This is a guest post by Tina Jacobs. If you’d like to guest post on this blog, click here.
Digital books are changing the way we learn on a daily basis. In a way, I can fairly state that they are revolutionizing the educational system. Digital textbooks promote reading in a society where students would far prefer studying at their computer or using their mobile device over putting their noses in an dusty, printed textbook. The education system must face facts. In today’s society, students much prefer texting on a Smartphone, browsing the web via a tablet device, and taking class notes via a laptop instead of using a notebook and pen. That being said, digital textbooks fit the personal learning preference of many of today’s students. Plus, more students nowadays prefer to rent textbooks of the digital variety over spending twice as much at the campus bookstore. Not only do digital textbook rentals save budgeting students a lot of valuable money and time, they also prefer to read via a screen.

If I haven’t convinced you yet—here are 10 ways that I believe digital books are revolutionizing the education system.

1. Digital books cost half the price

Now that’s a strong argument on the side of e-books if you’re a struggling student. Tuition is costly enough when you add tuition, room and board, and high-priced printed textbooks. Not only are e-books approximately 50% less compared to printed versions, you might actually be able to get your hands on free digital books from the local library if you have a membership.

2. Digital textbooks make learning accessible to everyone

Suddenly students with visual impairments or fine motor disabilities can customize their digital book settings to alter text size, screen illumination, or choose to read books orally.

3. They offer multifunction study options

Most e-books are available in digital or audio format so students can multitask while exercising, walking to school, taking public transit, and even working as they study.

4. A digital book is learning made portable

Students don’t have to suffer sore backs all over campus from hiking around with 2, 5-pound textbooks in tow. You have to admit those sociology texts are as heavy as bricks. But e-books are as light as the device you carry them on so a student can transport an entire library from home to campus and back without having to apply an ice pack each night.

5. Electronic textbooks teach collaboration

Ebooks are plentiful, meaning they are simple to share between students and even groups of people. The social aspect of sharing e-books promotes a value skill in collaboration, and collaboration is one skill that you need to get almost any job in the business world. Start your business training as a student of digital books by commenting, rating, and bookmarking pages for others to read.

6. E-books extend learning beyond the page

With a digital textbook, students are able to reference words and biographical references according to a keyword that’s hyperlinked. This hyperlink can be used to provide additional education via an image, video, or text description to further add to the learning experience.

7. Digital textbooks are not set in stone

Professors and students can fix a grammatical or spelling mistake or alter the accuracy of a reference according to current events unlike with printed textbooks that can’t be altered after publication.

8. Digital books save paper

If one thing is for certain, Mother Earth is thankful for the digital textbook because they save a lot of trees by means of outdated editions of textbooks. This translates to reduced paper waste in landfills as well as less gas used for the shipping of paper textbooks.

9. Digital textbooks keep it current

With digital textbooks, study stays as current as scholarly knowledge. And publishing occurs a lot faster so knowledge is never outdated by the time it’s published in technical and scientific texts.

10. Digital books maintain our favorite books for future generations

The pages of my favorite classic books won’t tarnish, rip, or become garbage due to natural wear and tear. Books can be forever preserved in digital format for future students to enjoy.

Whether you like them or not, digital textbooks are here to stay. If we try to emphasize the true benefits of a digital book as seen here, it may just be a lot easier to embrace this new and rapidly growing technology.

This guest article was written by Tina Jacobs who is a registered nurse and freelance writer who has written for numerous print and online publications on topics ranging from education to money saving tips for college students such as how to find cheap textbooks. Tina is a proud Georgetown University alum and plans to expand her writing portfolio while she waits to take her NCLEX exam. Most days, Tina can be found studying or writing in her beautiful bay window with her cat, Oscar, for company.

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I have two daughters, one is a sophomore in high school and the other is a sophomore in college. Needless to say, they both work hard and live the student life. My youngest daughter sent me the image seen below. I would like to cite the source but I don’t have one. If anyone does please send it along in the comments or use my Contact Me page and I will update the source. By the way, her favorite image is the “internet” face just to the left of 12:00 if you were looking at this image like a clock.

I thought that this cycle of student life was a whimsical and realistic view of the stark reality of being a student. Please feel free to share this image with your son,daughter, or fellow student. If you are a parent of a college freshman I hope the first year away from your child hasn’t been real stressful for you or your child. I know that it is a trying time but it gets easier, believe me.

What compels an individual to reach the top of their profession? What are the influences during their childhood and adolescence that define their work ethic and their drive for success? It’s a question that any of us who strive for success are fascinated by. In this post I will pose some questions to one of those unique individuals who reached the height of his profession.

