Online College Degrees

The College Network has been around for many years.  They are one of the pioneers and original “Study Guide” formats to completing your college degree.  The majority of their customers are nurses looking to complete their LVN to RN, LPN to RN, or RN to BSN.  I don’t have accurate statistics, but my guess is that makes up 80-90% of their customers.

The College Network is not a college.  They are, in many ways, a specialized text book company that works together with various colleges and universities around the United States so that nurses can complete their degree.  These specialized text books, or study guides, walk nurses through various courses from Statistics, Microbiology, A & P, and even some basic courses like History or Government.

Here are 3 tips for working with the College Network in completing your nursing degree:

1. Don’t believe the hype – one way or another.  There are some nurses who bought into the study guide program thinking it was going to be easy.  It wasn’t.  So, they tell all their friends how bad it was.  That’s their fault. Studying on your own is almost always going to be harder than sitting in a classroom having a professor lecture to you while you take some notes.  If you have the ability to study on your own, then you might want to try them. 
2. Evaluating Your Transcripts – one of the TCN advisors will evaluate your transcripts.  They do this quite often and have seen many transcripts.  They are usually pretty accurate, BUT, the advisor who evaluates your transcript is NOT the final word.  The registrar at the college is the final word.  He/She has the right to make any adjustments to your evaluation. It may be just one course or two, but just be ready for that. It’s okay too.  The next tip will show you how to get around that initial evaluation.
3. Take A Few Courses – your transcripts may reveal that you need 9 of their study guides to take the courses you need to complete your degree.  But, you don’t have to sign up for all 9 at once.  If you were going to a community college, you don’t sign up for all 9 courses at once.  Just sign up for their minimum number of courses, if you need their financing, and work through those first.  This doesn’t obligate you to the entire 9 courses, and you can work through the first few courses to insure this is how you want to complete your degree.  If not, then you’re not out the entire amount.

Overall, I like the TCN program.  They have been around for quite a long time, which is saying something these days.  No university would work hand-in-hand with The College Network if their system wasn’t actually working.

Today, the Internet is being used more and more in the academic world to facilitate learning, training and education. Online education is the fastest growing form of learning today, and its applications are spreading into even the most technical of fields. Even the basic college experience has been changed dramatically, favoring more elements of online education than ever before.

When I first went to college in 1997, email and other basic Internet functions were already gaining large-scale popularity, however, education was still limited to the traditional lecture, classroom discussion, and textbook formats. Within the four years it took me to graduate (okay, five years), I saw an enormous increase in the use of online elements in my own education. Virtually every class I took the last year I spent in attendance had a significant online portion to the class. Often times the online elements were optional, yet I always found them an extremely useful tool as a compliment to the lectures and textbooks.

Not only has online education changed the college experience significantly, it is also playing a large role in many other forms of training and education. Many certifications, licenses, and specialized training programs are using online elements to facilitate their education as well. For example, most nursing programs, graduate programs, medical schools, law schools, law enforcement academies, other government training programs, and even many vocational training programs have online portions to their curriculums.

There has also been a rise in ‘Online Universities’, accredited educational institutions that offer degrees and certifications solely by way of online education. People today can earn an associate’s degree, a bachelor’s degree, a master’s degree, a doctorate, even a degree in law or a registered nurse certification. Some of these programs, such as nursing, require a certain amount of physical attendance at a specified location to conduct training, but many of them are conducted entirely online.

The rising popularity of online education is not without its criticism and potential drawbacks. Many people argue that removing the live ‘face to face’ interaction of traditional education will impact they way we are able to socialize effectively. These critics suggest that the communication skills learned in discussion and lecture formats are part of the educational experience, and should not be overlooked. There is also some criticism about the ability to regulate online education, and fears about cheating to obtain degrees without earning them.

In spite of the drawbacks and criticism, online education continues to grow at a rapid pace, and will most certainly remain a strong part of educational and training programs of the future.

By the time most of us are through with high school, we’re so relieved to be on our own. Without that burden of academics, which restrict us by law from having any freedom. Okay, maybe it’s not that serious, but if you think back to the good old teen years, you may have thought so.

Whether you’re just finishing high school, or not satisfied with your current job choices, it can always pay off to receive a bachelor degree in something. If you’re not sure what you’re looking for or what you’d be happy doing for the rest of your life, colleges and Univercities can help you with these decisions.

I recall coming out of high school with the feeling of relief. Wow, was I ready to ditch that place. Most of us feel a certain weight lifted when we finish high school. However, there is also a weight gained. That dread of the real world, which can give you a terrible reality check if not prepared. Money is not so easily made if you lack formal training or a bachelor degree in some specific field. The business world out there is competitive as ever with the constant growth in population, and a college education can make a world of difference in your success.

Most high school graduates enter college with no or possibly a vague idea of what they want to do with their life. Most of them know they want to make money and enjoy their career, but who knows what that career is? Career centers can help you move in that direction to understanding a career goal for you. Whether you prefer a major in the field of arts or sciences, a bachelor degree in either will help you find a job.

Your chances of attaining work go up about 90 percent after achieving a four year degree. That’s worth studying for. When I attended a University for my bachelor degree in English, I didn’t exactly know where I was headed, but I knew that I enjoyed the academics and wanted something concerning this field. Later, I went for my minor in film and knew that I wanted to write movies. The two educations complimented each other.

It doesn’t matter if you’re shooting for your bachelor degree in Anthropology or Chemical Engineering, your chances of finding a career greatly increase. It is practically essential to receive a college education in this competitive world today.