With my first semester at Colorado Technical University Online coming to a close I just felt like I'd reflect back on my time so far and how different it is being a college student at 30 as well as being an online student. When I first started the University 101 class I laughed when I found out I'd be learning how to be a better student in this class. I honestly thought this class was going to be a waste of time and did not want to take it. However I decided to just suck it up and take the class seriously and I'm extremely glad I did. Throughout the 5 and a half week semester we worked on doing a self assessment as well as a career assessment. Each week we added a new thing to assess and by the end of the semester I had a Success Strategy Plan that is pretty solid and will help me throughout not only my time at CTU but in life as well. Finishing the class with a 98 will be a great start towards my goal of graduating in one of the three honors categories. Plus, I figured that if the government is going to pay for my school, give me my disability check, and a monthly allowance as well that I should show them how grateful I am for what they are doing for me by actually being a good student. It's not like I have anything else to do since I do not have to work for the next 3 years so why not put some effort into graduating with honors?
Being a college student at 30 really isn't that bad. It's a lot easier for me than it would be for most 30 year old people because I'm single with no children. I do not have to work because I'm basically getting paid to go to school so I can focus all of my attention on school rather than trying to balance school with work and family life as well. I do wish I wouldn't have waited so long to finally be serious about getting my degree and bettering myself. Had I been serious my first time around when I went to Devry University back in 2005 I'd have been done with school in 2008 and right now I wouldn't be typing up this blog I'd hopefully already be a couple years into my career. But as the saying goes, "better late than never" right? The good news is that I decided to take advantage of my veteran benefits before they ran out.
As far as being an online college student rather than an on campus student well, all I can say is I love it. I don't want to sound all cliche like the commercials on TV but it is nice being able to roll out of bed and my classroom be less than a foot away. It is nice not having to sit in a typical classroom setting with the distraction of other students sitting all around me. Now I don't have a social disorder I just didn't enjoy the classroom setting at all. I actually had to pay attention and take notes and focus. In my online classes each live chat is archived so that I can go back and listen to it over again. There is no need to take notes anymore when the teacher's PowerPoint presentation is available to download and view. We've got "Learning Labs" that are an extension of what the teacher is teaching and help you with a variety of different subjects. We also have Challenge Exams that you can take to test your knowledge of any subject. Free online tutors, access to live IM chatting with Tech Support, Academics, the Library, and your teachers and students are other bonuses of going to school online. I love this type of college setting! I have no doubt that I'll be successful this time around because behind my computer is where I feel the most comfortable in the world so taking college while sitting behind it is just great. Within a few years I would guess that 75% of each major university will give students the option of taking some or all of their classes online. It's just how the future seems to be going.
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