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How to Begin Your Online College Search

November 28, 2011 By 1 Comment

Start Your Online College Search Early

Before you go online to start your college search take advantage of offline resources available to you, resources like your high school guidance counselors, colleagues and relatives who’ve already attended college.  Touching base with these resources may help to decrease the amount of time it takes you to find the top three to five accredited colleges and universities you’d like to attend.  Knowing what you want to gain from attending college can also aid you in your college search.

If you’re still attending high school visit college fairs that your school hosts as several local accredited colleges and universities may likely attend the college fairs.  At college fairs you can talk face-to-face with professionals who work at the schools.   You can also pick up pamphlets and brochures on colleges and universities, written material providing you with information like how long the schools have been in operation, where the schools are headquartered, the numbers of students enrolled in the schools and awards or recognition the schools have received.  Get information on as many colleges and universities offering degrees in fields you want to work in.  This way you can increase your chances of being accepted into top schools.

When you start searching for schools using the Internet, pull up college and university rankings reports like U.S. News and World Report, Washington Monthly College Rankings and the Princeton Review.  Using these and other college ranking reports and databases you can conduct:

  • College search by state
  • College search by degree

Searching for Colleges and Universities Using Naviance and Other Tools

Furthermore, tools like Naviance Family Connection college search allow you to compile information on several colleges in one location.  Through Naviance you can also:

  • Create goals for college, including courses you want to take and student activities you want to participate in
  • Your parents can also access Naviance to learn about admissions requirements at colleges and universities you want to enroll at
  • Professionals affiliated with Naviance can also partner with you to ensure you remain motivated and on track to achieving your academic goals

You need to create a login and password to access Naviance.  Before registering for the program, consider creating a college search quiz so you’re prepared to ask questions like:

  • What types of jobs can I get by majoring in popular courses at certain colleges and universities (have a list of schools you’re interested in attending)?
  • How can I learn about financial aid offered at colleges and universities?
  • How long does it generally take students to receive undergraduate degrees from the schools?
  • What types of reports or documents do my high school guidance counselors have that I can receive to learn more about top colleges and universities?
  • What courses can I take in high school that may best prepare me to excel in my college major?

By using online college and university ranking reports, feedback you get from your high school guidance counselors, family members and colleagues who’ve attended college, you can learn detailed information about schools.  Should you want to transfer to an on-campus school, searching for colleges and universities that have both offline and online degree programs may make it easy for you to continue to take courses at schools you started out taking distance learning programs from.  You’re also encouraged to search for colleges and universities that are accredited by agencies recognized by the United States Department of Education.

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How Do You Know if a College or University is Online?

November 24, 2011 By 1 Comment

Finding Online Colleges and Universities

There are hundreds of colleges and universities in the United States.  Many of these postsecondary schools offer online or distance learning programs you can enroll in to advance your education or to complete undergraduate and/or graduate degrees.  It could take you hours to find out which colleges and universities near you are online.  However, there are resources you can search through to quickly find out if schools offer distance learning programs.

Administrators at many of the 2,500 colleges and universities contacted in the 2010 Sloan Consortium Survey noted that their schools have distance learning programs.  In fact, responding schools noted that at least 5.6 million students had taken an online course during 2009 alone.  Distance education is proving to be another viable way to learn.  Inside Higher Ed reports in its June 29, 2009 “The Evidence on Online Education” article that students who took an online course performed better than their counterparts who took the same course in a classroom.  When students combined classroom courses with distance learning classes they performed even better.

In the coming years inclusive lists of colleges and universities offering online programs may become as popular as are annual reports like the U.S. News and World Report’s annual top colleges and universities report and the Princeton Review’s top school report.  Today, whether you’re a high school senior searching for a college to enroll in or whether you’re an adult student looking for a school to enroll in a continuing education program through, you can use one or more of the above reports to get information on schools like:

  • Online graduate degree programs
  • 10 largest online colleges and universities
  • Whether or not top accredited schools offer undergraduate degree online classes
  • Method online courses are taught by (e.g. video, Internet)
  • Subjects online courses (e.g. biology, education, nursing) are available in

Additional Resources to Find Online Colleges and Universities

The United States Department of Education, Peterson’s and College Board are other resources that list online schools.  If you visit the Department of Education you can also find out whether or not a school is accredited.  Some state education departments also list online schools that operate in their jurisdictions.  For example, Florida colleges and universities list, Georgia colleges and universities list and New York colleges are posted at public or private educational databases and/or state department of education websites.

