Selecting Online Schools – An Online Education

Following up from our Evaluating Schools and Careers article, once you’ve determined your single favorite career path or online college program, focus on the schools themselves. There are five features to consider: Cost, Location, Curriculum and Classes, Student Satisfaction, and Career Opportunities. These will help you accurately evaluate schools and choose the best one for you.

Cost

The cost of a program shouldn’t be the most important feature. We know it’s tempting to skim through listings and disregard everything that costs more than your upper limit, but we hope you don’t. Some of the more expensive programs provide such thorough, respected training that you’re virtually guaranteed to make more money in the long run. And some of the cheaper programs…well, you get what you pay for. Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and Stanford graduates make the big bucks for a reason. That’s not to say that all of the more affordable programs are inferior to their expensive counterparts – we just don’t want price to be your first and last consideration.

But how do you attend a program that costs more than you can afford?

Many of the programs, and almost all the expensive ones, offer some sort of payment or installment plan, financial aid, work study, or at least accept credit cards. Things change, exceptions are made, and payment options vary. If a school does offer financing, seriously consider it – investing in your future career isn’t such a terrible use of credit. The good news is, overall, most schools mention these things and include the total cost – tuition, books, supplies, feeds, and other expenses – in their free brochures. Just request more information and tell them where to send it. Many even have counselors and advisers who will call to answer any questions you may have – they are excellent resources to learn from, not just about that particular schools, but about online college programs altogether.

Location

Obviously, it’s easiest to attend a college near your home. Sometimes, though, the most attractive program will be in the least attractive place – thousands of miles away, in an urban sprawl or boonies. And you may not be able to travel any distance for a number of reasons – kids, a job you can’t leave (yet), and so on. But nowadays, an online education is just as reputable and respected by employers as traditional one, and exploring this option can be a great opportunity to go to the best school in the country for your career choice.

The most important thing is the quality of the education. If you’ll spend five, ten, or twenty years happily working in your new career, how much does taking a few online courses really matter? After all, it may even be cheaper to attend an online course program, by avoiding room and board expenses, commuting, and additional fees.

Curriculum and Classes

The backbone of every program is its curriculum and classes. So be sure you understand exactly what is offered before choosing a school. There are three questions you want answered: What’s included? How is it presented? Who presents it?

The first question is straightforward. If you don’t entirely understand what subjects are covered and what skills are taught after reading the informational brochure, get on the phone and call the school’s academic advisor/counselor. You want specifics. Ask what you’ll be taught. What skills will you learn? What techniques? What methods? Will you be introduced to people – employers, experts, workers – in the field? Do students get t work on professional projects?

Once you understand exactly what’s involved, you want to know how it’s taught. How do you like to learn? Online presentations, chat room discussions, forums, online homework, written assignments, exams, etc. One student may love a school because it offers the opportunity to achieve self-directed work, make mistakes, and experiment, like in computer science or computer information systems. Only you know your learning preferences, and it’s your job to ensure that the school’s teaching methods support them, so ask.

And while you’re at it, ask about the student-teacher ratio. Many alternative training programs pride themselves on the small size of their classes. If the classes aren’t small, ask if and how you can expect to be given individual attention and instruction.

Finally, who teaches the classes? Is it the superstar director? Faculty members who are currently working in the field are great resources too. Ask who the instructors are, where they studied, and if they’re working in the field as well as teaching about it.

Student Satisfaction

Bottom line: Does the online college degree program prepare students to get good jobs or build successful businesses? And the best way to find out is to ask the students themselves?

The programs should happily give you the names of some of their graduates. It’s in their interest to refer you to students who liked the training and will give the program a good recommendation. But usually these students told the school they were willing to be quizzed about their college experience. If you ask specific questions, you’ll get specific answers.

Here are some questions you can ask:

• Did you enjoy the program? How completely did it prepare you for real-world employment/self-employment?
• Would you go back to the same school if you had to do it over? What other schools have you heard good things about?
• What did you like most about the training? What did you like least? What would you change?
• Do you work full-time? How long did it take to get full-time work/build a strong client base?
• How much money do you make?
• What’s the hardest part of making a living? Does the school help with that?
• Does the school help with placement? Networking? What does it do for graduates. (DeVry University does an excellent job with this)

Career Opportunities

Different training programs, even in the same subject, emphasize different careers. Some focus on preparing students for employment, some for self-employment. Some for one particular niche in the field, and others for a more general practice. Make sure that your career goals and the program’s career training are well matched.

But beyond matching your goals and the school’s training, you should also do a bit more career research (our Career Info Section can help).

The Final Analysis

There are four final issues to consider when you’re evaluating schools: credibility and accreditation, placement and marketing assistance, advanced and additional training, and legalities and licensing.

Some of the schools are directed by, or affiliated with, big names in the field: instant credibility. For example, if you’re interest in becoming a nurse, medical assistant, dental assistant, or hygienist, the fact that many medical centers around the country have a direct relationship with the school will mean something to you. And the American Arts program at Sotheby’s is, well, at Sotheby’s.

Credibility can also be a result of accreditation. In the fields in which accreditation is available, you ought to evaluate the worth of the accreditation and the accrediting organization. Once again, the best resource for this is requesting FREE information and brochures.