Friday, July 3, 2009

Tips For Finding An Online School

By Michael Fleischner

Finding an online school or program to meet your degree requirements can be an overwhelming process. But don't despair. The hard part of choosing to go back to school to finish your degree or learn a new skill is over. Now you can focus on finding the online program that meets your needs.

One of the most popular ways to research and online program is to leverage the internet. If you are looking for a specific type of program, then simply type the program name with the word "online" in front of it. This will return individual programs as well as directories that list online programs by discipline.

With just a little research, you can create a brief list of potential online programs. Your list should include possible schools and the criteria that are important to you. How do these schools rank against your criteria? Each school or program should be evaluated independently and objectively.

Make sure that you are organized when evaluating your match with potential institutions or online learning programs. A great way to do this easily is by creating a spreadsheet and ranking each school by degree of match. Narrow you list to just a few opportunities and then contact each school. Ask questions and to get a feel for the people behind the program you will be attending.

If you need help with the application process, don't hesitate to work with the admissions director at the school you are applying to. They want to enroll the right students ad are willing to work with everyone who shows an interest in their online college or program. As you move through the application process, ask if you can sit in on virtual class. This ensures that you've made the right decision.

Going to school online can be a difficult process. After you have gotten comfortable with conducting online research around possible online programs, you should narrow your list to only those schools that meeting your most important needs.

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