School Fool: Classroom, or mouse and PJ's?

blakfeld

So after I graduated high school in 2006, I moved an hour north to attend the University of North Texas, hoping to pursue an RTVF (Radio, Television, Film) degree for some unknown reason. I spent that year playing video games and drinking myself stupid, I think when I left I was broke and had something silly like a 0.6 average. I went to a community college to study sound engineering after that, but ended up putting myself more in debt, and ultimately having to quit because I flat out couldn't afford the gas to school every day (It was in Plano, I live in Denton, if any north Texan's want to do the math).

Needless to say, I fucked up. Screwed the Pooch. Made like Oedipus and savagely plowed the queen.

I now work full time as a Geek Squad agent, a job I love, and will of had my pay doubled in the year I've worked there, plus Best Buy will pay for a huge hunk of schooling if I decide to go back; Ultimately they'll work with me on every detail to ensure I go back, for whatever studies I decide to put myself into. So, after enjoying the nerd life, I've decided I need to revert back to my first passion, and go with Computer Science.

Now the dilemma

The options before me are to attend the University I live a stone's throw away from and pay the premium, or should I look into an online option like the University of Phoenix? The problem with it is that School doesn't mesh well with me. I learn better by sitting down with the legos and seeing what shapes I can create, not with someone telling me that the blue block locks neatly down into the red block. I learn better on my own by playing with the tools. The problem with a traditional classroom setting is that I'll take notes, stare at the teacher, listen to every last word, and realize that I was thinking about candy the whole time, and didn't actually hear a single thing. I've tried taking notes by hand, typing, tape recorders, nothing's really helped with that. So I started considering attending an online university, as I have my client's tell me about it all day, but does an online degree really count for anything? I spoke with a close friend and his feelings were that any degree is better than no degree, but this is time I won't get back. Would I be better off to settle down and try to push myself through a standard university, or is this online college thing not just smoke and mirrors?

tl;dr: I fucked up at school. I'd kind of like to go back. Would I ultimately be better off sitting myself down in a classroom, or is this online schooling thing something worth looking into.

thanimations

I take online classes right now as well as traditional in-classroom, and the online stuff seems to be a hell of a lot more work. I can't talk for U of Phoenix specifically since I've never done anything with them, but keep in mind that online means lots of extra work that you normally do just by showing up to class.

Now, since you sound like that type of learning is better for you, maybe double check to see if you can do online courses at your local university? I suppose it would depend on the degree, but a lot of schools are making the push to add all-online degrees, that way you can get the "prestige" of a brick and mortar school with the flexibility of online.

I would look heavily into what UofP is about before you commit, though. Again, I've never attended or know much about the school, but doing a quick search brings up complaints/URL] you should keep in mind.

Of course, you should probably go into your local unversity and talk to an advisor. Explain the situation, your concerns and goals, and see what they can do to help you succeed.

blakfeld

Okay, I read that and some google fu is making me a little weary of the online thing. It really seems to be a love it or hate it ordeal.

Hmm... Well... I guess I'll give UNT a call tomorrow, and at the very least speak with an advisor, so I can see about getting enrolled (which I think is the end of this month. Fun)

Anyone else have any more expirence with these online schools?

And out of curiousity, What more work do you have to do? It seems like it would be a little simpler

Awk

Online classes are not for everyone. Its easy to fall behind and if youre a slacker, it aint gonna work. My only advice to your learning problem is to take interest in the subject. Instead of thinking about candy when the instructor is explaining something, just try to enjoy learning about it. Try to pick up interest in the subject, or pick classes you will know you will like (astronomy, psychology, etc).

Scooter

These days I don't think note-taking or paying attention to lectures is all that important - most classes I've taken use slides for their notes, then put the slides onto some sort of class website, so you don't need to copy them and can read them whenever. During lectures I'm usually doing homework for another class, or reading...which is probably a step up from the guys playing Warcraft in class. Most of my actual learning happens during homework assignments, or studying for the tests.

I'm no 4.0 student, but I do ok.

Smurph

Someone in one of these education threads on this board once said that half the value of any degree is what you learn, and the other half is that it proves you are able to put up with unfair bullshit that you hate. You're always going to have classes that you think are boring and teachers that you think suck. So do people going to Harvard or MIT. You put up with it and get what you need out of it. Quitting or looking for an easier school whenever you get bored or frustrated will not do you any good.

As far as the online school thing, I've never know anyone who has graduated from an online school and gotten a job in that field. I've known a couple people who tried going to them and only wound up dropping out and going deep in to debt. I would suggest going to a regular university and seeing if they have some classes that are available online. I was able to take some of my general required classes online and being able to do 70% of the work in one or two dedicated weekends really dulls the pain.

To be honest though, getting any degree that is worth anything (like CS) you will need to spend a lot of time physically at school either in class or working on schoolwork. Yeah you can go program at home but you eventually get in to team projects or projects you need help with, and you have to be at school for that stuff. If you like the material it shouldn't drive you crazy

blakfeld

Good points all of you. I suppose going to a brick and mortar University if for no other reason would benifit me greatly in just learning to pay the fuck attention. I'll give their advisor a call tomorrow when I have my work schedule for the next week.

Alright gentlemen. Here I go again. Wish me luck

CelestialBadger

Scooter wrote: »

These days I don't think note-taking or paying attention to lectures is all that important - most classes I've taken use slides for their notes, then put the slides onto some sort of class website, so you don't need to copy them and can read them whenever.

I don't think this would work for most people. When I was at Uni, the lecturers said a lot more stuff than was just in the notes. The notes are the bare bones. You learn a lot better by listening to the lecture. You can also ask questions at the end if something interested/puzzled you.

