our choices, not by the long-range consequences. Determine what you most enjoy doing and schedule yourself to always study immediately before this activity.

Break it down: Break large projects down into smaller portions and then resolve to carve away at the project one step at a time. Remember that you don’t need to have the whole project rationalized just to start on it! By using this tactic you will avoid feeling overwhelmed and you can keep a schedule that is realistic.

It’s your time: Start a project and only work on it for a predetermined, limited amount of time (10 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, etc.). After this time has passed, you can examine your progress and make a decision either to continue working or to switch to a different task. This will help you to build momentum.

For more helpful tips, or to ask us questions, email us at learnmore@edudegreediectory.com

1. Pursuing your degree online is not the easy way out. If you believe, or have been told that you will only need to dedicate a few hours a week, your are in for a surprise. Online students should expect to dedicate 15 to 20 hours a week to their studies.

2. You can’t necessarily “study at your own pace”. Most online programs are broken into weekly “modules” or “objectives”. This means that the subject matter is divided into sections to be completed each week. You have the flexibility to complete the work at just about any time of day, and any day of the week (unless otherwise noted in a syllabus), but most weeks will have assignments that are due at the close of the week. In other words you can complete the assignments at your own pace during the week, but you can’t finish the entire course in one week or leave all of the work until the last minute or stretch the course over several months. Some programs do have a “study at your own pace” model, but these are far less common than programs broken into weekly objectives.

3. There are attendance requirements for online programs. Prior to enrolling you should ask your admissions counselor about attendance so that you are clear on how often you are expected to participate. Most programs require participation on a minimum of two days in a week to constitute attendance. Always ask about the expectations before you start class.

4. You may have some out of pocket expenses. Even if you are using financial aid to pay for your degree, you may have additional expenses that are not covered. Be sure to ask about all costs before you begin your degree. Some common expenses are, a tuition shortfall, books, technology fees and even equipment or software. It is important to ask what your financial responsibilities will be before you enroll. If you do have out of pocket expenses it is helpful to know in advance so that you can budget properly. It may also be a red flag if you are told by a school representative not to worry about costs. It is the institution’s responsibility to make sure that you are aware of the costs.

These are just a few of the things to be aware of prior to beginning an online degree. If you have further questions you can always contact us directly at learnmore@edudegreedirectory.com. You can also check out other entries in our FAQ section for answers to common questions about online colleges and degrees.

Contributed by Pete Morton

1) Why have I been selected?

There are a number of things that trigger a FAFSA application to be selected for verification. Approximately 1/3 of applications are selected randomly, regardless of the accuracy of the information provided. In this case, you are just unlucky. Another common reason for selection is an unusually low income. In this example, the FAFSA is looking to verify that your information is correct, and to learn more about your need for financial aid. They will often require a “minimal income statement” to collect more info on how you meet your financial obligations and pay your living expenses. Whatever the reason for your selection, the process is really quite simple.

2) Does this mean I am denied financial aid?

No. In fact, often times it means you may be eligible for a grant. The verification process is simply a function used to “double check” your responses, and make sure your financial aid award is accurate for your situation. It is very rare for a student to be denied outright for Financial Aid and the verification process is NOT intended to determine “if” you qualify for FA, but rather to determine “how much” aid you are eligible for.

The following are the only reasons a student can be denied for Financial Aid

1) You have been convicted of selling or possessing illegal drugs, if the drug offense for which you were convicted occurred while you were receiving federal student aid

2) You are in default on prior student loans.

3) You are not a US citizen or eligible non-citizen.

If you find yourself selected for Verification read the instructions carefully, return all paperwork, and don’t worry-you are one step closer to funding your education!

For more information on financial aid and funding your degree check out the Department of Education FAFSA website. This site provides comprehensive information about the FAFSA and what you need to successfully apply for Financial Aid.

Contributed by Dave Tarner

When looking for an online degree program, it is easy to be persuaded to go with the first institution that calls. In the rapidly growing market of online education, there are numerous “diploma mills” that will scam students into essentially buying a degree online. Oftentimes, these institutions will award degrees based off of “life experience.” This essentially means that though you have not done any official classroom learning and may have no actual experience in the field of your desired degree, you can obtain credits through having worked and lived. More often than not, with diploma mills, you are buying a degree which is “earned” simply through living. These diploma mills have inferior curricula and frequently don’t involve any work at all. The degrees they issue also hold next to no weight in the increasingly competitive job market.

Here are a few red flag statements to look for when weeding through online universities:

1. We are accredited through the International Accreditation Agency for Online Universities (IAAOU), Universal Council for Online Education Accreditation (UCOEA), or any other “accrediting bodies” not recognized by the United States Department of Education.

