Affordable Bachelor Degree

     Before I can write my I-search paper for my Bachelor Degree Capstone I must first read four books and four peer-reviewed journal articles. The good news is that I love to read while my husband drives the car. Reading is the best way I know to pass away the time, whenever we take a long drive. With three or four pit stops along the way and one stop for brunch, it takes seven hours to drive to Eagle Lake, Maine which is almost to the very Northwest tip of the state.

    In the time it took Alan & me to drive 395 miles up the highway, I read 182 pages from one of the texts assigned to me by my mentor, Dr. Quinn. Jonathan Kozol’s book, Letters to a Young Teacher captivated me for the entire ride because of interesting questions the young teacher was asking.  

   When I graduate from Granite State College I will not be a young teacher. I will be an older, unsuspecting teacher because of the reading I am doing now, in regard to public school education; how it affects young children in this country.

    It is fascinating for me to learn the points of view that epitomize the department of education in the United States as they pertain to the education of young children in our society. Dr. Quinn has created for me a potpourri of literary works that define, regulate, and institute a certain degree of knowledge for me as a student who is interested in literacy and its importance to young children.

    I understand the importance Granite State College places on a well-rounded, critically thought out point of view. These views will help my I-search paper stand on its own merit.

1. To encourage those adults who are currently contemplating returning to, or even beginning, college.  For years, I had given much thought to finishing what I had started all those years ago, but was held back by fear.  When I finally took those steps at 40 years old, I was encouraged by a couple of blogs I'd discovered written by other non-traditional students.  Had Granite State College offered this blogging program earlier, I may have decided to take those steps even sooner.  Over the past several months, I've enjoyed reading the various blogs written by faculty and students, and consequently have felt more personally connected to the college, even though I live in a remote location.
    
2. To share some of my experiences over the past couple of years with others who have found themselves in a similar life situation.  When I first started, I wasn't entirely sure if I would prefer taking evening college classes, where I would have face-to-face interaction with my professor and classmates, or online classes for college, in a format that would afford me a much broader range of educational choices and greater flexibility with my already busy life schedule.  I'll be writing more about those experiences in coming days.

So, here I am writing my first blog post. It's a little intimidating because I've never blogged before. But there's a first time for everything and I'm excited about this new endeavor. Of course the challenge will be finding the time, between working and classes and family responsibilities.

It helps that I am surrounded by other adult college students, many of whom can relate to my balancing act, because they are also working full-time while taking part time classes. In fact, many of my classmates are only able to afford their adult college classes because at GSC taking just one class a term means that they are eligible to apply for financial aid. Another huge incentive is that the difference between in-state and out-of-state tuition at GSC is only $15 per credit! Offering the lowest tuition of all four institutions in the University of New Hampshire System, GSC is a NH state college where my classmates and I can earn an affordable bachelor degree, associate degree or even teacher certification. 

I suppose I sound like I'm going for a hard-sell. But that's only because I have such a positive impression of Granite State College. One of the best aspects of my job at GSC is being a point-of-contact for prospective and new students because I want so much to help people see their potential become reality. If a student calls our Claremont NH College, needing to know how to post a comment to the discussion board in Blackboard for their online class, I can walk them through it over the phone, because I've been in their shoes.

When a potential student calls or walks into our center for the first time, they are often worried about how they'll handle taking adult college courses on top of their work and family responsibilities, and I can relate. But it really is doable! For me, taking online classes is one way I have been able to manage to keep all the balls in the air, so to speak. Sure, my first online class was a little scary in the beginning, but my classmates were incredibly helpful - explaining where to find resources and how to submit assignments. It was a great feeling to learn some new technology along with the actual course material. That's just one of the perks of taking online classes for college!

Because I really enjoy the occasional human interaction, I also take face-to-face evening college classes, as well as weekend intensive classes. I find that I can fit these into my hectic schedule quite nicely. Currently, I'm taking Managing Diversity as a weekend intensive, and The Emerging U.S. Health Care System online. It's a splendid combination of formats and learning!

