By Jenna Moede

Okay, I know you might not love me after this, but I have to give you the skinny. At some point, you will lose money on your college textbooks.

But, before you throw tomatoes at me, I have some good news too. You can search out the most competitive price on your books.

If you haven't experienced your freshman year yet, you might not know this, but if you have, especially on campus, you have probably figured out that most freshman choose to buy their books at their college bookstore.

I did the same thing. I walked up to the counter, picked up my pre-ordered books and signed a nice slip authorizing some 800 dollars charged to my student account.

I didn't really give it another thought until I went to sell those very same books 16 weeks later. I thought I'd make enough to buy some groceries, gas to drive home for winter break, and maybe a few extra dollars for Christmas presents.

I had a rude awakening when they offered me about $100 for all of the books. I think my jaw may have hit their counter. $100? Several books, they told me, they didn't even want to buy back so I thought I would receive nothing for them.

I learned over the next few years that I didn't have to take what the bookstore offered. I had options on how to squeak out the money on the books I had to buy. I never got back what I paid when selling to a buyback program, but I did find some that paid better than others.

I did a little legwork to figure out just how college bookstores determine their buyback prices and whether or not they try to set the students up for zero extra Christmas money. I feel confident now - they don't do it on purpose.

I talked to a few bookstores and the consensus for book buyback seems simple: supply and demand.

One call helped the most, and the woman on the line told me that first they consider the book edition. She informed me that if a new edition of the book I had used came out before the next semester, the professors would likely switch to that edition and no longer use the one I had purchased.

That's a quick way to lose a lot of money. Second, she told me that if the bookstore already had a lot of copies of the book I needed to sell, they wouldn't offer very much for it.

Last, she let me know that the bookstore typically sets one price for the book. It doesn't matter if the books have writing in them or highlighter or torn pages, they still sell back for the same price.

The bookstores would, however, not buy books that had water damage or so much damage they considered them unreadable.

So by the time I hung up with that bookstore, I knew that I had done it right by finding other places to sell my books during my latter years of college.

First, understand you probably won't make top dollar, but you can eek some value back out.

To sell your books, first do a little research. Search the ISBN online and see what the book sells for currently.

Of course it never hurts to check the college bookstore, but don't pack up shop after that.

I recommend typing the ISBN into a book comparison website. Think of them as the Travelocity of college textbooks.

I found two sites that I liked to do this.

First I tried www.bookscouter.com. I thought it made searching the books and seeing the best offers really easy. It cut out a ton of the legwork.

A similar website, www.bookfinder.com, seemed a lot like the first. I didn't like the landing page as much as the first, but the site offered the same exact prices which I took as a good sign.

While I found the comparison sites more effective and efficient, if you'd rather search individual websites, I have included four that I received consistently high offers from in my research.

I had never seen the first two sites, TextbookRecycling and Buyback101 before, but I discovered them in my search.

They seemed similar. Both clearly laid out the terms and conditions on the website and explained the process for selling textbooks. TextbookRecycling's website referred to payments with checks, and Buyback101 mentioned payments to PayPal.

You can also check out Amazon as another credible buyer. Amazon offers a gift card for the value of the books, but the terms make it seem like a fairly straightforward process. .

Lastly, you can use Chegg as an option. The buyback program seems similar to the first two listed. Again, the website explains the shipping policies and payment terms.  

It seems that most buyback programs provide a free shipping label that you just need to print, and each site typically explains how to package the books.

Overall I found tons, and I do mean tons and tons and tons, of buyback programs out there, but comparing prices on a book comparing website seemed like the best use of my time. 

Remember to check the payout method so you won't run into any surprises no matter what buyback program you use.

Don't just settle for what the bookstore will offer you, and remember, you can always list your books online or sell them to classmates.

By Amy Nielsen

Graduate level accreditation can be tricky. The course of study becomes much more focused, leading you to smaller niche schools.

Unfortunately, schools in some niches are hard to come by, so when I found out that my career changing vocational school had an accredited follow-on master’s degree program at an online school that fit in my budget and my schedule, I was ecstatic - until my state yanked the accreditation midway through my principle year.