That person is Dr. Isaac Colbert. “Ike” has held some very prestigious positions, not the least of which was Dean of the Graduate School at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Ike worked at MIT for 30 years and held the position of Dean of the Graduate School for 8 years. Ike retired in 2007 from that lofty position but has agreed to share with us a little insight on his life at MIT, what he is doing now that he is retired, and some of the positive influences in his life which helped him reach his lofty goals.

Could you give us some idea of what it is like to be a dean at one of the most prestigious universities in the world?

The opportunities and challenges are tremendous, as is the understanding that the faculty, students and staff are among the best anywhere. Working with very highly motivated, often workaholic, faculty and students who are at the top of their games is exciting. There is always a premium on new ideas and seemingly odd ways of doing things; solving the daily problems of managing a large and fragmented educational enterprise; encouraging new academic offerings that bring recent theory and research into the classroom; and smoothing administrative and financial paths to help students complete their degree programs and faculty to engage students productively in their research groups.

Being a dean at MIT typically required finding creative ways to promote wonderful ideas and novel approaches to degree programs while maintaining a coherent set of regulations and practices that govern all of them. It also required being clever in using available funds to support students and programs.

How was the transition for you of going from a dean at MIT to being retired? Was it difficult?

Not for me. I put plans into place for the possibility of retirement when I was 30 years old. My Mom had always cautioned me to “save your money aggressively, and put it where you can’t easily get to it and squander it on frivolous things! It should be there when you’re ready to move on and will permit you to better decide when the time is right.” When I decided that the time was right, I was prepared emotionally, professionally, and financially to take that step.

The only initial issue, after 30 years of “hard driving” was how well I would step away from a workaholic existence to something less than that. What I’ve found is that there are countless ways to keep active whilst still having control of much of my time. There’s really no such thing as “full” retirement these days, anyway, because there is so much need for help in one’s community and ways in which to stay engaged professionally but at another level.

Can you talk a little bit about who influenced you at a young age and what motivated you as you grew up to reach your goals?

It will probably surprise no one that inspiration came from home and from a number of mentors who I was fortunate enough to meet along the way. My Mom always pushed my brother and me to focus on getting a sound education and going as far with it as possible. There was never any question that we were going to college, and we were encouraged to discover and develop our individual areas of interest. That had the added effect of teaching us that we don’t have to beat others down in order to rise and be the best that we can be individually.

I was the outgoing, talkative one who was always interested in hearing what “the older folks” in the neighborhood had to say, so I was given many life lessons early on. This was in an era when my inner city neighborhood functioned very much like a village, wherein several generations of people in all kinds of jobs and professions lived in close proximity and looked after one another. I saw doctors, teachers, janitors, shop keepers, house cleaners, and more; so it was clear that many directions in life were possible.

Doing well in school became self reinforcing and opened lots of doors, some of which turned into internship opportunities and lasting relationships with people who chose to mentor and advise me. These people also taught me to give back to others some of the good counsel and mentoring that I received, and I’ve tried to do so for my entire life. I attended public school in Baltimore and was fortunate to have exceptional teachers throughout. They encouraged me to set very high standards for myself, to define clear goals, and to learn from the best and brightest around me. That has served me well and has helped me to remain a life-long learner.

You chose to retire. It was not forced upon you. If you had to do it over again would you have waited a little longer to retire?

Not at all. I planned carefully over several decades, thought a lot about my next steps as I approached the “magic age,” and quite frankly was fortunate in my timing. For me, a nice thing about choosing to retire when I did was in leaving at a high point, when most of my objectives as dean had been met and my professional visibility and impact among peers were solid. Moreover, I’m still young enough to have time and energy for all those new things I’ve mentioned, while also enjoying more of life. I feel truly blessed to have been so fortunate with these outcomes so far.

Do you miss the interaction with the students?

Honestly, I sometimes miss the daily interaction with the incredibly bright and entrepreneurial students. There was hardly a single day when I didn’t learn something new from them, and I’ve developed lasting relationships with many. I’ve not fully lost touch with all of them either, since e-mail and today’s social networking sites have permitted quite a few to stay in touch with me, to my continued delight. Just this past weekend, in fact, I had an unplanned lunch with a PhD chemical engineer who I’ve know and advised since his freshman year at MIT 17 years ago. It’s great to track the developing careers of students whose lives I’ve influenced in some way and to see how well so many of them are doing. In the end, this is what really counts for me.

Are you associated with any educational institutions or groups at this point of your life?