At College Board you can search for online college or university information based on major, school name or tuition costs.  You can also compare online schools at College Board.  Peterson’s allows you to search through its online colleges and universities directory.  You can search for school information at Peterson’s based on major and/or graduate programs.  Peterson’s also has an online school guide that gives you tips on what’s needed to succeed while taking distance learning programs.  Popular online learning programs in subjects like engineering and law are highlighted at the directory.

Thanks to the Internet you can find out if public and private schools, including historical black colleges and universities, are online by conducting a search in major engines.  However, if you have a long list of schools you’re interested in exploring, you can save yourself time by looking through online directories and school ranking reports like U.S. News and World Report’s annual top colleges and universities report, the Princeton Review, Peterson’s, the Department of Education’s online database or College Board.

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How Do Online Colleges and Universities Get Ranked?

November 21, 2011 By 2 Comments

Ranking Online Colleges and Universities

Colleges and universities rankings have been published for several years, going out to students like you, parents, media outlets and administrators at institutions of higher learning.  These reports like the U.S. News and World Report college and university rankings do the work that might easily take you weeks and months to complete if you set out to review and rank top schools on your own.  Since its advent, the Internet has made it possible for you to access these rankings electronically.  Information contained in the rankings reports can be used to help you decide if a school offers undergraduate and/or graduate courses, residency programs, NCAA approved athletic programs, student government organizations, etc. you need at reasonable prices.

As of 2011, approximately 1,400 schools are ranked by U.S. News and World Report.  The Princeton Review examines nearly 2,000 schools before it compiles its ranking reports.  In some reports, schools are ranked by regions including:

  • Midwestern
  • Northeastern
  • Western
  • Southeastern

Because schools are ranked by tuition costs, you can find the best wallet friendly schools by reviewing the rankings reports.  If you’re looking for schools that grant the majority of their degrees in liberal arts disciplines, consider checking out reports like U.S. News and World Report.  Although public and private colleges and universities are included in rankings reports, schools might not be ranked according to whether or not they are private or public in all of the reports.  Types of programs and features reviewed at the schools include:

  • Innovation (number of firsts at the school such as first school to found the world’s first society of alumni, Williams College)
  • Student to faculty ratio (lower student to faculty ratios may help schools score higher in rankings reports)
  • Popular majors at the schools (e.g. Political Science, Psychology, Environmental Engineering)
  • Freshmen retention rate (higher retention rates may be viewed as an indication that students are generally satisfied with the school and its course offerings)
  • Academic branches at the schools (e.g. social sciences, natural sciences, humanities)
  • Whether or not the school offers graduate degree programs
  • On-campus housing options available to students
  • Student reviews of the schools
  • Tuition costs for undergraduate and/or graduate students (in-state and out-of-state)

Valuable Feedback Going Into College and University Rankings

High school counselors also offer their feedback on schools in some colleges and university ranking reports.  As counselors keep in touch with graduated high school students they can get direct feedback on internship programs, work/study programs, tutoring programs and residencies available at the schools, including programs that best help students to get full-time jobs that pay attractive salaries and offer extensive benefits.  By getting feedback from high school counselors and alumni members, ranking organizations and publications can offer you and other college students a more balanced view of accredited postsecondary schools operating in the United States.

Professionals associated with publications and organizations that compile colleges and universities rankings may also visit postsecondary schools, schedule meetings with career counselors and school administrators to get their feedback on course offerings and student activities available at the school.  Sometimes being selective in regards to the criteria students are required to meet before they’re accepted to enroll in the schools contributes to college university rankings.  Periodicals like the Princeton Review also survey students attending various schools before they create their final rankings of colleges and universities.

