The idea of going to school online is not a daunting one to me. In fact, I have been going online for awhile now. I decided to go the online route for the same reason many people choose to go to school online. It’s convenient, I can work at my own pace and pick my own hours, and I don’t have to uproot my busy life to get the education that I desire. I was interested in participating in this blog campaign because I actually attend American Public University. I am currently on a brief vacation, but start classes again in a couple of weeks, on September 6.
photo credit: stuartpilbrowA few years back, I attended another online school. I had always dreamed of going to college, but life and responsibilities often got in the way. Eventually I decided I would go online and picked one of the first accredited schools that I found. The school, sadly, was highly overpriced and I learned little while attending there. In fact, in one class I practically taught the class myself (something I was not necessarily qualified to do). I quit that school when I took a class with another professor that had absolutely no qualifications to teach the class I was in. At that point, I had all but given up on online education.
After a few months, I decided to go back, assuming that I could find a school that was as close to a traditional school as possible. I chose APU because they were formed to make sure that people traveling in the military would still be able to get the education they deserved. This portion of the school (it’s actually the same school and classes, just a different subset) is known as AMU (American Military University). I liked the wide range of degree options that the school offered, the fair prices (a term costs around $3,000 for 12 credits), and the numerous options for classes in general.
I also enjoy the fact that many of the professors are professionals in their field. These are people that have first-hand knowledge about the subjects they are teaching. You won’t get a person that only has book knowledge (or no knowledge at all). All of the professors that I have encountered enjoy what they do, in class, and in their field.
Depending on the classes that you want to take you can choose from 8 weeks or 16 weeks. APU/AMU offers a monthly start schedule. This differs from a traditional University, which makes you start on their schedule.
Some Interesting Facts about APU:
APU is a member institution of regionally- and nationally-accredited American Public University System (APUS), recognized as a leading education provider by numerous military, federal, private and public sector employers
According to the Military Times annual industry top-50 rankings for 2010, APU’s sister institution, American Military University (AMU), is the number one education provider to the U.S. military
In 2009, APUS received the Sloan Consortium’s Ralph E. Gomory award for quality online education and is also a two-time winner of the Sloan’s Effective Practice Award
In 2008, the National Survey of Student Engagement found that 97% of seniors enrolled at APUS had an extremely favorable view of the online learning system and would overwhelmingly attend again if they could start their college career over
The greater APUS virtual community numbers more than 70,000 classmates, 12,000 alumni, and more than 1,500 faculty and staff collaborating across time zones and borders in more than 100 countries worldwide
If you want to learn more about APU and their benefits for busy moms like me you can check out the APU Moms Portal or you can visit the APU Homepage if you want to learn anything else about the programs and the way things are done while attending this online institution.
Disclosure:
“I wrote this review while participating in a blog campaign by Mom Central on behalf of American Public University. Mom Central sent me a gift card to thank me for taking the time to participate.”
Technorati Tags: American Public University, American Military University, College, Online University, School, Overview, Moms, Education
Written by Ashtyn Evans – Visit Website
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Ashtyn is in her early 30s. She is a mother, writer, college student, and music lover. Ashtyn has had a successful career as a writer since 2003. She turned to blogging in 2005. Ashtyn attends Wright State where she is getting a degree in Psychology. She has extensive knowledge in SEO and Social Media Development.