After retirement, I was invited to become a Trustee of the Educational Testing Service(ETS), the organization that develops high-stakes assessments such as the Graduate Record Exam (GRE), the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), and the Test of English in Commerce (TOEIC), among others. Also, I am a board member of Chapel Hill Chauncey Hall School, a private high school in nearby Waltham, a role that I’ve played for nearly two decades for a school that successfully educates kids with learning differences. Locally, I am on the board of College Bound Dorchester, a group that encouraged at-risk youngsters in my community to prepare for, enroll in, and complete a college education.

Have you pursued any other business ventures now that you have the time to do so?

Actually, yes, and mentioning them might make one wonder whether I ever intended to slow down at all! I’ve had fun trying to transition from a career in higher education to involvement in for-profit ventures. One that I’ve enjoyed is development of a new skin-care product called “Vanash.” My company, Boston Derm Lab, is marketing it as a less greasy product for post-laser treatment skin care as well as for treating dry, ashen or cracked skin on feet, elbows, or hands.
For about seven years, I’ve also worked with a company called V-Stax LLC, which is perfecting a fluids processing device for performance improvement applications in military tanks and vehicles, high-end motorcycles, and small jet engines, among other things.

I’ve also founded a couple of not-for profit companies with friends and colleagues, but the recession has effectively put them on hold for now.
All of these involvements keep the brain cells firing and the legs in motion, to be sure. No rocking chair for me!

Do you keep in touch with your co-workers at MIT or fellow deans or presidents at other universities?

My ongoing work with education-focused organizations has given me great vehicles for maintaining contact with many colleagues from throughout my career. It’s been cool to have something new to talk about and some fresh ways to engage them and their organizations.

What was the most gratifying part of being a dean at MIT and what were your biggest challenges?

Being able to make a genuine difference for graduate education writ large, for MIT, and for the faculty and staff whom I served was the best part of being at MIT as a senior officer. There were so many times when an encouraging word, a slightly bent (or occasionally a strictly enforced) rule, or a few well-placed dollars made all the difference between success or failure for a student or a program. Allowing our graduate students to have direct access to me, and bringing them in a meaningful way into decisions that affected their lives was the other part of my gratification. It has made a positive difference in the way that graduate students leave MIT feeling about their experience there.

Time management was always the biggest challenge, especially since I had a small staff of 20 serving a very large constituency of 6000+ grad students, 1000 faculty, and over 150 grad degree programs. A large and complex place like MIT was still highly person centered, so the demand for direct and immediate engagement in problems and decisions was always high. Being infinitely interruptible while not losing track of other ongoing issues gave me many Excedrine headaches, but was simultaneously and strangely exciting while I was in it. Still, I don’t miss those daily juggling acts on a high-tension wire!

I want to thank Dr. Colbert for agreeing to do this interview and for answering the questions posed to him with such detail and candor. I have known Ike for many years and I can honestly say that he is the real deal. It is not often that you come across an individual who has charm, personality, brains, and, more importantly, a warm and generous heart. It is not surprising to me that he has been a success in his life. I wish him continued success and happiness in his semi-retirement. Thank You Ike!

Dr. Isaac Colbert, MIT Dean

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This is a guest post by Dawn Papandrea. If you want to guest post on this blog, click here to get more information.

Going to beauty school always came with a certain stigma, namely that it was a fall back for those who couldn’t make it at “real” college. And remember the song “Beauty School Dropout”? Today, however, cosmetologists, stylists, and beauty artists are getting some respect. Perhaps it’s thanks in part to celebrities who give their stylists props in public, or the reality shows that portray the smart business savvy of those in the beauty industry. Most of all, it’s the evolution of the beauty schools themselves, which now offer a top-notch education that goes way beyond hair style how-tos.
Here are some lesser known facts about today’s top beauty schools…

They’re high-tech.

Smartboards and laptops, interactive DVDs, state-of-the-art equipment and software, hands-on laboratories…. although these sound like the tools you’d expect to find in college classrooms, today’s top cosmetology schools tout them as well. In addition, you’ll often find real working salons and/or simulated business experiences so students can apply their knowledge in a real-world setting.

Students come from all walks of life.

You might have an image of a young woman going into beauty school because she didn’t know what else to do with her life. That’s yesterday’s perception. Today’s cosmetology students come from a variety of backgrounds, with the majority of them having had some post-secondary education experience. In addition, many students enter beauty school to purse their “second careers,” after finding their original industry of choice wasn’t the right fit for them. Plus, here’s a newsflash – with such a growth in male salon services, it’s not a surprise to learn that men go to beauty school, too!