I have a bachelors that I earned in the dark ages in a career that has absolutely no bearing on my current path. To that end, I set about rectifying the lack of paper trail I have supporting my current career choice. I found an excellent vocational school that wrapped up all of my side steps into one neat career leap to the left.

The initial program I chose is geared toward people who are moving from one career to another. The field I chose is health care related but not part of the health care conglomerate. My focus sits squarely on the line between traditional health care and supportive wellness care.

While my career choice is certainly not one that requires a higher degree, because of the nature of the field, I feel it behooves me to have an accredited degree as our government grapples with what health care will look like in the future.

When I was looking for schools to bridge to my new career, I specifically looked for ones that had either articulation agreements with major universities or ones that were hosted by larger institutions. The program I chose had an agreement with a university I knew well, and was looking forward to continuing on to.

That is until my state decided that the program I was enrolled in and half way through no longer met the state’s requirements for accreditation. This means I could finish my studies, but, I wouldn’t be able to complete the other part of the course - the follow-on master’s program. My state now no longer accepted degrees from solely online learning institutions, unless they had a physical presence in our state or students completed a low residency portion of the program at the institution requesting accreditation.

What the heck is a low residency program? Basically you take all of your classes online, except for a few weekends that you must physically be on campus to meet with professors face to face for in-person classes. Great idea, except that I live in New York and the school I was intending to apply to as my follow on school is in Maryland. Better than California, I suppose. I have a shot at driving to Maryland, this could never work if the school were in California.

Now, I happen to have a lot of friends that I would very much love to see over the next year who happen to live in Maryland not too far from the school with the master’s program I want to complete. Going to Maryland for a few weekends to complete school and hang with dear friends is not an onerous task. It’s the principle of the thing that is killing me.

There was only one problem. This particular master’s school didn’t have a low residency program.

Until Friday. The deadline for applications to the master’s program is Tuesday. It’s Sunday and it’s Fourth of July weekend.

Yes, you read that right. They have so many students who were planning to take this online follow on master’s that the school cobbled together a low residency program to meet the requirements of New York state so that all of us who were planning to do the online one could complete our education in the time we planned.

When I got the email that this program had been created specifically for us, I jumped on the phone to verify that it was in fact happening and that we only had three days to apply. The admissions counselor I spoke to assured me that it was in fact happening. However it was such a new program she couldn’t tell me the dates or subjects for the campus-based sections of the program.

Whateves, they are in Maryland – I can do that.

So, now I am madly applying to graduate school. On July fourth weekend. I am trying to craft an appropriate and compelling essay, and figure out how to get my transcripts from my ancient bachelor’s and my certificates to them in the time allotted, and celebrating with cookouts and fireworks. So far the essay is going great and I filled out the application in three seconds flat thanks to autofill on forms. The cookout is going gang busters and my hot dogs are almost ready.

I needed to have three sets of transcripts sent to arrive by the close of business next Friday. So far I was able to order my undergraduate transcripts and send it wholly online and it has been received. Thanks Outlook for the confirmation email. The other two transcripts might be harder. At my culinary school, the office team is on vacation until Wednesday, and the articulation school has to mail an original to the requesting institution. It is going to be tight to get everything in for the deadline.

So away I go! From not having a follow-on option and scrambling to sort out how I was going to reach my final goal of earning a master’s degree in integrative nutrition, community health education to applying to grad school in three days flat. On a holiday weekend.

Now I just have to figure out how to pay for this. I currently have no school loans. Time to join the ranks of the permanently indebted.

By Jenna Moede

I remember the overwhelming excitement of reaching my last final exam or handing in that final research paper. A feeling of relief always washed over me because I had completed, successfully, another semester.

Then I would take a look around my home and force myself to figure out what to do with all the papers, notes, books and information I’d accumulated throughout the semester.

After several semesters, I learned what I needed to keep, what to throw out and, fingers crossed, what to sell.

I plan to use the same strategy when my classes start back up over the summer.

First, I tackled what to keep. My hyper organization kicked into play a lot on this one. I don’t like to keep anything that won’t benefit me in the future or that I just won’t use.

I have more trouble keeping school material than I do with giving it away.

That said, make sure you keep anything specifically geared toward your major and minor. This includes notes, research projects and papers, including electronic copies.

