My Personal Advice to New Kaplan Online University Students

I am currently a student at Kaplan University Online, working on my bachelor's degree in human services, and it was the best decision I've ever made. The associate's degree that I earned several years ago from a community college in Detroit just wasn't enabling me to advance in the human services field like I desired, so I knew that a higher degree was necessary. I decided to take online courses because it's a great deal more convenient and flexible. I'm going to be returning to work soon and I have a family, making traditional college nearly impossible for me right now. If you're going to be attending Kaplan University Online soon, there are some tips that you might find helpful.

One thing that you should realize is that Kaplan University Online is by no means an easier or quicker way to earn a degree. If you're looking to earn an easy degree with minimal work, you should look elsewhere. Kaplan University Online is comparable to traditional college, and you have just as many assignments, projects, papers and other responsibilities as well. The only difference, of course, is that you can attend classes in your pajamas if you like. For some classes, attending the weekly online seminar is a must and you'll lose vital points if you don't, and for other classes attending the weekly seminar is an option and you're given another option to earn these particular points.

When you're ready to actually be admitted to the college, you should know that there are no application fees like traditional college. I found this pleasant surprise to be very helpful. Enrollment was a breeze as well, and after working closely with an admissions advisor who showed me step-by-step how to apply for financial aid as well as everything else necessary for me to start school, an enrollment counselor called me and registered me for classes, and my books, which were included in my tuition, were shipped to me via UPS. Some classes may utilize e-books, but each class is different and whether or not you'll have an actual book will vary.

Another thing that may be helpful for you is information about financial aid. If you're going to be using financial aid and loans to pay for your education at Kaplan University Online, you should know that unlike traditional colleges, Kaplan only requests the exact amounts needed to fund your classes and related expenses. So if you're looking forward to being sent a check for whatever is remaining on your account after all expenses are paid each semester, you won't receive anything. You can choose to max out your loans and use the extra cash for living and school-related expenses. A financial aid counselor can provide you with a special application should this interest you. Also, any checks owed to you from leftover grant, scholarship or loan funds will mailed to your home at the end of each semester instead of at the beginning like most traditional colleges.

I had trouble obtaining my official transcript, which Kaplan University Online, like all other colleges requires. One thing that was especially helpful about Kaplan University Online, though, was the fact that I was told that as long as I submitted a copy of my previous degree that I was transferring over, I didn't have to have my official transcript send to the college until the end of the first semester. This definitely took a great deal of stress off me as well as prevented me from encountering any delays in enrolling in classes.

You will like Kaplan University Online a great deal, and as long as you follow the tips that I gave, you should be able to earn the degree of your choice with no problems whatsoever. Kaplan University Online may not be a traditional college, but they offer everything that you could possibly need in order to successfully earn your degree.