Filed Under: college online search, Online College FAQ's Tagged With: , , , , ,

Columbia College Online Degrees

November 17, 2011 By 1 Comment

Earning College Online Degrees from Columbia College

Founded in 1851 and accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, Columbia College enrolls more than 12,000 students in at least one online course a year.  The courses generally run for eight weeks each.  Additionally, more than 600 classes and 20 degree programs are available through the school’s distance learning program.  Columbia College online degrees make it possible for you to enroll in degree programs and take courses taught by professors at the school without having to live in Columbia, Missouri, where Columbia College’s main campus is located.  Because you can combine distance learning programs with classroom courses as you pursue college degrees, you also have the opportunity to meet your professors and classmates in person.

To take Columbia College online classes and get degrees from the school you generally must:

  • Apply for admission to the college (You can apply for admission in person or online)
  • Register to take courses (You can register for Columbia College Missouri online courses using the school’s eRegistration system)
  • Make sure your computer meets the college’s technical requirements (e.g. 60+ gigabytes of hard drive for Windows and Mac)
  • Pay tuition

If you want to get a feel for how the school’s online system works, feel free to launch the school’s online course demo.  This may also help you to confirm whether or not you need to make changes to your computer (e.g. add more memory) to complete the courses.

Degrees and Focus Subject Areas at Columbia College

Types of undergraduate and/or graduate degrees you can obtain while taking Columbia college online courses are:

  • Associate of Science in Business Administration
  • Associate of Science in Environmental Studies
  • Bachelor of Science in Computer Information Systems
  • Bachelor of Arts in American Studies
  • Bachelor of Arts in Psychology
  • Bachelor of Arts in Sociology
  • Master of Science in Criminal Justice
  • Master of Arts in Teaching

Should you need academic support, you can contact the school’s academic advising area.  If you’re also taking classroom courses at the college, you can reach out to your academic advisor on campus. Because you’re taking online degrees courses, you may keep in touch with your academic advisors and professors using email, message boards or the telephone.  To get the most out of these meetings consider writing down specific questions you’d like to ask your professors or academic advisors.  For example, you could ask your professors or academic advisors for titles to books or articles you could read to improve your understanding of certain college courses or you could ask them to name two to three advanced courses you could take to accelerate your learning.

Attending Columbia College helps you to graduate with undergraduate and graduate degrees from an accredited postsecondary school that has experience operating in the distance learning space.  By going to school at Columbia College you can also take advantage of earning degrees in fields that the school may have performed particularly well in.  To learn more about the school, consider briefly reading through Columbia College online reviews at places like Peterson’s and the National Center for Education Statistics.

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College Search Online

November 14, 2011 By 1 Comment

College Search Online Systems Helping College Students Learn

According to Internet World Stats, by 2010 hundreds of millions of people were using the Internet, many of them searching for facts, figures, articles and information using search engines.  Today people around the world use search engines to locate college search online information like enrollment, tuition costs, financial aid expenses and college student extracurricular activities.  Conducting college search online reviews of schools you’re interested in attending can shorten the time it could take you to find accredited postsecondary schools that best help you to gain the advanced education you want.

Finding Information You Need to Succeed at College

Peterson’s, College Board, US News and World Report and Princeton Review college overviews and/or rankings are some of the resources you can use to collect and review facts, interesting tidbits and course offerings available at accredited colleges and universities located throughout the United States.  Online college search engine efforts can quickly provide you with individual school data such as:

  • Whether or not the school is for-profit or not
  • Types of degrees and certifications awarded at the school (e.g. college diplomas, associate degrees, bachelor’s degrees, graduate degrees)
  • If the school accepts federal financial aid
  • Scholarships and grants the school provides directly to qualifying students
  • Distance learning courses and degree programs offered at the school
  • Minimum college entrance examination (e.g. SAT, ACT) scores required to get admitted to the school
  • Costs of tuition
  • Whether or not the college or university operates on a quarter or semester basis
  • Activities and organizations available for students to join and participate in
  • Accreditations the schools have
  • Student enrollment facts
  • Demographics of students enrolled at the school, including the percentage of men and women enrolled

