Online vs. Classroom Experience

While on Spring brake, I received an email with an article about Online vs. Classroom Experience by my boss and thought about posting a blog about it to help people make an informed decision when choosing between the two.

The article written by Dave Copeland titled “Online instead of on campus” ( http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2010/01/10/online_instead_of_on_campus/?s_campaign=8315 ) was published on the Boston Globe on January 10, 2010. Copeland talks about the trend leading to more virtual classrooms, where you may even complete a whole degree online by never setting foot on campus. For some, as discussed in the article, it may be the best option considering availability of students. On the other hand, it may take some of the learning objectives away by not interacting with professors and students in the classroom. 

Then you might say, “but there is interaction on a virtual classroom”. There certainly is however, there is a lot that can go wrong to prevent students from getting the most out of class. Technological difficulties on the staff part can certainly take away the experience. Furthermore, you need to put the degree/class you are pursuing in consideration. Is personal interaction with professors and students important for my degree and career?I have had great experiences online, but also bad experiences. Personally, I would rather have face-to-face meetings with professor and perhaps some work done online.What are your thoughts about online degrees/classes?

Should I get some experience before graduate school?!

 This blog is geared more for prospect students rather than current students.

Shortly before starting my last year of my bachelor degree, I started to think whether I was going to pursue the job market or the graduate school market. Let me say this up front… everyone has different circumstances and they need to be accounted for.

I received my bachelor degree in the spring of 2007 and the job market was all ready looking weak, yet i decided to pursue the job market before applying for graduate school and I believe it was the right choice to do so. Because my graduate degree is a Master in Management, a lot of the class material requires you to apply your previous experience to it.

Therefore, before making the decision between graduate school and job market, find out if the area you want to study is based on previous experience.

On the other hand, currently we are faced with a very stagnant job market and therefore it may be the perfect time to apply for graduate school, so when you have your graduate degree you are a very qualified prospect employee. And hopefully by then the job market will be on its way up!

Application Process – My Experience at BSC

My application process is a bit special when comparing to the most applicants at BSC because I’m an international student. Therefore I’ll briefly cover the general aspect as well as the international student aspect of when I applied.

General Aspect:

BSC does a great job in creating a personal connection with prospect students when they seek information and there are great opportunities to do so through BSC School of Graduate Studies events. From my first phone call requesting an application, through follow-up calls, the staff at BSC was very friendly and helpful!

Also when asked for scholarships and graduate assistantships, they did a great job in helping me (hence my current GA position today).

International Student Aspect:

For those who are seeking to study in the USA and are not familiar with the process don’t worry, BSC has a great staff to help you with that. Because of time constraints, the School of Graduate Studies was very quick and efficient in processing my paperwork. If you have any questions, please visit the international link below and don’t hesitate to contact the School of Graduate Studies @ BSC for any questions regarding international student status, even if you are just thinking about applying! THE EARLIER YOU ACT THE BETTER OFF YOU WILL BE!

Useful Links:

Graduate Studies – admission Blog: http://bscgradadmissions.wordpress.com/about/

General Link for Grad School at BSC: http://www.bridgew.edu/SoGS/

School of Graduate Studies Events: http://www.bridgew.edu/sogs/events_sogs.cfm
International Student Info: http://www.bridgew.edu/sogs/international.cfm
Programs Available at BSC: http://www.bridgew.edu/SoGS/graduate.cfm

Any questions?

How to get a good grade!

More often than we would like to admit, classrooms are also under the influence of politics whether you like it or not. So… stop thinking only on studying for your next exam and start thinking about the political dynamic of your classroom.

Here is how you can secure a good grade this semester: (But remember, this WILL NOT substitute the necessary studying time required for the class!)

1. Make the effort so the professor (positively) remembers your name by the second or third week of classes.

2. Make the effort in visiting your professor at his/her office hours with relevant information/question about class but ALSO make it personable.

3. Make the effort to be ready for class (studying time!) so that you can actively participate in class.

4. Make the effort to ask constructive questions in class to your professor, they like when students ask questions!

5. Make the effort to get to know your classmates, especially the ones who the professor likes. You can gain points through association!

These are some of the things I try to do throughout the semester. Professors like to see active students in their classrooms. If you follow these suggestions I’m sure you can bump that B+ to an A-!

Now its your turn! What do you do to bump your grade up?

PS: Dont forget to visit Ray Guillete, EdD blog (Assistant Dean of School of Graduate Studies @ BSC).This is a great resourse for prospect students as well as current students!

Textbooks – Are they worth it?

Are textbooks really necessary? Is the cost of textbooks out weighted by the benefits that they might bring into students’ endeavor of pursuing his/her master degree? Of course you will get all different types of answers from both students and professors alike.

Last semester, Fall 2009, I conduct a brief group research at BSC to find out what BSC students thought about textbooks in general. As suspected the opinions varied. Some students said that purchasing brand new books at the university/college bookstore is only wroth while if you have a deep interest in the subject and you are looking to keep the textbook as a reference tool in the future. Others will say that the cost of purchasing new books out weights its benefits, therefore they say to buy it used and from retailers online!

Top four reasons why textbook’s cost out weights benefits:

1. Most professors don’t use the entire textbook then why buy the entire textbook?
2. Professors don’t usually test students from textbook material
3. Students think textbooks are not important in the learning process
4. Can’t I just borrow from a friend who is in that class?!

Popular online stores/sites for textbooks:

1. Ebay (www.ebay.com )
2. Half.com (content is different from ebay even though is part of ebay, check both!) (www.half.com )
3. Amazon.com (www.amazon.com )

Alternative ways of getting textbooks:

1. Check if publisher provide digital versions for download (for the most part its cheaper than buying physical book, however there might be a time constraint of how long you can use the digital version)
2. Renting textbooks?
3. International editions?! (Are they worth while?)

What are your thoughts about textbooks? Please share your comments and thoughts about this blog.

Learned from experience: DO NOT WAIT TO BUY BOOKS ONLINE! They might take forever to arrive, therefore when you have signed up for a course email your professor to find out what books are required for the course and buy them in advance!