Continuing Education | Meta-Education

Dorms: How On-Campus Living Spaces Differ between Campuses

Dorm rooms are one of the types of living quarters that are available when you attend school away from home. They are traditionally small and have a bad reputation for being dirty, noisy, and cramped. However, this is not the case for dorms at some colleges. While you are investigating academic programs at a particular school, be sure to check out the dorms during an on-campus visit to avoid any surprises later down the line.

Dorms are a great way to meet new people, especially as a freshman that is new to a college. Dorm living is also far less expensive than apartment living. Plus you do not need to worry about taking care of utilities or internet access on your own.

Older colleges tend to have small dormitories. These spaces are small, sometimes the size of the average household bedroom. To make matters worse, these tight spaces are often shared by two to three people. These types of dorms have several rooms in one hall and a bathroom, small kitchen, and living room for everyone to share.

However, dorm living is not the same at all schools. Some colleges are remodeling their dorms to shadow the dorms offered at newer universities. Some newer dorms are extremely spacious, mimicking that of a condominium. Florida Gulf Coast University, for example, has dorms with four separate bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, and two bathrooms for four people.

If you want to live in the dorms, it is imperative that you apply for the space immediately upon acceptance into a school. There are not enough dorms for every student in attendance. Schools take into account that some students desire to live off-campus, especially as they progress within their degree programs. Most colleges have enough dormitory space for freshmen, though some students live their throughout all four years of college.

Filed Under: Continuing Education Tagged With: Dormitory, Florida Gulf Coast University

Ivy League School Facts: What to Consider before Applying

Ivy League schools are top-rated colleges in the United States based on academic achievements, student success rates, and the profiles of students admitted to the universities. Ivy League schools are also given more government funding to conduct research projects with its students. Ivy League schools are difficult to get into. However, you do not have to be wealthy to attend these schools. The admissions offices look at your overall profile to see how you would fit in the school.

Ivy League schools are located in the Northeast. As of 2011, there are eight Ivy League colleges. These include Brown, Harvard, Columbia, Yale, Princeton, Cornell, Dartmouth, and the University of Pennsylvania. There are other universities that across the nation that are currently trying to achieve the elitism of these universities. Examples include Stanford and the University of Florida.

However, the term “Ivy League” is just a historic term that describes the uniqueness of the academic achievements of the students enrolled in the colleges. There are only eight such schools, so the odds of a student attending one are not great. This does not mean that Ivy League schools are necessarily the best of all colleges. Attending a college depends on your personal preference for a particular atmosphere as well as what you wish to study.

Harvard University is the oldest Ivy League School, founded before the American Revolution in 1636. Harvard is also one of the smallest of the Ivy League schools; therefore the enrollment is more competitive. The largest of the schools is the University of Pennsylvania. Overall, the acceptance rate of these schools falls between only 10 and 15 percent. They are smaller than other universities and have higher standards in terms of GPA and test scores. You must have an above average SAT score, usually somewhere around 2000 to even be considered.

Filed Under: Continuing Education, Higher Education Tagged With: Harvard University, Ivy League

How Your Current Job Can Pay for College

It is a well-known fact that having a degree can lead you to higher-paying jobs. In some cases, you will make more with a degree doing the same job as someone without a degree. At the same time, employers benefit from having educated employees. They are more knowledgeable in their field and have the latest information on up and coming trends. Some potential students refrain from attending college after high school due to the costs involved. There are some instances in which a company or organization is willing to pay their employees to further their education.

The military is known for paying for college for service men and women. This is one of the reasons why some people join the military. The military is not the only employer that pays its employees for education. Other well-known companies such as Microsoft, Google, and Walt Disney offer educational incentives to some of their employees and interns.

Paid education is one of the things to consider when applying for jobs, but should not be the sole factor. What happens if you already have a Bachelor’s degree and you want to go to graduate school? Professional and service jobs are increasingly offering to pay employees for grad school tuition costs. Examples include teachers, police officers, and fire fighters.

The reimbursement of college costs is definitely an incentive of certain jobs. However, you should not pass up the opportunity to go to school just because you want your future job to pay for the costs of college. Although some companies offer tuition assistance, the majority of companies do not. A better case scenario is to get your Bachelor’s degree after high school if you have the opportunity to, and then to find a good job that can pay for higher education costs. Do not rely on a free ride for college.

Filed Under: Adult Education, Continuing Education Tagged With: Education, Employment

The Parents’ Guide for College Fees

There is much to college that parents want to be involved in. The least exciting aspect of your child going to college is coming up with the funds to help pay for it. There are some things you should understand about college fees before you frantically look for money in your savings or taking on another job. Paying for college is not easy, but planning ahead can help you and your student immensely.