You never know when you may want to reference them or when you might need to revisit a topic you thought you wouldn’t need again.

Also, keep any books that relate directly to your major or minor. I can’t tell you how many times I went back to refresh my mind on theories, formulas and concepts that I supposedly had already mastered.

Remember that every class for your major or minor builds off previous classes so professors won’t spend time re-teaching what was already covered. They expect that you know and remember it.

Having those books easily accessible will really help you handle processing and computations you’ve already studied.

I also always kept an ear out during each class because professors often note what material students should keep. If you happen to catch that type of information, make sure you keep that specific paper, reading or presentation outline. Who knows when it will come in clutch.

Finally, keep any citation manuals you have to buy. Typically, your major will use one citation type. For example, my business major used exclusively AP. I dread citations, and I will do almost anything to avoid them, but having the manual saved me quite often.

Now, my favorite topic, what to toss. Let me say it again, I love saying “see you” to clutter I won’t use again.

Make sure, however, that before you throw anything away or delete any files that your professors have posted final grades. You may need to send another copy of a paper or project, and you want to make sure you still have that available if necessary.

After final grades post, feel free to throw out anything you know for certain you won’t use again. Usually this includes papers, tests and notes you used for general education classes, including electronic files.

I did this for all my general classes such as film, environmental science and music appreciation. I knew that I had completely finished those classes, and I didn’t plan on taking similar classes. For generals like math and English where I needed to take several courses to fulfill the general requirements, I waited until I finished the last one before I threw anything away.

I took a lot of pleasure in creatively getting rid of a couple of book reviews on books I hadn’t exactly enjoyed too much. Let’s just say that my apartment had confetti sprinkled around it!  

I also toss all of the scratch paper I used over the semester. Even when the scratch paper related directly to my major, the chances that I would revisit calculations that I never even turned in seemed slim at best so I never kept them.

Okay on to the best part! What to sell. Everyone likes making a little cash, so sell the textbooks you used after each semester right away. Don’t wait and let them build up because professors often switch books which means they might not hold their value.

You can sell these in various places so I recommend shopping around to find who will give you the best price. While on campus, I found that selling them to underclassman worked out better than selling them to the bookstore. They liked getting a deal cheaper than the bookstore, and I liked receiving an offer better than the bookstore. We both won.

Another trick I found was to trade books with classmates. Once you know what books you’ll need, you might have enough luck to know someone who needs the books you have and has the books you need.

This happened a lot with my friends while I took my general classes. It saved us both a little money.

Finally, sell what you’ve learned! People will pay for knowledgeable and relatable tutors. Take your knowledge and share it with other people while making enough to put a little extra money aside (or towards rent!)

In general, make sure you organize your copious materials after classes end so that you can make the most of what you’ve learned and start with a clean slate the next semester.

By Jenna Moede

Okay, let’s talk summer. If your social media looks anything like mine, you have seen college graduation photo after college graduation photo the past few weeks. This can only mean one thing, spring semester has finally ended.

Great! Except for everyone that hasn’t graduated yet. I remember this time of year always causing me a little confusion during my undergraduate studies.

I wanted to finish my degree quickly, but I also really, really, really needed a break.

I never took mine, and instead, I finished my degree on the fast track. It took me just a little over three years to finish my bachelors and my minor, and I didn’t take any breaks. Not one.

I worked every single summer, I took over full class loads every semester, and I kept pushing myself.

So of course I finished my degree pretty fast, but I also came dangerously close to burning myself out several times.

My point - you may need a break sometime during your college career, and I want to mention a few major pros and cons to taking one.

First, you may already be thinking about how much taking a summer vacation will slow down your ideal college timeline, and it might. Time really kept pushing me during my undergraduate studies.

You could also worry that taking a break will slow down the good momentum you have built up during the last semester. If it feels like the wrong time to take a break, you probably should keep moving on until you feel like you need one.

Just because you might work through this summer doesn’t mean that you can’t take the next summer off or take an extra week off somewhere else in your studies, but if you feel like stopping will cause your good roll to end, then you should work through this one, this time.