You are paying a lot of money to hear those lectures, might as well get your money's worth. Also the information the lecturer imparts to you without you needing to read or do anything that involves effort is just free knowledge, which has got to be good (for the lazy!)

shugarae

Smurph wrote: »

Someone in one of these education threads on this board once said that half the value of any degree is what you learn, and the other half is that it proves you are able to put up with unfair bullshit that you hate. You're always going to have classes that you think are boring and teachers that you think suck. So do people going to Harvard or MIT. You put up with it and get what you need out of it. Quitting or looking for an easier school whenever you get bored or frustrated will not do you any good.

As far as the online school thing, I've never know anyone who has graduated from an online school and gotten a job in that field. I've known a couple people who tried going to them and only wound up dropping out and going deep in to debt. I would suggest going to a regular university and seeing if they have some classes that are available online. I was able to take some of my general required classes online and being able to do 70% of the work in one or two dedicated weekends really dulls the pain.

To be honest though, getting any degree that is worth anything (like CS) you will need to spend a lot of time physically at school either in class or working on schoolwork. Yeah you can go program at home but you eventually get in to team projects or projects you need help with, and you have to be at school for that stuff. If you like the material it shouldn't drive you crazy

This is the most of it right here...

Now for some info on how Uni of Phoenix works...

First off - they don't offer a computer science degree. They have a number of IT degrees, but you won't learn as much hardcore programming as you would at a traditional school because of how their classes are set up. I guess it depends on what you actually want to do with your degree.

Secondly - it's very expensive. ~$1600/class... so for a bachelor's degree starting from zero credits, it'll run you about $64,000. That's probably a heckuvalot more than a state school will run you.

Third - each of their classes is 5 weeks long. Each week of class you'll have a paper or a project due, plus online discussion requirements 4 days per week. It's definitely easy to fall behind, miss deadlines, or accidentally drop from the class for not meeting attendance requirements.

Finally - companies do not recruit graduates from Uni of Phoenix. If your goal is to do something other than geek squad after you graduate, this is important information. At a state school, you'll find a career center, job fairs, resume help, internship placements, etc., but not at Uni of Phoenix.

That's not to say it's all bad. Online education definitely works for some people. If you're organized and motivated, it could work for you too. Good luck in whatever you decide!

blakfeld

Alrighty Shugaree that actually answers all my questions about that

Brick and Mortar it does. Heres my follow up question

Any tips on how to pay the fuck attention? Its not a matter of if I'm interested or not, either case I just can't focus on the lecture. Should I see a doctor? Any tricks y'all have picked up? I don't know what career I'd like to end up in, but I'm certain its not geek squad

Darkewolfe

Pay the fuck attention. Stop making excuses.

nonplussed

I tend to drift in class because the professor'll say something and my mind will latch onto and run away with it. If you're in this boat, doing the homework will be highly beneficial as it will fill in the gaps you miss in the lectures.

As for actually doing the homework, if you're like me and can't do homework at home, remove yourself the fuck out of the house and isolate yourself with the bare essentials at your library or park. If your mind drifts with those bare essentials, get creative with it and at least find something productive in those instances your mind wanders.

Hypatia

Some colleges offer courses that are "self taught". You can't get all the courses like this but at my school the classes would be listed as PSI: <class> (Personal Self Instruction). They handed out a syllabus at the first class and said:
"Mondays we will show a movie on the topics for the week, attendance is not required. Tuesday - Thursday we will be giving tests. You come in, you take the test, you bring it up to the front of the class and we will grade it right there. If you are not happy with your grade, you can retake the test during any of the remaining days for that week, if you're happy with your score you don't have to come in for the remaining days. If you are confident that you will do well on the test, you can choose to just come in Thursday, but if you think you might need to retake it then you will want to come in earlier. Each day the test will be different so you can't memorize the answers. We will keep the highest score of your test scores for that week."

On the syllabus it basically just had: "Week 1: Chapters 1-3, Week 2: Chapters 4-8, Week 3: Chapters 9 and 10, etc" (from the textbook)

You might see if your college has courses like that, I tell you though, after you do your first test you start to study your ass off for the chapters so that you don't need to go in more than once a week. A warning on this system: you can't negotiate on your grade. You get what the numbers say you get, period.

For suggestions on keeping your attention on the lecture during class, try challenging yourself to come up with 1 good question for the professor every 10 minutes based on what he's talking about. Scribble it in the margin of your notes and then if you think it's really a good question, ask it. It'll even earn you points with the professor.

If your school has resources for the deaf, try signing up/getting a job as a note taker. That way you get paid for going to class (so you tend to have perfect attendance), they prefer people who are actually taking the class, and their requirements for notes mean you spend the entire class frantically copying down everything the professor is saying so you don't have time to not pay attention.

Smurph

A good way to make sure you focus on a class is to join a study group, make friends in the class and study with them, or make appointments to go over stuff with the TA or Professor. I find I'm less likely to slack off if I know I'm going to have to show other people how much of the material I know. Failing a test is failing privately. Showing up to a study session knowing nothing will make you look like a moron to other people, so you're failing publicly.

blakfeld

Smurph wrote: »

A good way to make sure you focus on a class is to join a study group, make friends in the class and study with them, or make appointments to go over stuff with the TA or Professor. I find I'm less likely to slack off if I know I'm going to have to show other people how much of the material I know. Failing a test is failing privately. Showing up to a study session knowing nothing will make you look like a moron to other people, so you're failing publicly.

Thats pretty good advice there. I've never understood how studying in a group worked, but that makes it make a little more sense.

And lord knows I have to show these brain balls to someone

witch_ie

If you start to feel yourself drifting, make yourself stop and start writing down all the stuff the professor is saying. Over time, also make yourself pay attention to it. Another thing that worked for me was to have a drink with me - not caffeinated. When you feel yourself drifting, take a sip. It's strange, but usually helps me focus.