College fees begin during the application process. Each application costs between $25 and $100. Your student also has to pay to take the ACT and SAT tests. Once your child is accepted into a college, you can get a better idea of the long-term costs. Each college charges tuition based on a credit hour. If your child is enrolling full-time, then she will take between 12 and 18 credit hours per semester. Your child will average between eight and 10 semesters of college in total, depending on the major.

Do not encourage your child to indulge in part-time studies for the sake of saving money. In fact, this will end up costing you both more money, as school time and the subsequent living expenses are spanned over a longer period of time.

Books are a cost that can fluctuate between semesters. The most costly books are medical ones. Expect the cost of books to be anywhere from $300 to $800 a semester. Encourage your student to purchase used ones, if available.

Before taking out a personal loan or taking on a second job, look for free money available for your student. Encourage him to check out scholarships. Also be sure that the two of you fill out a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) every year. This determines your child’s eligibility for grants and loan interest rate federal loans. This reduces money-relates stresses for you and your student.

Filed Under: Adult Education, Continuing Education Tagged With: Course credit, FAFSA, SAT

Full-Time Work during College: Advantages and Disadvantages

College is undoubtedly one of the most expensive investments you will make. Aside from textbooks, tuition, and lab fees, you will have to pay for your basic living expenses while you attend school. Scholarships come in handy but most do not pay for all of your expenses. Stafford loans can also help, but students are often still short of money. Some students decide to work full-time in addition to their studies to make ends meet. While full-time work can help you out financially, it also has its drawbacks for students.

Full-time work brings you extra income as well as health benefits in come cases. The extra life experiences are also a plus. You will learn how to balance study time around your work schedule. Once you graduate school, potential employers may be impressed by your ambition to work so much while attending classes.

Working full-time is possible for college students. Employers in the service market, such as retail stores are often among the most accommodating for college student schedules. If you can only find a day job, most schools offer night and weekend classes.

Full-time employment also has its drawbacks. The greatest concern is its implications on schoolwork. You might be able to balance your work and class schedule, but do you really have enough free time to devote to studying and term papers? Do you have to give up clubs and extracurricular activities you enjoy? There is a concern that you might miss out on the whole “college experience” if you work too much.

You may have to drop classes to fulfill your work obligations. This in itself may cause a problem if you receive financial aid through scholarships and federal student loans. To receive certain forms of financial aid, you have to be a full-time student. You have to take 12 credit hours or more to be considered a full-time student. Weigh the risks and benefits before working and going to school full-time.

Filed Under: Adult Education, Continuing Education Tagged With: Student, Student financial aid in the United States

How Distance Learning Fits into Your Lifestyle

Distance learning is a way to obtain a degree or career certificate from home. Although technology has made distance learning easier and quicker, it is not a new concept. Prior to the widespread use of household computers and the internet, distance learning was conducted through the mail. You would mail in term papers and tests only to wait for a few weeks for the USPS to deliver the results back to you.

Today students embark on distance learning courses for a variety of reasons. First, you might have a full-time job and require attending classes at your own leisure. This is common in adults who have been in a field for sometime and are going to school for a new degree of furthering their education. Distance learning also accommodates students who cannot afford room and board while attending a university in-person. In some cases, you might attend a university that reaches full capacity in some classes. If a certain course is in high-demand, the college might offer a distance learning-style version of the course to accommodate students. This is common in the College of Business at the University of Florida, for example.

There are certain points to consider when you investigate distance learning options:

• Is this the most suitable type of education for your schedule? If you have the time and are close to a college, you might instead attend classes in person.
• Is the particular school accredited? Most schools will say up-front. If you are not sure, ask the admissions office directly.
• Does the school offer the exact programs you desire? Will the degree or certificate benefit your career?
• Do you have the self-discipline it takes to learn from home? Distance learning requires excellent time management skills and a willingness to complete work on your own.

Filed Under: Continuing Education, Online Learning Tagged With: Distance education

Financial Differences between Full-Time and Part-Time Schooling

Attending college is one of the greatest investments you will ever make. Making the grades and test scores during high school is only half the battle. A big factor is how to pay for your studies. Some students have a misconception that attending school part-time will save them money. There are a few things to understand about credit hours and financial aid before making this decision.

Each class you take is worth a certain number of credit hours, the average being three. A school charges you per credit hour and not by class. Taking a three credit class is cheaper than a four credit class. For state residents, a university will charge anywhere between $300 and $400 a credit hour.

Part-time college students take 9 credit hours or less per semester. This generally equates to three classes. Full-time students, in comparison, take 12 credit hours or more. Although an average of one class does not seem like much, it can make a great difference in terms of work load as well as tuition and textbook expenses.