Lastly, I worried a lot that if I took the summer off, I would lose everything I learned in the previous semester. Repetition helps me remember information, and by always taking classes, I usually didn’t have time to forget the facts, theories and ideas that I had studied.  

During high school summer vacation, I swear science just fell out of my head, and I desperately didn’t want to repeat that happening during college.

If all of these drawbacks worry you, then you might need to press through the summer, but if only one concerns you, you might find that the benefits outweigh the cons.

So let’s examine those benefits.

First, a break will help you relax and rejuvenate. Classes demand a lot of our time, energy and positivity and it always seems so easy to put pressure on ourselves. Because of that, taking time off can help us let go of what has already happened in our educational career and move on with a brighter outlook.

It can also help jumpstart motivation. I think I’ve had senioritis at the end of every college semester, and a small break in the summer could have cured it. Going into a semester without motivation and excitement does not benefit any student.

Lastly, taking a small break gives you time to adjust your goals, reorganize your schedule and reprioritize your life. It can help shed light on some issues you’ve had with college in the past and can help you make positive changes that will affect you in the future.

If you can’t tell, I’m in favor of taking breaks over the summer, and I wish that I had during my studies.

Also remember that colleges typically schedule summer vacation into their school schedule.

Traditional 4-year campuses design their programs to take 4 years to complete with 2 semesters taken each year. Many students do take advantage of summer vacation and don’t view it as taking time off.

If you want to take a break over the summer, consider it a scheduled break and hit the ground running in the fall. 

If you feel that you have a good rhythm and don’t need a vacation, then keep chugging along and consider it next year, but if you fear you’re headed toward burning out, it can help you remember why you started and motivate you to keep pushing through each and every class.

By Amy Nielsen

I did it! I graduated! I am now a certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach!

It was a bit surreal watching my graduation ceremony online on my laptop in my pj’s on the couch with the nightly news in the background and my kids shrieking in the tub. I suppose I could have made more of an occasion of it. Had a glass of wine, perhaps. But it was broadcast late after a long day. In fact, I almost missed it. I did get a selfie with my name on the screen though.

So, now what?

Last time I did this I had a gig lined up through my department chair. It was part of the perk of working with a faculty active in the business we were studying. They helped us network into our first post-graduation positions. Mine was a little summer stock theater in a tourist laden, seaside town in Massachusetts. I had the summer to figure out where I needed to be and what the next step to get there was.

Online school is very different. We have been practicing our mad skills for the last year on each other and honestly anyone who would sit still long enough. We have all of the tools to run out of the box programs; flyers, notes, handouts and all. I even have a fee schedule mapped out. I know how to present myself as a coach.

What I don’t have this time around is the personal introductions that carry the weight of another person’s sense of you. I have to figure out how to present myself, introduce myself. Cold call to a certain extent.

So, again, now what?

My dilemma is that I really don’t want to do one-on-one coaching. It’s the one thing I really learned about myself while I was working my way through this program. I like to teach. The curriculum didn’t really get into so much about how to present oneself as an educator.

I had fallen into the trap of believing that all teachers need to hold advanced degrees in order to be taken seriously. That if I were to be working with the public, I needed a Master’s degree of some sort. I have since come to the conclusion that my fear of success is speaking. That if I just get another degree, then I’ll be ready and credentialed enough to teach.

I am not going to get another degree. I don’t need one. What I need is a way to present my current certifications and credentials clearly and concisely in a way that makes sense. My degrees and certifications are in such wide ranging fields, I need a way to tie them all together.

So,now what?

I began reading every flyer posted in our library, community center, super market and fitness center to see who is offering what kinds of classes. What are they charging? Where are they hosting their classes? What kinds of classes are being held at what locations?

I spoke to the desk staff at the businesses, often times with flyer in had saying, “I’d like to offer my class in your location using this same kind of structure of days, times and fees. How do I go about setting that up with your organization?” The range of answers has been eye opening.

I asked what kinds of teachers and educators use the spaces that are available in our community. I was sure to ask what kinds of classes people have been asking for that are not currently being offered.

In my travels both around town and around the internet, I have been collecting flyers and trifolds that I like or not, so I have some examples to work with as I design my own informational materials. Some of the most interesting pieces of text on them are the short biographies the educators write.