It’s serious business.

Beauty school consists of lots of practical courses in things like cutting and coloring hair, but there’s so much more to learn in order to be successful in the field. Today’s top beauty schools drill in lots of business basics, too, such as inventory control and customer management, as well as honing communication, marketing, and entrepreneurial skills needed to grow a business. And, get this – in order to work for a quality salon, you must earn your state license in whatever your specialty is, and that often requires hundreds of classroom hours and passing exams. It’s not as simple as you might have thought.

The learning never stops.

Depending on the state in which you are licensed, you may have to obtain CEUs (Continuing Education Units). The amount of hours required or the particular classes you need to attend will vary depending on your licensing state, however, consider you will need some retraining to keep your license up to date, and to continue practicing in your beauty career.

Dawn Papandrea

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This is a guest post by my daughter, Lianna Bessette.  If you want to guest post on this blog, click here to get more information.

DISCLAIMER: Although I am in college, I do not necessarily hold the same views as all college students.  I cannot be held responsible for any variations in opinion among others of my kind.

I am 19 years old, and I’m a rising college sophomore.  A year ago, I was living in my parents’ house, abiding by my parents’ rules.  This summer, I’m actually right back where I was.  A lot has changed, however, over the past year.  Like so many other families, my family and I lived comfortably in the confines of traditional parent/child roles for years, but these roles had to change with the times.  I wasn’t sure how I wanted our relationship to function, to change, until I left.  Now I know how a college student’s brain works.  I know that this is how we wish our parents would act.

Be interested, but don’t be nosy.

I really enjoy being able to tell my parents about the new things I learn and experience, but I like being able to keep things from them, too.  I’m not even talking about important things or big secrets, but it’s nice to be able to choose what to share.  For example, I once didn’t tell my parents I was auditioning for a play until I got a callback.  It was fun to tell my parents about my accomplishment without them expecting it.  We want you to understand our separate lives, but we want to be able to have some control over what you know.  It’s not conniving; it’s just the way life works when living away from home.

Don’t expect me to contact you every single day.

I love talking to my parents, but I just don’t have time to call or email every day.  We’re busy here, you know.  I like to get emails, but my favorite way to communicate is a 20-30 minute phone conversation once or twice a week.  That works for me.  Some of my friends don’t contact their families for weeks or months at a time.  One of my roommates did talk to her parents every day.  It all depends on how we like to communicate.  Don’t be offended it we don’t contact you. College is different, and we have a lot to do. We still love you.

Don’t make us lie to you.

My parents are really cool about drinking in college.  They understand that it’s part of the culture, and we’ve had mature conversations about drinking responsibly.  Months ago, my parents asked me if I partied, I answered truthfully, and they didn’t chastise me for my answer.  I personally think this is the best way for a parent to act in this situation.  Because I don’t view alcohol as a taboo substance, I don’t abuse it.  Some of my friends’ parents have asked them the same question, and, when they answered truthfully, they were punished.  Not all college students drink, but many do.  We don’t want to lie to you.  If you don’t want to know, please don’t ask.

We want you to care.

We want you to miss us even if we love being away from home.  We want you to come to Parents’ Weekend (or at least want to come to Parents’ Weekend) even if we don’t necessarily want you in our domain.  We want you to

buy apparel and bumper stickers from the bookstore even if it’s embarrassing when you flaunt it.  We want you to send us baked goods every so often even though dining hall food is probably making us fat already.  We want you to be proud of us because going to college means something.

This past year, my parents and I realized that altering the roles we were so used to wasn’t nearly as scary as we thought it might be.  The smooth transition my family made to college life made coming back home for the summer easy and, to be honest, a lot of fun.  I can’t imagine what it’s like to become the parent of a college student, but my parents got the hang of it pretty quickly.  You’ll figure it out, too.

Lianna Bessette is a member of Bowdoin College’s class of 2013. She recently started a blog while studying abroad in Cork, Ireland at Lianna unCorked and she obsessively writes in her own journal.

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This is a guest post by Thomas Warren. If you want to guest post on this blog, click here to get more information.

The idea that college is only for kids who are straight out of high school is completely unfounded.  It’s never too late to continue your education.  And there are plenty of reasons to do it, from reaching a personal goal, to improving your job prospects, to enriching your life.  But if you’ve been out or school for a while, or you’ve never reached the level of secondary education, you may be in the dark when it comes to applying, scheduling, and attending college.  Luckily, there is a lot of help available for those who wish to pursue a higher education.