Before you decide to enroll as a part-time student, you must be aware of the financial aid implications. Check the enrollment requirements in advance of any scholarships, grants, and federal student loan programs you are involved in. You will find that the majority require that students enroll in college full-time in order to receive funding. These services are designed to help serious students make it through school, not for those who are interested in taking on or two classes a semester at their leisure. So you can see why these requirements exist.

On the other hand, if you do not have any monetary aid offered to you, it is up to you to consider what workload would be most appropriate for you in terms of time and money.

Filed Under: Continuing Education Tagged With: Course credit, Student

Filing an Annual FAFSA-How it Can Earn You Money for College

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is a form that you can initially fill out prior to going to college. If you plan to start college in the fall, then you can submit a FAFSA as early as January of that year. The form asks for sources of income as well as dependency. Most of the information asked for on a FAFSA can be found on your IRS tax forms. In this case, you might consider filing the two at the same time. The FAFSA can be completed every year, as your income or your tax filing status is likely to change.

The FAFSA itself determines your eligibility for government loans and grants based on your income. Without filling out this form, you can lose out on free money or loans that carry low interest rates. If you are considered as a dependent, you will need your guardians’ income information as well.

Fill out the FAFSA even if you do not know which school you are attending yet. The form asks for schools so that the information can be transmitted to those specific colleges. Put down all of the colleges you have applied to or those which you still may apply to. Otherwise, you might be faced with the headache of filling out an additional form if you end up being accepted to another school that you did not list. Each school that receives the FAFSA information will look at your application and determine your eligibility for school-specific grants and scholarships. This could end up being one of your deciding factors when choosing between schools.

If you are not awarded any grants or scholarships based on the information submitted with your FAFSA, it can still help you secure student loans and comparable interest rates. This is often cheaper than getting a personal loan on your own through a local bank.

Filed Under: Continuing Education, Higher Education Tagged With: IRS tax forms, School

Occupational Changes of Heart Spur Continuing Education

It’s a fact that thousands upon thousands of students will graduate college every single year. Another fact is that thousands of those graduates will either decide they don’t like what they do once they enter the workforce, or find out their degree gives them little options for work. These kinds of occupational changes of heart has made continuing education popular.

With continuing education, full-time workers have the opportunity to learn new skills in diverse fields from book editing to advertising. And they do it all without sacrificing their current source of income. Most continuing courses are designed with the working adult in mind, and take place during night hours or even on weekends. Each course in a field of study generally costs a few hundred dollars, or two or three thousand for a year. Many end with the presentation of a certificate upon completion, which looks great on a resume.

Most people are familiar with continuing education courses offered my small, technical colleges; many of which are advertised on late night television. But because of their increasing popularity, and growing interest in more diverse fields, many Top 25 colleges from the University of Chicago to Stanford have begun offering their own courses.

The greatest advantage of continuing education courses is most are taught by people that work in the course’s respective industry. For example, a creative writing course would be led by a published author or journalist. Meanwhile, people taking an advertising course would find themselves learning from an advertising executive. This is a perk for two reasons. One, students will garner inside knowledge about the industry they would like to enter instead of just basic principles, theories and skills. Additionally, the connected teachers present a very valuable networking opportunity.

Continuing education presents a viable alternative to going back to school full-time to get another degree. It is substantially cheaper, and students are given real-life experience not often found in traditional classrooms.

Filed Under: Continuing Education Tagged With: Continuing education, Distance Learning, University of Chicago

The Valuable Benefits of Distant Learning

The way people are educated is an evolving process as educators search for the most effective ways to teach students. Blackboards, chalk and erasers have given way to computers in the classroom, and now, more students are taking courses in many places other than a classroom. Although distant learning has been around for generations, it is just now reaching its potential with the proliferation of new, cheaper technology. Whether on the Internet or through delivered DVDs, distant learning is becoming a staple for learning in elementary school and into college.

With all of this change, some traditionalists have come to wonder what exactly are the benefits. They believe the same education can’t be garnered as with a physical teacher. Or they bemoan the lack of a rigid school schedule.

The truth is that distant learning provides many benefits outside the classroom. First and foremost, the advent of distant learning has provided greater access to education than what can be offered by tradition schools. Students that live in rural or underprivileged areas can take classes on the subjects they are most interested in. For those same students it is also a more economical method of learning, not needing expensive textbooks or other materials.

There is also a cost advantage for educational institutions as well as the individual student. Instead of operating with full-time educators and using an extensive supply of materials, everything can be done online or with a few discs.

Distant learning creates a new demographic of learners, especially in adults who lack the time to dedicate to traditional courses. For universities, they have seen a bump in students and tuition as students from other college need to take a specific course but find it only at another university’s distant learning program.

Of course the students are to benefit greatly with distant learning when it comes to time and flexibility. Individuals can follow additional opportunities like a job or other educational pursuits.

Filed Under: Continuing Education, Online Learning Tagged With: Education, Learning, Student, Teacher