You know, the blurb about the presenter, or blogger, or lecturer, at the bottom back cover of the trifold flyer. That little paragraph in the about me tab.  The best ones are part curriculum vitae, part life story, and part personal philosophy. I really feel like a good one gives me a sense of not only the person’s identity as they see themselves, but also of their voice. I have come to believe that a well written introductory biography is essential.

So, now what?

Since writing a short introductory biography is part of the assignments for the meditation certification I am almost finished with anyway, this seemed like a good place to start my search to condense and solidify what I do and who I am.

As I work my way through the few classes and workshops I have on the calendar already, I will also be honing this little, about me paragraph. I have so much that I like to teach, it is hard not to become overwhelming to a reader.

So, now, this is what.

Now, I take every opportunity to teach something to someone that falls in line with what I love. I will have flop days, I will have days where no one shows up. Every teaching opportunity will bring another chance to work out the right words to describe how I can touch your life and gift you with a new view of yourself.  I am not the sum of my certificates plus my degrees. I am an educator with lots of interesting ideas to bat around together.

By Jenna Moede

I love Mondays.

Wait! Don’t quit reading just yet though. Stick with me.

I used to jump on the anti-Monday bandwagon, and I’ve seen the memes and heard my friends complain because, I know, I know, no one likes a Monday.

But, imagine enjoying a Monday, or two Mondays or EVERY Monday.

It worked for me. Let me explain.

I love Mondays now because they represent a new week. Monday feels like a do-over to me. I know Sunday really begins the next week, but honestly, Monday always feels like the first day of a new week to me.

Each new week, I know that I can’t change anything that happened the previous week so I don’t dwell on it. I let the past go and start with a clean slate.

I look at Monday as a wonderful opportunity to fix the mistakes I made the prior week, alter my routine to better fit my needs, and start fresh with the people I care about.

The feeling of starting over each week makes me feel so happy.

That leads me into another reason I love Mondays. I go into Mondays completely caught up on chores, work and school because I play catch-up on Sunday. That means that Monday brings an organized life and a stocked fridge.  

I dread grocery shopping so much that sometimes some eggs sit alone in fridge, so on the weekends, I usually, finally and desperately stock my shelves. Before I do, my meals at the end of the week look like something out of Willy Wonka. Chicken alfredo with a side of licorice anyone?  

But, I digress. At the end of the day, I know I can’t beat the feeling I have when I have organized and finished all the “to-dos.”

Lastly, I enjoy Mondays because a whole clean new week means a whole set of new opportunities. I know every week brings a new set of challenges, but I really enjoy a challenge.

Like the time I played BINGO in a college class without any chips for the O’s and had no idea until no one had BINGO for about 30 minutes.

But really I do enjoy pushing myself to achieve all that I can, try activities that scare me and go so far out of my comfort zone I can’t see it anymore.

I see Monday as the prime day to promise to do all of those things. I can forget any previous failures and start from the ground up again.

Likewise, I can continue building on success I’ve had previously too. 

Monday doesn’t always have to mean starting over. Every Monday, start thinking creatively about how to make a good project, assignment, business or routine better. Don’t hold back!

So if you want to really enjoy every Monday you wake up to, try to start with a good attitude. I know from experience that it’s awfully hard to come back from a cranky Monday attitude coupled with spilling coffee on your work clothes and forgetting it’s garbage day so don’t let it start out that way for you.

Let the bad roll of your back and embrace the good. Make someone else’s day better by your cheery mood. We all know a person who could use a laugh on a Monday or just a smile, so try to do that for someone you know. Not only will it help them, but you’ll feel happier too.

Never feel discouraged on Sunday night because you have to go back to the grindstone, push yourself to learn and accomplish all that you can, face your fears and set out confidently as the best version of yourself.

I’ve heard that if you can change your attitude, you can change your life. I think that even if you don’t dislike Monday’s, you can probably do something to make them even better. I challenge myself to that every single week, and I can honestly say my life has changed.

By Jenna Moede

Have you ever felt like a lost wanderer? Trust me, I’m waving my arms wildly over here. I totally felt that way not during the admission process but during the first overwhelming classes of my online college career. 