Accreditation is important for your degree to be taken seriously in the work force. Regional Accreditation is the highest ranking accreditation. A national accreditation is also valid and is oftentimes associated with vocational schools. For a full list of accrediting bodies and descriptions, go to http://www.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/accreditation_pg7.html or http://chea.org/default.asp

2. We do not accept Title IV funding.

Most students cannot afford to pay out of pocket for school so it is important that a school can accept Title IV funding (financial aid). Though it is not always the case, lack Title IV funding may be an indication that the school is not accredited by a recognized body and may mean that the degrees granted are not reputable.

3. You can receive your degree within days.

Diploma mills will often require only require that you submit records of your life experience, or a short quiz or questionnaire in order for your degree to be sent to you for a fee.

4. There are no admissions requirements

For many programs, essays or prerequisite credits are necessary for admittance. Some legitimate programs will simply use their admissions counselors to qualify students if none of these criterion exist, it is not a good sign.

5. We have a flat rate for our degrees and/or shipping is free.

Remember the old truism; you get what you paid for. If a degree is not based on tuition per class, term, or credits, you are most likely paying for a piece of paper rather than an education. If you are just buying a degree then you will not reap the educational benefits or expose yourself to the career opportunities that come with earning an accredited degree.

6. We provide education verification for employers.

If an employer doubts the legitimacy of a degree, there are other methods of verification such as the Department of Education. Also, accredited institutions show their credentials on the provided diploma, so the legitimacy should never be in question.

With these tips, along with any of your own, you should be able to weed out unsuitable schools to find a program that is interesting, reputable, and suits you. Once you have compared a few, you should be able to make a well-informed decision about continuing your degree online.

Contributed by Caroline Flannery

What information do you need to give to schools when you apply for admission? Generally online colleges will ask for:
• Personal information - name, address, date of birth, citizenship,
• Educational History and transcript information
• Extra curricular activities- non-academic interests, résumé
• Personal statements - goal statements, essays
• Letters of Recommendation

Not all Admissions applications will be the same; some are as simple as a single sheet of paper on which you answer questions. Other universities will ask that you submit an essay, letters of recommendation, military background information (if applicable) and in some instances, a portfolio of past accomplishments. Be sure to read the application guidelines carefully and contact an admissions counselor if you have any questions. Since the admissions process at different schools varies in both difficulty and time to complete, make sure that you leave yourself enough time to complete the process and don’t hesitate to ask for help from your contact at the college.

Admissions essays at online colleges

Some online colleges and universities may require an admissions essay to be submitted prior to enrollment. These essays may be part of the process at a particular university, or they may only be required for specific programs. Essays are an extremely important part of the admission process because they are the most personal piece of the admission application. Admissions officials are looking to read about you; your characteristics, your personality and your goals. In order to accomplish this, present yourself as clearly and fully as possible. Keep in mind you are writing for a purpose; you are trying to convince either an admission officer or a committee, that by virtue of your merit they should admit you into their school. Your personal essay should be dedicated to illuminating your superior qualities and achievements.
Committees and admission officers are impressed with personal growth and individuality. Try to take a step and look at yourself objectively. Where were you and what were were you doing three, four years ago? Were you the same person that you are now? Most likely, your interests and capabilities have grown and matured. Had you not grown, you probably wouldn’t be in the position of filling out an application to attend college. Be proud of how far you’ve come and be inspired by where you can go. You needn’t worry about impressing others because you are already unique and that is a story in itself. Start thinking and begin writing…

One last review

As a final step, review your essay to make sure you have achieved the following:
1. Does your introduction have a clear thesis?
2. Does the introduction capture your reader’s attention?
3. Review the verb tense. Is it consistent throughout?
4. Check for grammatical and spelling errors
5. Are there any areas of the essay that you could do without?
6. Are there topic sentences and transition sentences for each paragraph?
7. Does the closing paragraph encompass all of your objectives throughout the essay?

Contributed by Katie Smith

Ten questions to ask an admissions counselor

• Is your school accredited? (There are several different types of accreditation in the U.S., if you would like clarification you can reach out to us at learnmore@edudegreedirectory.com)
• Is your school not-for-profit or for-profit?
• Is your school a publicly traded, private or state supported institution?
• What is your cost per credit hour?
• How many credits is each class? (Different schools use different credit hour systems which may impact the number of credits in each course and the cost per course)
• How many credits are needed to complete the program?
• Are there any registration fees or yearly fees? Is there a late registration fee? Material Fees? Technology Fees?
• Will I need to pay for books out of pocket or are they included? If they are included, will there be a materials fee?
• Do you have campus programs or are you primarily an online institution?
• Will my diploma say online?

We hope that this list helps to get you thinking about pursuing your degree. Be sure to check back for updates on more subjects relating to online colleges and universities. If you want us to cover a specific topic, please submit a request to learnmore@edudegreedirectory.com
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Contributors Pete Morton and Bethany Trapp.

We look forward to hearing from you!