After you narrow down the top three accredited colleges or universities you want to attend, consider visiting the schools in person.  Before you pack your bags and travel to the schools contact an administrator at the school and schedule a tour.  This way you can get an in-person feel or vibe for the school.  Should you decide not to take an in-person tour of the campus, jot down questions you may have about the school and telephone school administrators so you can get direct answers to your questions.  For example, you could ask the school administrators about the college’s:

  • Student graduation rate (if it’s not available using online resources)
  • Teacher to student classroom ratios
  • Licenses and degrees college professors are required to have to teach at the school
  • Percentage of students who get employed after graduating from the college or university (also ask how long it takes students to get hired in their degree field)

The benefits of conducting college searches online can extend beyond gathering enrollment, costs, degree subjects, etc.  By searching detailed information at individual school websites you can learn about policies, procedures, course offerings as well as find registration forms and applications you can use to get into programs like internships, clinical trials, advanced courses and work/study programs.

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College Online Survival Guide

November 10, 2011 By 1 Comment

College Online Survival Guide for Students

If this is your first time attending an accredited college or university, you may be feeling a bit overwhelmed as you meet with your academic advisor for the first time and start identifying courses you want to take during the upcoming quarter or semester.  Of course, if you live on campus you may also be meeting your dorm mate for the first time and learning how to navigate the world of finances, house cleaning, shopping and time management on your own.  With the support of a college online survival guide you can learn how to manage your new campus responsibilities, educational requirements and lifestyle.

Some college survival guides like Bakersfield College’s online survival guide cover items such as:

  • Finding out if taking college online classes is right for you
  • Type of computer needed to take online classes
  • Registering for college online classes
  • Using email
  • Using online dictionaries and encyclopedias

If you take distance learning courses through Lincoln College online, Harrison College online and other postsecondary schools you can log into the school’s virtual programs using a computer and find out the start and end dates for your classes, the costs of registering for distance learning courses at individual colleges and universities as well as how to locate and access the school’s virtual library.  Although you may be able to access your school’s distance learning programs using computers at the school’s library, it’s recommended that you have your own computer and Internet access.  This way you won’t have to wait for other students to finish using library computers before you log on.  You can also log into your courses from home during the day or night.

Succeeding at College Online Courses

To succeed at distance learning courses you’re encouraged to:

  • Attend student orientations your school may offer
  • Participate in online classroom discussions and meetings
  • Set aside sufficient time to take focus on the course material, studying, research work and examinations (you might find that it takes you just as long to complete distance learning courses as it does to complete classroom courses)
  • Sign into your distance learning classes two or more times a week.  This may help you to remain aware of changes, upcoming assignments and projects your professors have assigned.
  • Complete school work on time
  • Start and finish reading assignments
  • Stay in contact with your academic advisors, especially if you’re having challenges with one or more distance learning courses

A college online survival guide can shorten the amount of time it takes you to adjust to living away from home for the first time.  Some accredited colleges and universities create and distribute survival guides for students.  You might find such a guide at your school’s academic affairs, student affairs or Bursar’s office.  If you don’t find a survival guide at these offices, ask your academic advisor where you can get a copy.  It might only take you an hour to read through the guide; however, doing so may help you get an excellent start at college and maintain a healthy level of academic success.

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College Online Games for Students

November 7, 2011 By 2 Comments

Balance, Fun and Education for College Students

College online games for students are interactive technological programs that may or may not cost a fee to use.  Many of the games operate with one or more computer operating systems (e.g. Windows, Mac).  The games can also be downloaded onto handheld electronic devices like Blackberries and iPads so that you can have fun between college classes or while you’re relaxing back at your dorm. They’re also popular; according to the July 6, 2011 MSNBC “College Students Are Avid Gamers” article nearly 70 percent of students reported playing college online games “once in a while.”

To have fun without spending lots of money and to balance taking rigorous college courses with the challenges of transitioning into adulthood, you can try your hand at online games.  In fact, you might be able to download free college football online games and college basketball online games offered by major sporting and interactive entertainment companies like ESPN, Shock Wave and Stick Sports.  Popularity of the games can be seasonable.  For example, in July and August baseball games like Smash and Blast Baseball, Striker and ESPN Arcade Baseball may be popular downloads. Additionally, Basketball Trick Hoops, Spider Basketball and Slam Jam Basketball are a few basketball games you can download and play for free.  Just make sure that you run a virus check on the websites you download the games from before you hit the “download” button.  This may save you the hassle of having to have viruses removed from your computer hours or days later.