Finding a good groove in my online classes took a while for me, but through some trial and error, I figured out how to calm my jitters as each new semester started and feel prepared to take on my classes.

First, check your email. After you enroll in your classes check weekly, if not more often, to make sure you don’t miss any important deadlines, course material changes or tips and tricks from professors. 

I’ve had emails about each of those show up in my inbox, and after my trouble with financial check in, I learned my lesson about the importance of school email.

Once I even had a professor who sent us a list of helpful hints from prior students for mastering the class content, but a group member of mine had no idea until the end of the class because he never checked his email.

Learn from his mistake (and mine) and check for those types of little gems, and other important class information, regularly in your inbox. 

You should now have access to your class syllabus and course breakdown too. These could come via email or you may have to locate them on your class platform, but read them both.  

I barely glanced at a syllabus when I studied on campus but with classes online, the syllabus is non-optional.

You will discover so much valuable information including the expected class conduct, participation and policies like late submissions and missed deadlines.

The syllabus will likely contain the grading scale too. Your professors may use similar or university mandated scales, but starting the semester knowing the scale will help you set your goals.   

You should also locate your professor’s office hours. Knowing when he or she has time available comes in handy when you end up in a bind. It seems to happen to everyone at some point.

Next, you should take an in depth look at the course breakdown. My professors included major assignments and deadlines at the beginning of each semester along with the types of assignments to expect.

I always keep a personal planner so I copied the deadlines into my planner and wrote reminders a week early for each assignment. If I had more than one class, I typically color-coded in my planner so I could easily identify which class the assignment belonged to.

I had professors who added smaller assignments along the way but my coded planner made it a lot easier for me to recognize due dates quickly. I also could plan early for weeks that had important overlapping deadlines between classes.

After all of that, I usually put the course breakdown on the bulletin board near my desk so I could see assignments coming up at a glance.

You might think you’re set now, but don’t forget to check your equipment and materials before you barrel in. Make sure you have a strong internet connection, all the office supplies you will need, a notebook, and your required class materials.

Online classes depend completely on reliable equipment. 

I found out the first week of one semester that I had a keyboard that wouldn’t type the letter “A”, and it did not make me a happy student. I swear the keyboard had no problems the week before but I didn’t make sure. Hopefully save yourself the annoyance by checking.

As far as materials, double check on the syllabus that you have everything required, and remember the professor may add a new book or website login at the last second.

Okay now start your first week!

Complete any first week work like introduction posts and acknowledgements of the course conduct.

Check due dates carefully! The deadlines the can differ from standard weeks during the first and last weeks of a class!

If you fail to do one of the required items the first week, depending on school policy, the professor could drop you from the class. On the other hand, you could end up with a miserable grade at the end of the class too if you fail to submit a final project or exam.

I didn’t figure out the deadline issue until my second semester. At the end of my first online class, I surprisingly discovered that the last week of classes had an early deadline. I had a mess to clean up for one of my final projects.

To avoid any pitfalls or mistakes like that your first week, keep these steps in mind and start paving your way through the semester. Good luck!  

By Jenna Moede

Can you believe this!? We have finally covered everything from applying to college to starting you first classes, but we have just a few more topics to chat about.

Prepare these final steps so you can press on into your real and exciting college career.

First, make sure you take the time to submit your transcripts. Likely, your university will not allow you to start classes without doing this.

Sometimes you will have to pay a small fee for transcripts, but you can have them sent to several schools, and they usually arrive at those schools quickly.

Remember that some colleges will want high school and college transcripts if you have some postsecondary education.

High school made it easy to send my transcripts because they sent out a letter with the steps and the website, but after high school you might have to track these items down.

If you know your transcripts exist out there somewhere, but could never begin to find them, try a few phone class or emails. I recently needed a copy of my husband’s high school transcripts. I called his high school and they happily told me the website and all the information I needed. Easy and quick!

When I transferred schools, I needed to send my college transcripts to my new university. If you find yourself in the same boat look on your current university’s website and it should have a place for you to request transcripts.

If you can’t find anything online, call the registrar’s office. They will walk you through the steps.