Preparation

You’ll want to form a clear idea of your educational goals before you decide where to apply.  Are you interested in law, social sciences, mathematics, language, or one of many other fields?  Your area of interest, along with your location, budget, and willingness to travel, will determine which schools you consider.  Most institutions of higher learning also have strict GPA requirements.  If grades weren’t your strong suit in high school, or if you scored low on standardized testing,  you may want to consider beginning with a community college so you can build up a good GPA and get your general education classes taken care of for far less cost.

Application

Once you have an idea of your field of interest, you need to fill out applications.  Most colleges now feature online applications through their web portals so you can apply remotely.  You can even consider online colleges that will allow you to take classes from the comfort of your own home.  Just be aware of the deadlines for applicants.  Most colleges require you to file in spring, or even winter, for admittance in the upcoming fall semester.

Funding

Once you’ve been accepted and chosen an institution to attend, you’ll need to come up with tuition and other expenses.  Since you are probably independent, over the age of 25 or emancipated, you may be eligible for federal financial aid dependent upon your salary.  You can apply for federal money at FAFSA, but you should also look into scholarships.  Although those offered by colleges have become scarce during the recession, there are many websites, like Fastweb, that will help you find independent scholarships to apply for based on your interests and talents.  If all else fails, consider student loans, which won’t require payment until graduation, or less expensive schools.  Be honest with yourself about what you can afford.  If you’re retired and you don’t expect your degree to lead to employment, maybe an Ivy League education is the wrong goal.

Class scheduling

This will depend a lot on your lifestyle.  If you work part-time or full-time, it can seriously impact both the number and type of classes you take.  For example, those with full-time employment should not take more than a part-time schedule (1-2 classes per semester).  Also, if you’ve been out of the game for a while, give yourself time to ease back into it.  It’s not like riding a bike.  You need to re-train your brain to function on a level of intense learning, so don’t set yourself up for failure by overdoing it.

Tools

Now that all your ducks are in a row, you’re worried that a pen and legal pad may not pass muster once you enter the classroom.  This is a valid concern if you’re re-entering the world of learning after a long hiatus.  While tried and true methods of note-taking are still perfectly acceptable, why not give yourself a leg up by joining the computer era?  A laptop, or netbook, is the preferred utensil of modern students because it’s quick, easy, and stores all of your files in one place.  You may also want to consider investing in an e-reader.  If you’re against  hauling thirty pounds of books around campus, this is a great alternative.  Many textbooks are now available in eBook format, and you could store them all in a piece of equipment that weighs less than a pound.  While Amazon’s Kindle seems to offer the most options, you can also check out Apple’s iPad and the Barnes & Noble Nook.  Many include Wi-Fi and other handy extras like highlighting and note-taking capabilities and you can skip the chaos of the campus bookstore.

The main thing to remember is that there is no reason to be intimidated.  You’re not going to be the only person on campus over the age of twenty-four.  And you bring something to the table, as well.  Your life experience can add to class discussions and you may find yourself teaching as much as you learn.  Plus, your professors will probably appreciate some adult company in class.  If you have the time, the money, and the desire to return to school, there’s absolutely nothing to stop you.  So don’t let fears and misconceptions hold you back.  Simply arm yourself with the necessary knowledge and tools to make your tenure in college a success.

Thomas Warren is a content writer for GoCollege, one of the oldest and most trusted resources to guide students on how to finance and succeed in college.

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This is a guest post by Richard Hemby. If you want to guest post on this blog, click here to get more information.
In today’s fast-paced world, excellent time management skills are a necessity for business executives and busy moms alike. With so many goals to achieve, our lives can quickly become overwhelming with productivity adversely affected. For those truly dedicated to managing their responsibilities well and achieving their personal and business goals, there are a few time management systems on the market to help foster success. Time management tips can help us immensely in our daily lives. Today, we will cover 3 of the most popular frameworks: Getting Things Done System (GTD), the Zen to Done System (ZTD), and the Autofocus System.

The GTD System

The GTD System was developed by international author and lecturer, David Allen. It utilizes two key elements, control and perspective, in the management of time. The guiding principle behind this system is that through recording task lists externally one frees up the mind. Consequently, if the mind is freed from having to remember all the tasks that need to be completed, it can actually concentrate on the completion of those tasks. Therefore, Allen advocates that followers write everything down as it comes to mind and process those notes so that everything has a place. In addition, to-do lists should be broken down into various lists

based upon what can be done now. The GTD System also addresses projects, workflow, and the very important weekly review. Allen also suggests using a system of folders (called a tickler) and a simple, alphabetical filing system as a means to keep all upcoming events in sight. While this time management method can theoretically be followed through traditional paper tools such as notepads or index cards, there are numerous software applications available for purchase to assist the user in implementing the GTD System, and David Allen himself recommends using a PDA or a personal computer for maximum benefit from it.