Well, I better get back to the books, because I want to make sure I get my assignment in before the deadline tomorrow. 

Part of my self-imposed responsibility of blogging for Granite State College is sharing my individual experience with readers.  I believe I have many of the same concerns and fears that other current and prospective GSC students may have regarding aspects of college life as an adult, so as I share mine, you may find you relate, or the gumption to try something new. 

I recently blogged about alternative course delivery options that my Lebanon NH college has, and in the spring term that I just completed, I took a five week intensive class.  I had lots of questions going into this class, such as...where would I find time to take a class in five weeks that required the same amount of material be learned as a 12 week class? 

In all honesty, this was a bit of a challenge.  Each week of class required reading a chapter in our text book (not out of the ordinary for any class, regardless of intensity), but we also had to take two quizzes per week, write an essay paper each week, write a longer paper for the end of term, as well as the standard discussion board participation required when you take college classes online.  As I learned in the economics class I took a year ago, every decision we make requires a trade off: if I get out if bed in the morning, I will miss sleep.  But I will also lose my job, so I make the decision to get out of bed.  Sure, taking a class with this much work did create some pain in my life, but it also allowed me to shorten the length of time I spent studying, which ultimately was the big payoff.  I am taking two classes per term until I earn my Bachelor's Degree, so for the first seven weeks of the term, I only was taking one class, which allowed me to focus more time on other important parts in my life, like spending time with my son and working out.

The class I took was called Comparative Religions.  This was a great opportunity to learn about the major religions of the world, as well as how locally spirituality is experienced.  New England consistently rates in the bottom of the country when surveyed about church attendance, so when a requirement of this class had me visiting a house of worship, it will be no surprise to you that this was my first visit to a church in over eight years.  It has been said that college is not only a great avenue for career advancement programs, but also has the distinction of giving people a different view of the world through giving them a well-rounded education.  In this case, my view has taken a dramatic turn because I found a church to visit that spoke to my heart so much that I have become a regular member.  That was not the intention of the class, and my grade was not impacted by my decision, but if not for college, I never would've considered attending, much less joining a church. 

Whether trying something new for you means taking a five week intensive class or challenging yourself to try something frightening and different, the experience is what makes the journey so valuable.  Live life.

During my student recruiting travels for Granite State College I frequently hear stories of woe from parents of traditional age college students about how their child’s undergraduate experience took longer than the anticipated four years. “My son spent six years in college because he majored in fraternities during his first two years” said one parent. All too frequently, students who complete eight full-time semesters in a bachelor’s degree program have either insufficient credits or lack required courses for graduation. Changing majors, dropping courses, poor academic performance and course scheduling mistakes are common reasons for an extended college experience.   These extra semesters equate to higher out of pocket costs for parents and students and bigger student loans.

Fortunately there are strategies that can assist the traditional-age college student to complete their bachelor’s degree on time and, in some cases, ahead of schedule. Taking one or two summer courses every year, along with proper academic planning can enable a student to complete their plan of study a full semester ahead of time. This strategy can reduce both tuition and room and board costs and enables the student to begin the career search five months earlier than their classmates.

Many students at our sister University System of NH schools take advantage of Granite State College’s five week online spring courses or eight week summer term to build credits, then transfer these course credits into the plan of study at their ‘home’ college. Our online, evening and weekend course options allow students to complete the coursework while still working summer jobs and having adequate ‘beach time’. Registering for a summer course at Granite State College is both affordable and easy. The NH Transfer.org website allows students to make sure that the selected courses will transfer and meet their plan of study needs.  My son is a communications major at Keene State College and by taking a summer course every year at GSC is on track to complete his degree requirements in December of his senior year. My checkbook is really liking that!

If you are interested in learning more about this and other accelerated graduation strategies drop me an e-mail at tom.oetinger@granite.edu .