One down...

and I am not even counting how many more to go or it will steal my joy.  I am continuing my education at a new school this semester, Western Governor's University.  Choosing this school felt like a big risk to me because it is so different from a traditional university.  It is always so comfortable to do what is familiar and "normal" that often times I avoid the changes that are certain to come with such risks and just stay on the beaten path.  However, as I was planning my semester at Black Hills State last spring I realized that at the rate I am able to take classes at a traditional school and keep my sanity, my kids will be in college before I graduate.  Okay, so maybe not that long, but it was definitely going to be a big chunk of time well above the average length for my degree program.  I had checked out a couple of accelerated online programs and while the time and flexibility seemed more manageable, the price tag crushed my dream.  When I found WGU, I found a way to earn my degree at my own pace.  Perfect!  What have I got to lose?  My goal in getting my degree is to gain the knowledge needed to run a successful business, hopefully my own.  If that is the outcome of going to this non-traditional university then I will have reached my goal!

My first class was Fundamentals of Business Law and Ethics.  It was a 6 credit class and projected to take 10 weeks if I followed the suggested outline.  What I love about the competency based approach taken by WGU is that there are certain classes that academic success is based on just that; competency. In some classes you are measured by only one objective exam covering all of the areas in the class.  You either pass or fail based on your score.  In other classes you are assigned several tasks to ensure competency and application. This was one of the objective classes.  I took a pre-assessment on my start date and basically scored high enough to skip the class and take the final. I passed with an 80%, 6 weeks into school (and the first 2 were online orientation things) and have 6 credits already completed.  At this rate, I should be able to knock out anywhere between 18 and 20 credits this term!  That's twice as many as I could have done at Black Hills State!  

While I'm on my little soapbox for my school, I have to mention the cost.  $3000 per TERM!  They do not charge per credit.  Each term is counted as 6 months and you can take as many credits as you can each term for the flat rate.  They offer a wide variety of degree programs including nursing and teaching degrees, business and graduate programs.  They network their online programs with a lot of other traditional universities to keep costs down. It is definitely not for everyone, but if you are self-motivated and time-restrained, I would highly recommend looking into the programs offered and see if it's a fit for you.  I love being in control of my own education and I feel like I have been set up to succeed.  I have a mentor who helps me to plan my courses and set my time goals.  I have taken several online classes from South Dakota schools and NEVER ONCE even spoke to one of the instructors!  Do your research and save your time and your money!

OK...so I didn't mean to turn into a commercial for my school.  I'm just excited that I passed Biz Law and I can actually see my goal becoming a reality instead of just a possibility.