You’re reading the first installment of the Online Student Survival Guide, sponsored by Western Governors University (WGU). While WGU is the sponsor, this blog is for online college students from any online university or college and for those who are thinking about pursuing an online degree.
You are a very, very diverse group. You’re young …and not so young. (At WGU our oldest degree-seeking student is 76!) You live in every state in the U.S. and in many foreign countries too. You live in rural areas where there aren’t many college options. And you live in urban areas, going to college online even though a regular college is just down the street! Some of you are new to college, while many of you are finally returning to school to finish that degree you’ve always wanted, either your first degree or an online graduate degree. Many of you are seeking to become the first person in your family to earn a college degree.
So let’s celebrate together and help each other too. Despite what some people think, getting a degree online isn’t “easy,” at least not if the online program is worth its salt.
The Online Student Survival Guide is for you and about you. You’ll read great postings about the practical challenges of not just surviving but thriving as an online student. The topics will cover such things as –
- Adjusting to online learning
- Staying motivated
- Family support
- Getting your life organized
- Tricks for saving time!
- Staying physically (and mentally) healthy
- Balancing work, school, and family
- And a whole lot more
The regular bloggers you’ll get to know here are smart, sensitive, experienced, and determined to help online students everywhere. While their postings will be based upon their personal experience and knowledge of what others face, they’ll focus on topics and ideas you’ll readily relate to. In fact, you’re invited to add your comments, ideas, and helpful tips for other online students.
At WGU, where we emphasize mentoring students to help them succeed, we like to think, not “you can do it,” but instead “you will do it!”
We hope you’ll join the community of “succeeders” and make the Online Student Survival Guide a regular part of your commitment to finish your education online!
Again, welcome!
Patrick Partridge
Vice President
Western Governors University