Hunter's Moon Posted September 9, 2012 Share Posted September 9, 2012 I am considering attending an Online College. I've been looking at Western Governors, American Public University, and Liberty University. My main concern is, will graduate programs accept me? I am pretty sure I want to be an Occupational Therapist, but I don't know if they would accept online courses. Especially online Science and lab courses. I really miss school. But I can't afford it at this point. I really don't want to go back to CC. At American Public University for example, it would cost about $30,000 to do a 4-year degree there, compared to about $30,000 - $37,000/year at colleges I want to attend here. Any thoughts? Advice? Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted September 9, 2012 Share Posted September 9, 2012 RED FLAG!!! American Public University is a for-profit online school. I would stay miles away!!! I would proceed with caution with regard to the other programs. Online degrees may not suffice for your end goal. Please call admissions offices at universities offering graduate OT programs and ask what they think about online degrees in general and the schools you are considering in particular. I find it hard to believe that you are not qualifying for financial aid given the circumstances you have mentioned previously. Have you spoken directly to financal aid officers about the challenges you face? Have you applied to colleges in other regions of the country? Sometimes having a zip code outside of the region can be helpful in terms of aid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingersmom Posted September 9, 2012 Share Posted September 9, 2012 You really should spend time scouring the internet for information about the colleges you listed. Look at their graduation rates, etc. Occupational therapy programs are very competitive to get into. I would definitely call the schools you are interested in and see what they have to say. College does not have to be done in 4 years. I know someone who took 10 years from the time she graduated high school till college graduation. She worked full time and took classes at night. Then she quit working and went to graduate school full time. You don't want to graduate college with loans you are going to be paying off for the next 20 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter's Moon Posted September 10, 2012 Author Share Posted September 10, 2012 RED FLAG!!! American Public University is a for-profit online school. I would stay miles away!!! I would proceed with caution with regard to the other programs. Online degrees may not suffice for your end goal. Please call admissions offices at universities offering graduate OT programs and ask what they think about online degrees in general and the schools you are considering in particular. I find it hard to believe that you are not qualifying for financial aid given the circumstances you have mentioned previously. Have you spoken directly to financal aid officers about the challenges you face? Have you applied to colleges in other regions of the country? Sometimes having a zip code outside of the region can be helpful in terms of aid. Thanks for the warning. This was just a consideration, nothing serious at this point. I am just trying to figure out what to do. In regards to financial aid, I decided to transfer from the CC to a LAC in the middle of July, so not much financial aid was left. They wanted me to pay $118/month. My father is on unemployment which will be ending soon, so we weren't sure if we could do that. I got a job around the time we were trying to decide, but decided I'd rather wait until we know the financial situation because I may need to help with bills in an emergency situation. I didn't want to worry constantly about paying while attending college. What also motivated me to wait was they sprang a surprise $140 on me and they couldn't even tell me where it came from. They couldn't understand why I'd have trouble coming up with it or adding it into the monthly payments. They were not being straight forward with me IRT financial aid and that really turned me off. I am looking at other options around here. Another LAC is $7,000 cheaper/year and closer. The state school is a party school and far (U Mass). They also want me to get a GED to prove I graduated even though I attended a CC for 1 semester full-time. Looking at other regions is not a possibility. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted September 10, 2012 Share Posted September 10, 2012 Western Governors is nonprofit and offers the only online program that is accepted in WA for getting a teaching certificate. Which says something (good) about it, I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brenda in MA Posted September 10, 2012 Share Posted September 10, 2012 Stephanie, Have you considered looking into either Smith or Mt. Holyoke? I'm pretty sure that both of these meet full need (e.g. pretty good financial aid). I would hope that one of them might consider giving a deserving student from their area a shot. I suspect that if you could attend one of these, that getting into grad school would be much easier. Just a thought... Brenda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter's Moon Posted September 10, 2012 Author Share Posted September 10, 2012 Stephanie, Have you considered looking into either Smith or Mt. Holyoke? I'm pretty sure that both of these meet full need (e.g. pretty good financial aid). I would hope that one of them might consider giving a deserving student from their area a shot. I suspect that if you could attend one of these, that getting into grad school would be much easier. Just a thought... Brenda For my family situation, neither of these are possible because of distance. I have to help out at home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted September 10, 2012 Share Posted September 10, 2012 Stephanie, Would it prove to be more helpful ultimately to your family to earn a degree and then contribute financially? This may require you to move away from home but that does not mean you would not see your family for four years! You can still help out your family during school breaks including a four month summer break. To achieve goals can require sacrifice--not only from you but from your family. But everyone comes out ahead down the road. It is sometimes hard to take a big picture look when overwhelmed by the small details of life. If you were my child, I would want you to set your sights on best possible paths to achieve your goal. If attending college full time this year is not possible, I would take a class or two at the CC or do my best to self educate. Work and save your money. Apply to a number of colleges this fall, make appointments to talk to financial aid directors. Verify that the programs you are considering for undergrad will be acceptable at the most competitive OT grad programs. Show colleges that you are hungry to be there. Sell yourself. Good luck. Jane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hope44 Posted September 10, 2012 Share Posted September 10, 2012 My only experience is with Liberty University. Be strongly warned while doing internet research to consider the source where you are obtaining information. Since Liberty is a Christian university, there are those sites with "reviews" that simply consider it a "joke" of a school due to it's Christian core. Other points these negative reviews like to point out is that it is easy to get into and therefore, not academically rigorous. Liberty has a STRONG online program that is accredited. In 2011, it was ranked 4th in the top 25 online colleges and university. It is NOT easy academically. One of my friends is getting her third master's degree and this is her first time with LU. She is using the online program and said out of the seven universities she has attended (both secular and private), Liberty is the most academically challenging and engaging. My two oldest started out their first year in college online with Liberty then transitioned to the campus. They had both attended our local community college (which is supposedly one of the highest achieving community colleges in our state). They found the courses with LU online to be MUCH more challenging, clear thinking, and applicable. Hope this helps in your decision making! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QueenCat Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 RED FLAG!!! American Public University is a for-profit online school. I would stay miles away!!! It's for-profit but regionally accredited. HUGE difference between for-profits that are regionally accredited and those that are not. I picked APU because of the quality of their program, and because all of the grad schools (the grad schools are all traditional b&m schools) I am looking at will accept bachelors from them. I have been happy with the rigor of my classes at APU, and get frustrated when people don't take the time to look at the differences in the different types of for-profits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starr Posted September 20, 2012 Share Posted September 20, 2012 I know you really don't want to go to the cc but they do transfer directly to state schools. It might be worth talking to admissions in a couple of schools you want to eventually attend and get recommendations from them. You are in a tough spot but I agree the sooner you finish and have a professional salary the better off you'll be financially. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth S Posted September 22, 2012 Share Posted September 22, 2012 I am pretty sure I want to be an Occupational Therapist, . O.T. is a competitive field, usually requiring a Master's Degree. Another alternative is OTA = Occupational Therapist Assistant, which is a 2 year program. We have one at our local cc. If you wish to reduce your time on campus, you can do online courses for the general ed requirements and then come on campus for the OTA courses. Usually there is limited space, so you need to get as close to straight A's as you can. You've gotten some great advice here (and on the other thread about choosing a major). However, if you are a new wife AND working, AND your dh is working (and maybe going to school as well) you may need to be selective in your college pursuit. Online courses are ideal for self-starters, who can keep up on the weekly assignments, quizzes, and papers as required. Our kids did well with them, but procrastinators can get caught by surprise! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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