The ZTD System

The ZTD System was created by productivity blogger Leo Babauta and draws upon some of the concepts in the GTD System. It purports to be the “ultimate simple productivity system.” Babauta developed the ZTD System in response to shortcomings he found while following the GTD System himself. His main focus in developing this system was on those personality types he felt might not be able to fully implement the GDT System. For example, the ZTD System focuses on changing one habit at a time rather than making a series of habit changes at once. Barbauta felt the primary flaw with David Allen’s system was that many people could not follow through due to too much change at one time. Instead, Barbauta advises followers of the ZTD System to adopt it in phases. In addition, his system proposes to be more focused on actually doing, more structured, and more simplified in addressing goals. The ZTD System is essentially a set of ten habits that will allow the follower to get things done. These ten habits, to be practiced at most two to three at a time, include collecting, processing, planning, doing, using a simple system, organizing, reviewing, simplification, routine, and finding your passion.

The AutoFocus System

The Autofocus Time Management System was introduced by British author Mark Forster. The Autofocus System emphasizes making intuitive choices and approaching any to-do list as a series of sub-lists. This simple system consists of maintaining one long list in a ruled notebook of everything that needs to be done and adding items at the end of the list as necessary. The follower then tackles that list by quickly reading it without following through, then slowly reviewing the items to find one that stands out, and ultimately working on that item for as long as wanted. The process repeats itself as unfinished or repetitive items are re-entered at the end of the list. Forster refers to this kind of system as “structured procrastination.” He explains that the Autofocus System works by “providing a framework which balances the rational and intuitive parts of the brain.” Forster asserts that users of his system will experience less stress, a much increased volume of work, faster processing of routine tasks such as checking email and returning telephone calls, and a more thorough processing of major tasks. Forster continues to

revise his system, so there are actually four systems currently available including Autofocus 1, Autofocus 2, Revised Autofocus, and Autofocus 4. Each varies slightly and any version can be used as desired, but they are all based upon the core principles of the first.

For anyone looking for a time management system, many options are available to fit the user’s particular personality and needs. Each of these systems has a legion of fans and can send anyone looking for time management tips well on his or her way to accomplishing goals and improving quality of life.

This guest article was contributed by Richard Hemby, a freelance writer based in Seattle, Washington who writes about online degrees and college related topics for Online College Guru, a directory of online colleges. You can also follow him on Twitter.

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Winter scene outside my daughter's dorm.

So you’ve just dropped off your child at college for the first time and are feeling the pain.  That final hug was a lot more difficult than you had originally expected.  Your first-born is now among people you do not know, in a completely foreign environment, and you feel the anxiety and feel helpless as a parent.  My eldest daughter left for college for the first time last August.  The trauma of her exodus was detailed in this post.   Ironically, today we just returned from bringing her back to college after her 5-week holiday break at home.  Let’s just say that it was a whole lot easier dropping her off this time.  For those of you who have already gone through this college separation anxiety, congratulations on dealing with it and moving onto another phase of your lives.  After having gone through this heart-wrenching experience, I think I can help out my fellow brethren deal with being separated from their child for possibly the first time.  There are certainly ways to deal with anxiety to make this transition easier, for both you, and your child.

1. Communicate, but give them space.

As a parent, it is important to reach a happy medium with your child, in terms of communication, after they are at their college home. Understanding that your child needs space from you is something that every parent must realize. Your child has been looking forward to this time of independence, so you must honor that independence and limit the correspondence. Let your child dictate how much they want to call, email, or skype with you.  Of utmost importance is to let your child know that you will always be there for them, just as you have been for the previous 18 years of their life.

2. Visit the College Store.

OK, I know that you are paying big tuition bills already, so shelling out any other dough to the school can be tough. But, I am telling you that if you go to the college store and buy a sweatshirt, or a mug for your morning coffee, it will help.  How, you might say? It helps you feel closer to your child. Each morning when you drink that cup of coffee, with the mug from the college, you will think of your child and will feel a closeness to them.  Every time I wear the shirts I bought at my daughter’s college store or wear the hat that she gave me for Christmas, I feel closer to her.  You might say, doesn’t that make it more difficult and remind you more of the distance between you?  Not for me.  It does just the opposite. You are showing pride in their college and this will reflect not only on you, but also on your child.  If your child knows that you are proud of their college choice, it will help them deal with their own separation anxiety. Don’t underestimate the simple act of making some purchases at the college store.  Surprisingly, it really helps soothe those pangs of separation anxiety.

