Guest Author - Colleen Moore, RN
Top 10 Ways to Succeed with Your Online Education
1. Be Committed: To succeed in obtaining your degree online, you must be committed. Visualize what you are trying to accomplish and remind yourself often. Always remember what your goal is and focus on it.
2. Create a Habit: Pick a time of day when you are going to focus on your school work and follow through. With an online program you cannot afford to procrastinate.
3. Inform the Family: Inform your family that although you are physically at home, you are mentally at school. My family does not bother me while I am on the computer unless they truly need my attention.
4. Use the Internet: When I went to college in ----, we had to go to the Library to do our research. Today, it is some much more convenient. Pick a Search Engine, there are so many of them. I prefer Google because I can usually find any subject through their Search Engine but ASK.com, MSN.com or any other you prefer are just as useful. Research many articles before selecting the ones you will use in a paper.
5. Be Realistic: Real life will get in the way. You can have the best laid plan but if your kids need you to get supplies for a project due tomorrow or your spouse complains, “You are on the computer again?” You may have to be flexible and change your plans.
6. Create a Habit: It has been said that a habit can only be created if it is preformed 21 days in a row. This has rung true for me in many instances, but especially while attending university online. Set up the best time every day for you to go online and contribute to your school work. Try to stick to that plan for at least 21 days, if you do not succeed do not worry, just start out for another 21 days. Keep doing this until you succeed.
7. Do Not Procrastinate: You should not procrastinate while in a college program of any sort but online, you definitely cannot afford to put it off. Do a little bit each day, so when you are reaching your deadline, you are not under pressure. If you get to that point, you may have to put your family last.
8. Enjoy Being in Your Home: Although you are at school, you are still in the comfort of your own home. I have become an expert at working on my school work and talking to my daughters about their day. However, if I tell them “Mom needs some quiet school time”, they do not interrupt. I feel I have the best of both worlds.
9. Make Sure the University has an Accreditation: The internet is full of scam artists. When you are picking out an online school look into their success records, and accreditation.
10. Enjoy: I love going to school online. I get out of work and do not have to go anywhere but home. I then get in my pajamas, put my slippers on and then start working on my school work.
Please feel free to contact me with any online questions or if you need help with college projects. I can help you to succeed just as I have. Go to my email and request my help. I will respond within 48 hours. I can help you compose papers, articles and essays. Please give me that grace period for I am also still in school.
