| Chapter 6: Selecting The
Right E Degree School
We have talked about the methods of accreditation and how it is
essential for you to find a school that is accredited. Yet, there is
much more to your school then just that. You will need to put together
your own plans for attending as well as find the school that offers what
you are looking for.
In later chapters, we will help you to understand what some of the
various degrees are that you can obtain through E Degree programs.
First, though, let’s figure out what the school has to have for you to
enroll there.
Selecting Schools
Besides accreditation, you will want to take other things into
consideration before selecting the right online educational organization
for your specific needs. No school is worth your time or your money if
they can not provide the type of education that you are looking for.
This means determining if they offer the programs that you are
interested in first.
Picture in front of you a large clipboard, full of all of the E Degree
school options that you have. Each school is listed there, and a space
for you to take notes. As you go through the next sections, you will be
figuratively crossing off the schools that do not apply to your needs.
Your goal is to narrow down the field so that you can find the select
few schools that offer the very best educational opportunity for your
needs.
Programs Offered
Your first goal will be to determine if they offer the courses that you
are interested it. Simply, if they do not have what you are looking for,
then they can not provide your education to you.
Here are some questions to answer in that regard.
• Does the school offer the entry level program that I am interested
it? They will need to do this or, you will not find any benefit
going to that school.
• Does the school offer you the ability to advance in this career
path with their school? If you can only take entry level courses at
that school, you will need to advance, then, to more advanced schools to
finish your degree.
• What length of study can you obtain at that school for your degree?
Some schools are now offering well beyond the Associates degree and even
the Bachelor’s degree. You can, in some fields of study and in some
schools, advance to Doctorate levels of education through the E Degree
programs.
• Does the school offer me the specialized area that I want to study?
For example, if you find a school that offers nursing degrees but you
would like to obtain a degree that is in forensic nursing, if this is
not offered, specifically, you may not meet the requirements to be
certified as such.
Now, these are just the first things to take into consideration. If you
visit the website of any online E Degree school, the first thing you
need to know is if that school offers what you are looking for.
When it comes to looking for long term educational opportunities, this
can pay off for you. It is faster, easier and just more economical to
stay with the same school, if possible throughout your educational
career. This may not be possible in some fields of study, though.
What’s Involved
Next, you need to determine what each of those schools will offer during
the courses. Again, here are some of the questions that you will want to
answer for yourself to determine how well the school fits these needs
that you have in place.
• How long does the course take to complete for you to earn your
degree? While every degree program is different based on the amount
of knowledge that you need to have and practice you need to obtain,
believe it or not there are differences here. Determine what the average
length of attendance is for your specific degree goals.
• What types of courses are offered from that study? If you are
looking to specialize, you will want to make sure that your field of
study is provided there. In addition, you will find differences in some
subject from one school to the next. Finding the amount of coursework in
your educational background is going to be necessary.
• How are classes taken in that degree field as well as that school?
As we mentioned before, there are plenty of various types of methods for
taking classes. Some schools offer less flexibility here and others
offer more. Determine how you will attend your glasses to get your
education.
What’s The School’s Reputation?
Beyond that of accreditation, your school has set forth a reputation
that is likely to tell you what you can expect from that school if you
attend. There are many things that play a role in this but, you will
want to determine what it is that you can expect from your school
nevertheless.
As you sit there, you probably have an opinion about the best schools in
the country now that are traditionally based. Perhaps you think that
Yale is the best school or you may even think that perhaps Harvard is.
The reputation that school has is important. The same is true about the
online educational community.
Again, here are some additional questions to ask of your school to help
check off the schools that are not right for you.
• What do you know of that school? Many people have heard good
and bad about the school. Sometimes it is important to take note of
these things. This can be especially helpful in cases where you know of
someone that has been educated at that school.
This first hand knowledge can be very important to your opinion of the
school as well as what the school has provided in the past.
• What can you learn about that school? Just like any other
purchase you make, doing some background work can be quite helpful.