To avoid potential problems, request your transcripts as soon as possible. Ideally, right after you’ve committed to a school.

Next topic, books. Every university handles books in a unique way but don’t wait on this either. Books may take a while to ship to you, and you will fight an uphill battle if you start classes without them.

I had a class start with the book on backorder, and the first test required me to share a friend’s book. She, luckily, had bought the book off an upperclassman. Needless to say, I’ve experienced more ideal situations.

While studying on campus, I bought all my books at the bookstore. My online university shipped my books with a prepaid return label or offered an e-book.

You can sell your books back after each semester, but don’t expect a huge return. One semester I truly made more money returning cans at the local grocery store. I couldn’t believe it!

Even though some of my books cost a lot and I didn’t sell them back for the same amount I paid, I really couldn’t have made it through college without them. I even kept a couple!

Don’t let the prices intimidate you into thinking you can skate by without them.

Lastly, to all of my Advanced Placement (AP) class takers out there and everyone else who has earned college credits through testing, I didn’t forgot about you!

I had AP credits that I needed to apply to my education too, and I bebopped around online until I figured out what to do. Let me help save you the hassle and time of searching.

First, find out if your university accepts AP credits or whatever type of credits you may have. A quick website search should turn up that information for you.

From there try to locate a place online to submit the scores for review. If you can’t find a spot, contact the admission office. They will supply the necessary information or direct you to a better suited office to help you receive the credits you have earned on those tough high school classes.

So now, congratulations! You have finally finished, but make a big bold note that your university may have additional requirements so still check your email regularly!

Now, after all your hard work applying and registering, you can finally begin. Remember to start off right so you can ace your first semester.

By Amy Nielsen

I have exactly one exam left before I finish school. I have scored well, if not perfectly on each of the previous tests and quizzes. I am happy with those answers that I got wrong as many were a disagreement on philosophy rather than specifically a wrong answer. I know when I take the exam next week, I will pass it with a respectable, if not perfect, grade.

Our class message boards are alight with questions: What it will mean if you don’t take the last exam, which is expected but not required.  A passing grade is only required on two out of three exams to complete the graduation requirement. What if your case studies haven’t been accepted yet, even though they were posted within minutes of the midnight deadline? How are these case studies supposed to be entered anyway? I missed a conference call and now it shows that I didn’t complete the assignment, now what?

One of the perks of being an older student is perspective. The vast majority of students who are having these troubles fall into two categories: the certificate-gathering, young, self-starter who is determined to be the “it” of her niche market - and fast. The other, unfortunately, are those who are struggling with this online-based platform. They are struggling to complete the lectures, let alone the assignments.

The second group is comprised of two very different sub categories of individuals. This program is widely international and is well respected outside of the US. Approximately one-third of the class is international students from around the globe, representing both developing and developed countries. As internet service differs vastly around the world, some students had a hard time just getting connection for long enough to download a lesson. The second subgroup, within the tech challenged set, is not comfortable with a computer-based curriculum. The internet portion makes their struggle worse.

I really feel for the tech challenged group. They are behind the 8 ball by no fault of their own poor shooting. Some have been able to figure it out enough to at least finish. Others are just going to have to appeal to the school come graduation time when their certificates are not awarded.

I can say that it is not for lack of effort on the part of other students on the message boards. The majority of tech questions are quickly answered by more tech savvy classmates. The industry we are in is based on kindness, compassion, and helpfulness. We kind of can’t help ourselves but to find an answer when someone asks.

I know of several fantastic relationships that have started because of this program. There are a few burgeoning businesses starting up once all of the certificates clear. I also know of many peer to peer coaching and accountabilities partnerships that plan to continue after graduation day. Again, we are a compassionate and helpful group. It’s in our genes.

As for that group of go-getter, self-starters? Those are the folks who I really want to succeed. I know they can. I know they have it within them. But there were hard lessons learned, especially if they don’t graduate:

* Read all of the directions at the beginning.

*Make sure you understand exactly what is expected of you before you begin.

*Start completing assignments at the beginning of the remittance period not at the end.

*Don’t plan your wedding and honeymoon for the week of the last exam assuming that because you passed the others and skipping this exam would remain unremarked on your transcript.

