In our first blog post in this Back to School series, we discussed new beginnings and arriving at the decision to head back to school. In this post, we’ll dive into your online degree program options at Argosy University Online Programs and discuss the steps you need to take to make it all happen.

One of the first decisions you’ll need to make is which degree level you want to pursue. If you have a high school diploma and no college experience, you might want to consider either an associate’s degree or bachelor’s degree. If it’s an advanced degree you seek, we have a number of postsecondary options available.

When you begin looking at our selection of online degree programs, you’ll notice that they’re broken up into a variety of different subject areas. Try to narrow the field to one or two that interest you most. Next, it can be beneficial to read through the program and course descriptions to get a feel for what you have the potential to learn.

Once you have decided which program you would like to pursue, you’ll speak to one of our knowledgeable Admissions Representatives, who will help you fill out the online application and answer any questions you have about the admissions process.

An important consideration during the application process is how you will pay for school. Do you have enough cash on hand to foot the bill, or will you require assistance in the form of scholarships, grants, and loans? We can help guide you through the steps to ensure that your finances are in order before you begin your first class.

In addition to applying for your program of choice, it’s a good idea to make sure you have the tools you need to successfully complete the program. This includes acquiring all of the required hardware and software for your program. Information about this can be found in the program information on our website.

Once you have all the tools you need to complete your program, it’s time to work on mindset. Believing you can do it and making it a priority in your life are essential before you begin. It’s helpful to set aside specific times and workspaces to devote fully to your coursework. In the final blog post in this series, we’ll discuss strategies for excelling in your program once you’re enrolled.

One minute, summer has just begun, and the next, you’re seeing ads on TV encouraging you to stock up on clothing and school supplies for your children.

In many ways, back to school time is all about new beginnings. Children have had the summer to relax and enjoy themselves, and now they’re ready to take on a new school year with new teachers, classmates and perhaps even a new school.

But back to school doesn’t just have to be about new beginnings for your children. What about you?

Maybe you’ve been thinking a lot lately about where your life is headed. Are you satisfied with your job and future possibilities? Maybe you feel like there are opportunities you’ve always wanted to pursue, but it never seemed like the right time.

And even if it were the right time, how would you even begin?

You’ve thought about going back to school yourself, but it never seemed like something you could actually do. Maybe there aren’t any schools near you, and, if there are, maybe they don’t offer any programs that interest you.

That’s where online learning at Argosy University Online Programs comes into play. When you peruse our list of programs, you’ll soon realize how many options you actually have, and that they offer the flexibility to fit your hectic lifestyle.

Stay tuned for our next blog post in the Back to School series, where we’ll help you determine which program is the best fit for you.

Like many prospective or current online students, you may have a family to attend to, including children. It can often be a challenge to get schoolwork done when juggling family responsibilities, but if you can make your kids a part of your study routine, it might help you to study more effectively. Here are some tips for how to accomplish this.

• Give Younger Children an Activity – If you have young children at home, before you sit down to study, make sure they have something to do that will keep them occupied so you can focus, whether it’s a game or an educational program on television.
• Study with Your Older Children – If your school-aged children have their own homework, why not set aside time so you can all study together? You can tell them about what you’re learning in your online classes while helping them understand their own assignments.
• Stress the Importance of What You’re Doing – If you can explain to your children what you’re studying and why it’s important to you, it can help them to understand and to give you space to accomplish your goals. Nothing can motivate you to study like the support of your own family.

With the suggestions outlined above, you can help to make your children part of your study sessions rather than use them as an excuse not to get work done.

As a prospective or current online student, you have been exposed, at one time or another, to the traditional classroom experience. It usually involves sitting in a room with other students and listening to and watching an instructor at the front of the classroom. The class may be solely a lecture or may involve group work or other modes of participation. In any case, all participants must be present at the same time, in the same room, in order for the situation to work.

So how does this idea translate to the online classroom? There are a few obvious differences. In the online classroom, there’s no need for participants to be in the same room, the same state, or even the same country. You can log in from the comfort of your own home, or wherever you happen to be at the time. Since all of the course materials, including discussions between the instructor and students, are hosted in the classroom, you can participate when it’s convenient for them. Of course, there are still hard deadlines that need to be observed.

Another important consideration is participation and interacting with your fellow students. In the traditional classroom setting, you may be sitting in a room with 25, 50, or even 100 other students, most of whom you will probably never get to know. In the online classroom, participation is an important part of the learning process. Not only do you post your assignments for your fellow students and instructor to view, but you also have the opportunity to comment on your fellow students’ work, allowing all of you to learn from each other.

If you have the preconceived notion that the online classroom experience will be basically the same as what you’ve witnessed in the traditional classroom, you will soon find that this is not the case at all, and it can open your eyes to a whole new world of learning.

As Americans, we pride ourselves on working hard and doing whatever we feel is necessary for our jobs. This often means working long hours and being unable to turn off the stress of the workplace when we’re home with our families. Most of us are given a certain number of vacation days to use each year, but an increasing number of us are forgoing these days in favor of even more time in the daily grind.

The common thought is that, if you take a vacation, they’ll miss out on important developments at work. In this economy, employees wear the title of “workaholic” like a badge of honor.

But does working 16 hour days, without a vacation in sight, have any tangible benefits?

Not really, when you think about it.

The constant stress of a busy workplace can actually kill productivity. Imagine that you have a major project you’re working on with a hard deadline. You stay at work long after everyone else has gone home for the day in order to crank it out. But after hours upon hours of work, you lose focus and your brain can no longer come up with useful ideas.

Imagine that you’re working on the same project, but you break up the work into smaller chunks of time. It’s beneficial to turn off the computer, sleep on it, and come back refreshed the next day.

The same is especially true of vacation time. If you have it available to you, use it! That’s what it’s there for! It will give you the chance to spend quality time with your family and to recharge your batteries away from work. Changes are that you’ll come back from vacation with new inspirations and be able to look at projects with fresh eyes.

Enjoy the summer and relax when you can!