Here, you will want to look for reviews of the school online offered by
other students. Avoid trying to obtain these reviews directly from the
school’s site as these are obviously biased.
Instead, work on providing yourself with necessary information by
looking for information from others that have attended. If you ask, they
are likely to provide just what you are looking for.
• What do professional organizations have to say about the school?
There are plenty of professional college level commissions that usually
do have something to say about it. In addition, you can learn about the
school through checking them out on the Better Business Bureau’s
website.
Learn About Their Success
When you attend an online school to earn an E Degree, your goal is to
walk way from the degree with success, of some sort. One of the
benchmarks for a school is how well they provide this education.
Now, as a new student it is hard to know what your education will be
like. You won’t know what is provided for and what is not. Instead, what
you will need to do is to learn as much as you can from those that have
passed through those virtual doors.
One way to do this is to learn from those that left. You are not likely
going to be able to pull up their names and numbers and give them a call
though. Yet, you can learn from them in several other, key ways.
Here are yet another set of questions that you can ask of the school to
determine if it is the right one for you.
• How many students are enrolled per year and of them, how many
graduate on time? This information can be obtained right from the E
Degree school. In most cases, you will find this information to be
posted right on their website. Asking this question is vital as it can
provide you with an idea of what is likely to happen to you.
Will it take you just six months as the school claims? Or, do most of
its graduates extend that to 12 months instead? If this information is
not readily available, simply ask for it.
• What do graduates accomplish when they leave the school? This
too is another question you want to know. Are the graduates from the
school successful? Do they find employment right away? In addition,
where are they now, several years after they have graduated?
This information can serve to guide your decision simply because it is
the likely path you will take. If many of the school’s graduates go on
to solid positions and five years later are earning six figures, you
know their education paid off. Again, to get this information, request
it from the school. You probably can find it right on their website as
well.
• What is their graduate’s pass rate for exams and licensing
procedures? Here, you want to know the facts. How many students
leave their nursing, medical, law or other degree programs, take their
licensing tests and pass the first time? Most universities collect this
information and can provide it to you.
This information is especially important for the type of education you
are looking into. Sure, their law program has graduates passing the bar
well but what about getting a nursing license? You should know what the
likelihood of you securing that information actually is.
What Services Does The School Provide?
Your list is probably pretty well down to just a few schools by now. As
you go through the process of finding the right school, you should also
pay attention to what that school will provide to you in the way of
various services. Just like any school, you need to know what to expect
in this regard.
Here are some questions to ask your school about the services that they
provide to their students.
• Does the E Degree school provide for extra help in the way of
tutoring? If you were in a traditional school, you may need to work
with a tutor when things got a bit rough. How does your E Degree school
provide this additional help if it is needed? Most importantly, how does
this process work for you?
• Does the E Degree school provide for access to the teacher or
instructor should you need it? What happens if you just do not
understand something? How will you communicate with your teacher one on
one? If you are unable to convey your problems through email, how does
the school, or the teacher, handle these problems for and with you?
You should be able to easily reach your instructor for help as well as
one on one time with them. Of course, this may differ from one teacher
to the next, though.
• What about financial aid? Most of those that are attending
college today need some help with financial aid. From scholarships to
funding and even to financing your education, you may need this help.
Does the school offer it as well as do you qualified for any of the
programs that it offers?
You will find that most of the E Degree schools do provide for some
level of education in this means. You may need to insure that the
programs are programs that you do personally qualify for. In addition,
some offer scholarship programs to those students that meet
requirements, just like a traditional school would do.
Of course, there is much more that you will need to take into
consideration when it comes to earning your E Degree. In fact, you are
bound to spend countless days considering the right school.
If you were enrolling in a standard, traditional college, wouldn’t you
give it all of this attention as well?
While many people do not like to take the time to research, asking and
getting answers to all of those aspects listed here really can make sure
that you get the best education available for your dollar. In many, many
ways, success is right around the corner, if you find the right school
to accomplish it in. |