*Missing the last exam entirely, even if you have passed the other two exams, means the last exam will be marked as an incomplete/fail rather than incomplete/zero since all grades are on a percentage/pass-fail basis.

These are all important lessons that some of my classmates, unfortunately, have learned the hard way.

I am pleased that I have come as far as I have with this program. I am pleased that I am tech savvy enough to be able to complete the course with only a few minor tech snafu. I am not a spring chicken who is counting eggs before they are even laid, nor am I someone who is on the verge of a new career in the third half of their busy lives. I am a somewhat, rusty, washed up, has been, career consolidating Mama who sort of remembers something about how voice over IP used to work.

What I am most pleased about is my ability to roll with this program and see what it can do for me. I am an advanced student, I have been around the block a time or two and I know what I am looking for most of the time. I like that this course delivered that. It was just enough out of my comfort zone to push my boundaries and make me see a bigger picture because of the make-up of the student body.

I expect to graduate somewhere around the middle of my class, not that rankings are important. There is a full tuition refund awarded to the top student in the class. I never had ambitions of that sort. When I do graduate and receive my certificate I will know that I did put in a solid effort. I am proud of what I have learned and accomplished by taking this chance.

Now I have to look forward to the next step, employment. Self-employment, contract work, project based events, and series classes are all in the works over the summer as I refine exactly what this new project looks like. As of this time next week, I will be done with curriculum work. There is no turning back.

By Jenna Moede

Okay, we need to address the elephant in the room. Money!

No one can deny that for a college education, you’ll have to shell out some money or earn some scholarships. Now that you have finished registering for classes, you need to take this on next. 

Usually you will need to complete registration before your financial check-in because the number of credits you take will help determine the final cost for the semester.

Also, before you write that check, search all scholarship avenues.

When I started college, I had no idea that scholarships for military spouses even existed. I didn’t look for opportunities, and I don’t want you to make that mistake too. 

Scour the internet for scholarship opportunities and apply for everything you qualify for. You never know what you’ll earn. 

Also, if you plan to use federal student loans, make sure you complete your FAFSA with ample time.  That will come into play before you begin classes and before your financial check in. 

Don’t forget that you will have to fill the FAFSA out for each school year not each calendar year.  If you start, for example, in the summer of this year, you will have to fill out a FAFSA for the 2016-2017 school year, and then, come August, you will have to fill out another for the 2017-2018 school year.

I actually had friends who didn’t know that and really did miss the deadline. I saw some very unhappy parents because of it.  

Lastly, FAFSA will allow you to select several schools you’d like to send the information to so make sure you select your university when given the option.  Doing it this way will save you time in the long run. 

Now that that part is out of the way, let’s look at financial check-in. At many schools you may have to complete it every semester, but it really doesn’t take too long. 

I didn’t know about financial check-in when I first started online classes because while I was a student on campus I didn’t have to do it. I also didn’t check my email very often which kept me from finding out about it until the very last second. Huge mistake!

I found out about and completed my check-in on the last day I possibly could. I almost missed the deadline, and I would have missed my first online classes too. Not really the way I was looking to start out.

You should find your financial check-in on your school’s online platform and you may even receive an email with a link or directions to access it. I swear I never knew email could actually come in so handy until I finally checked mine!

As you check in, make sure any and all scholarships you have earned show up in the ledger. If you see a mistake, don’t continue with check-in, but reach out to a school representative who can help you straighten it out. 

After everything looks correct, you should see either a balance due, credit owed or a zero balance. You will most likely have the opportunity to deny excess loan amounts or you can choose where to send them. 

Make this decision wisely and remember that if you have a loan credit, have will still most likely have to pay them back, probably with interest. I have seen people treat this refund like free money and had to pay the piper, literally, when the loans came due.

Because of possible issues with scholarships and more, I recommend doing financial check-in as early as you possibly can. It allows excess time to correct any errors.

I had no idea what to do my first time around, but after you get the hang of it, and you will after the first semester, it really doesn’t take that much time or effort. I think you’ll find it pretty painless. 

Once you have completed your financial check-in, you will receive a confirmation and you can start preparing to ace your courses. You will only have a few final steps left before classes really begin.