3. Attend Parents Weekend.

We attended Parents Weekend at the end of October. It is a very popular time for the college and it allows the parents to attend a class, if desired.  But, more importantly, it’s a time to see your child, possibly for the first time since that emotional departure. And you also get a chance to get to know their roommates.  At the same time, you have a chance to meet with other parents and talk about what it’s like living away from your children. You will quickly learn that almost all parents share this feeling of separation and it is a common thread in conversation.

4. Subscribe to the College Newspaper.

This may sound simple but one of the hardest things for us, as parents, was the not-knowing.  Not being able to know every step our child was taking, or what was happening with her in the college environment.  Subscribing to the college newspaper has allowed us to feel more a part of our daughter’s life by allowing us to read what is going on, at a certain point in time, at the college.  The articles are written by the students so it allows us to hear what their feelings are and what issues they are faced with at the college.  It also helps us when we speak with our daughter because we can talk about the issues that are prevalent at the college.  This small step will help take away some of the feelings of separation and will allow you to feel closer to your child.

5. Visit, if needed, and if possible.

This may be difficult for some parents, especially if your child is across the country, or potentially in another country. About a month into her first college semester, my daughter came down with symptoms that were eerily similar to the H1N1 virus. There were already students at her school that were being quarantined, or separated from the other students, due to the virus.  My daughter was extremely worried that she was coming down with the virus but, more importantly to her, she was concerned that it would affect her schoolwork.  She was worried about falling behind in her classwork and she had just started her college career.  After speaking with her on the phone, my wife drove up there and brought her to the infirmary for tests. 

As it turned out, she didn’t have the virus, and was over the symptoms in a few days.  My daughter’s college is about two hours away from our house, in a neighboring state.  So being able to drive to visit her, at the drop of a hat, is convenient. Having my wife there, if only for a few hours, was tremendous for both of them.  It helped my daughter deal with this short-term illness, and it helped us a lot because one of us was able to be there for her.  I can’t stress enough how happy we are that we are only a couple of hours away from my daughter.  My daughter was accepted at colleges halfway across the country but, luckily, she was accepted into her first-choice college, which is within driving distance from our house.  If we couldn’t be with her at that time, the separation anxiety would’ve been extremely tough to deal with.

If you are contemplating dropping your child off at college someday, try to learn from others who have already had to deal with this life transition.  There are actionable steps that you can take to minimize the anxiety of being away from your angel.  If you take part in the college experience, albeit remotely, and show your child that you have

pride in their college, it will certainly help you deal with the separation anxiety.  Communicate, but know that this is their time of independence from you. Let them dictate how much they want to keep in touch.  Most importantly, when they do come home on breaks, and in the summer, welcome them home with open arms.  It takes a little time, but those feelings of college separation anxiety will decrease. Implement these various ways to deal with anxiety and, believe me, it will help a lot. It’s really tough at first but, in time, you will be able to emotionally deal with this new phase of your life.

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As I stated in my previous post, this Spring I will be completing my third degree but this one will be completely online.  In that post I discussed the benefits of taking online education.  In this post I will focus on the drawbacks of taking an online degree and an analysis of the two at the end.

Now let’s get to the drawbacks …

Removed from the College Scene.

My eldest daughter is currently a freshman in college and she lives there full-time. Even though she has been there for only a little over three months she now calls it “home”. The camaraderie that she feels with her fellow classmates is strong. As a parent I am extremely happy that she has been able to form a tight-knit bond with her fellow classmates. This type of close relationship simply cannot be fostered if you are taking a degree online. Years ago when I was taking my first degree just out of high school I commuted to college. Even though I did not live there I was able to partake in the college scene and atmosphere. Talking with classmates face-to-face and being able to socialize with them leads to relationships that simply cannot be fostered online.

Interaction with the teacher is difficult.

When we are taking classes in college there are times when we simply need to meet with the professor after hours to get help with the coursework. This can be a problem with an online education. Certainly there are tools like Skype that we can utilize to speak with the teacher online but it simply is not the same as first-hand human interaction. Just as talking with your classmates face-to-face, it is also helpful to be able to do the same with your professor. The personal relationships gained from first-hand interaction far exceed any type of relationship you can develop via emails or online tools.

Group projects are cumbersome and nearly impossible.

