Selecting an online college can be a confusing and challenging task. However, it is a good option for those who do not have the possibility to go to an ordinary school or college. In this case, students should not forget that admission is the most important process to consider as it includes exams, essays, short-/long-answer questions, and others. So you should take into account essay writer services that can help you with these tasks. It can save your time for other things. – an Online School
There are at least five things to consider before choosing to earn a degree online. Accreditation, admission standards, cost, for-profit vs. non-profit, and student opinions all require thought before filling out a college application.
Accreditation
Accreditation should be the first thing a potential online student looks for in a school. Accreditation is important because it provides assurances that outside groups have come into the school and deemed it fit to educate. It also allows schools to receive state and federal funding.
There are four accreditation types: regional accreditors, national faith-related accreditors, national career-related accreditors, and programmatic accreditors. The most recognizable accreditation is the regional accreditation. If a school is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, or the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, this means that the school is regionally accredited and provides a potential student with the knowledge that the school has gone through rigorous inspections to ensure that it is a school of quality. This also ensures the student that the coursework may be transferable and may qualify the student for higher academic endeavors.
Admission Standards
Admission standards, as a consideration, are often overlooked but could prove to be a valuable thing to look into. Admission standards can tell a prospective student about the rigor of a school’s coursework. If a school has no admission standards, it can be a red flag that maybe the school does not provide college-level coursework that is going to adequately prepare the student for entry into his chosen career field.
A student needs to receive a quality education so that money is not wasted on a degree that will leave him unemployed. A more obvious reason to look at admission standards is that not all prospective students qualify for all online education programs. Some programs require certain courses to be taken before a student can be admitted into a program. A prospective student should research this information so that he does not waste money on an application fee, only to be turned down for reasons he could have already known.
Cost and Tuition
Cost is extremely important when looking at an online school. Some schools are incredibly expensive and their educational value does not match their educational cost. Prospective students should look at tuition costs, technology fees, program-specific fees, and the cost of books before deciding if a school is right for them. There are ways to get money for schools such as scholarships, grants, and loans. A student could also get some of the money they spend back through tax credits.
Prospective students could potentially save money by taking online courses at their local community college and then transferring them to an online school. Another way to save money is by ordering books through various websites that sell used books rather than buying books through the college’s book store. By thinking outside the box and considering other options, prospective online students can minimize their college costs.
For-profit Versus Non-profit
Finding out whether a college is for-profit or non-profit is usually easy to do and can tell a prospective student a lot about the school itself. For-profit schools are often run like businesses, which can be positive or negative. For instance, a for-profit school could have high standards because they want to offer quality education since negative comments about the school could decrease the student population and therefore decrease profit. On the other hand, a for-profit school could just admit anyone and have lower standards so that it can get as many students as possible to obtain a better profit.
Non-profit schools are often supported by government funds. They have to operate at a certain level to keep their status. Non-profit schools have a positive aspect in that they do not need to have so many students (since they are not earning a profit), so they can be more selective and offer higher-level courses. On the other hand, they might be slack in other areas because they do not have a profit riding on student opinions.
As one can see, there are positive and negative aspects of both for-profit and non-profit schools. It is up to prospective students to do research and understand how a school’s profit status will affect their education.
Student Opinions
One consideration that may not be thought of when trying to decide on an online school is student opinion. The college itself will do everything in its power to present itself in a positive light, but past and current students do not have that obligation to the school. One has to be careful though when reading student reviews. Sometimes bitter students who didn’t do well due to their fault might blame the school instead of themselves.
By the same token, students who have too much pride to admit they chose the wrong school may prop their school up to feel better. Despite this, getting an overall view of the school is helpful. If there are numerous comments about a particular issue, then a prospective student can gain an understanding of negative and positive points about an online college. This can be done by using a search engine to search for student reviews of a particular college.
Taking these five things into consideration before choosing an online school will help with the decision without having regret down the road.