Playing and Watching Online College Games

That’s not all.  In addition you can watch free college football games online at places like ESPN and Sirius.  While watching these and other college and professional athletic competitions you can get score updates and live streaming on game action.  After the competitions have ended, you can read online commentary about the athletic contests and find out about upcoming games your favorite sporting teams have on their schedules.

As much fun as you can have playing online games as a college student, if you’ve played video games before you probably know how easy it is to get so caught up in playing a game that, before you know it, an hour has passed.  To keep yourself from playing games instead of studying, identify times you’re going to study as well as times you’re going to play your favorite online games.  For example, you could study on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. and play online games for students on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4 p.m. until 6 p.m., allowing yourself enough time to study and have fun.

Furthermore, if you play educational online games for students such as Age of the Empires III, Return of the Incredible Machine Contraptions, Law & Order or Quest Atlantis, you can discover new ways of looking at scientific theories, mathematical equations or language arts.  You might even get inspired to create a novel, short story, poem or another artistic work.

There are a plethora of college online games for students, so that it appears there’s at least one game to match your many passions and interests.  Get a game that’s compatible with your computer system and you could spend hours learning how to beat classic and newly released video games.  To ensure that you stay on track with your college courses, consider playing online games only during certain times of the day.

Filed Under: Online College News Tagged With: , , , ,

Can I Take a Nursing Program Online?

November 3, 2011 By 1 Comment

Completing Training for Your Nursing License Online

Courses taught at online nursing schools can prepare you to take and pass licensing examinations like the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN) or (NCLEX-LPN).  Because state laws require you to get licensed before you start working as a licensed practical nurse (LPN) or as a registered nurse (RN) enrolling in programs administered by online schools for nursing not only provides you with a valuable postsecondary education, doing so also helps you take a first, and necessary, step toward employment as a nurse.  The National League of Nursing Accreditation Commission and the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education are two organizations that accredit nursing schools and/or college and university nursing programs.

Schools you can take online nursing courses from include:

  • Drexel University Online
  • Kaplan University
  • Walden University
  • University of Phoenix
  • Chamberlain College of Nursing
  • Liberty University
  • Capella University
  • Indiana State University
  • Western Governors University
  • Sacred Heart University
  • Georgetown University

Courses and Education Associated with Online Nursing Programs

Subjects covered at accredited online nursing schools vary.  However, while you train to become an LPN or RN you may take undergraduate courses like:

  • Basic nursing skills
  • Emergency care
  • Pediatric nursing
  • Anatomy and physiology
  • Nutrition
  • Critical thinking
  • Client care
  • Psychology
  • Medical family therapy
  • Issues and trends in health policies for families
  • Family life cycle
  • Microbiology with lab
  • Mathematics
  • Critical issues shaping professional nursing
  • Senior concentration in nursing

Working as a Nurse Post Graduating from Online Programs

As of May 2008 there were about 753,600 LPNs and 2.6 million RNs working in the United States.  Furthermore and according to the United States Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistic (BLS), jobs for RNs are expected to grow by approximately 22 percent from 2008 through 2018.  LPNs are expected to see about a 21 percent job growth over the same time period.  The middle 50 percent of LPNs took home annual salaries that ranged between $33,360 and $46,710.  However, the top 10 percent of LPNs earned more than $53,580 a year.  The middle 50 percent of RNs (healthcare professionals who are more senior to LPNs and who can require more training before they are hired by employers) earned between $51,640 and $76,570.  The top 10 percent of RNs were paid more than $92,240 a year.

Online nursing school programs are available at public and private mainstream schools, religious colleges and universities and trade schools.  If you want to work jobs that require you to assist RNs, physicians and patients, online LPN nursing schools programs may be a good fit for you.  Keep in mind that it takes about one year to complete the undergraduate programs.  However, if you want to get promoted and work as an RN, jobs that generally pay higher salaries than LPN jobs, you may have to return to college and take additional courses at offline or online nursing schools.

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