Of all of the online courses I have taken there was only one professor who was bold enough to assign a group project. First of all, I am not a fan of group projects, online or not. I know that I can count on myself but having to count on others is not my cup of tea. Invariably there will be one or two of the group participants that will not pull their weight. This is difficult enough when you actually have met your group partners and have conversed with them face-to-face but online it is even more difficult. It is my opinion that professors who teach online courses should never assign a group project. For one thing, if one of the group members is on the other side of the world, trying to set up a time to interact online is difficult. But the main reason is that the online environment does not lend itself to a group working together to complete a project. If you’ve ever had to work on a group project in an online course you will know exactly what I mean.

Feelings of isolation.

No matter how you slice it, an online education can lead to feelings of isolation. You should never get into an online degree thinking that you can develop the same relationships that you would develop if you were attending a traditional classroom. If you understand this going in then it will be to your benefit. You must know that you are in it for the education and only the education. This is the approach I went into my online education with and, if you understand this upfront, you will not be disappointed.

My Analysis of the Benefits vs the Drawbacks.

My recommendation is that if you are looking to take an online degree for your first degree then you should reconsider. The value that you gain from the face-to-face interaction and the development of relationships with others in your class is invaluable. Then again, if you are forced to work to support your family then an online education for your first degree is a great option. What I feel is the best scenario is to go to a college for your first degree so that you can enjoy the scene, get away from your home, feel some independence, and get a good education. After that, if you are so inclined to get more education, taking a Masters Degree online or another Bachelors degree is a sound choice. For full-time workers I think taking an online degree is the perfect option especially for the reasons stated in my previous post.

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This Spring I will be completing my third degree but this one was a little bit different than the other two. This degree will be totally online. Online education has been a whole new ballgame for me as far as schooling is concerned. Since I work full-time (and not on this blog), taking an online degree was an attractive option for me.

When it comes to education I tend to live my life by the quote:

“The truly educated never graduate”.

I’m sure that there are many of you out there who either have taken online courses or are considering it. Some colleges out there offer complete degrees online and in this post I will detail what I consider the benefits. In my next post I will focus in on some of the drawbacks of online education.

First, here are some online education basics…

For an online class there is typically a course outline and homework assignments assigned each week. Each student has a username and password and accesses course material by logging onto the university server. Since I am taking an IT degree, I oftentimes have to develop programs for homework assignments. I utilize programs such as Core FTP or FTP Surfer to either pull files off of the university server or to deposit them onto the server to hand in my assignments. For some courses I simply have to email an attached document to the teacher. There is also an optional “chat session” that the teacher moderates each week. This gives the students the opportunity to ask the teacher questions and to interact with the other students.

Now let’s get to the benefits …

Convenience…

I think the best way to describe taking an online course is that it is convenient. Dictionary.com defines the word convenient as

Logistical bliss…

If you have ever attended a college you certainly can understand that there are logistical issues that you must contend with. When I went for my first undergraduate degree many years ago, I commuted from my home to school and back each day. I remember having to contend with traffic and even having to find parking in the lots at the college. If my current degree was a traditional continuing education degree, I would have to drive to the college after work for class. I also don’t have to worry about getting a parking pass or going to the bookstore since I can order my books online as well. Removing this logistical layer is truly a blessing when it comes to an online education. You can even carry this further and it gives someone who may be incapable of driving a car or physically incapable of leaving the house, an option to continue their education. Talk about liberating…

Interaction with remote students…

I have attended online classes with students on the other side of the world. There is usually a forum for each class where students can interact with each other. This can be done either in a private chat session, a class chat session, or an online forum where students can pose questions to other students or the teacher. You can imagine how attractive it is to the college offering the online classes because it pretty much opens up the world to signing up for their classes. This is analogous to selling products only in your state versus all over the world utilizing the far-reaching tentacles of the internet.

Effective Time Management…

I am a big proponent of managing my time effectively. If you check out these posts, Time Management 101 (guest post on WorkAwesome.com), and my last two posts on this blog, you will note that I am extremely cognizant of where my time goes. With an online course I can work on my homework when it is convenient (there’s that word again). Typically I block out my lunch hour, move to a small conference room with my sandwich, and log into the university server. For my online degree, I don’t have to actually attend a weekly class although you can optionally attend a chat session once a week. I find it helpful to attend the chat session because I may have questions about the homework assignments. I usually plan it so that I get home just in time so I can log into the weekly chat session from the comfort of my home.

In my next post I will detail what I consider some of the drawbacks of taking online education.

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